At age 15, Sydney Swans rookie Jack Lynch swapped the round Molten ball for the oval Sherrin football.

Unlike the majority of players on AFL lists, Lynch didn’t grow up on the football field and only took up the game in his early high school years after almost a decade playing basketball.

Fortunately for the teenager, he found that the personal assets that helped him excel on the basketball court translated perfectly onto the footy field.

“Initially I think (playing basketball) set me back skill wise but I think it’s given me a bit extra in terms of cross training and athletically,” Lynch told sydneyswans.com.au.

After just one year playing both sports, Lynch decided that football was the game he wanted to pursue.

“I played (football) for New South Wales and my local school teams and rep teams and then eventually dropped basketball to play more football,” he said.

“I found that I started enjoying football more because I considered it to be a much more free game, and there was more opportunity.

“I grew a love for the game a bit more over time because of the freedom of the game and the things you can do during the game.

“Basketball is just a bit more restricted and AFL was wider and more open.”

Lynch was picked up by the Swans on a NSW Scholarship and remained on the program for three years before being placed on the Sydney Swans rookie list at the end of 2011.

This season, the 19-year-old has been a regular in defence for the Swans reserves, who are sitting in second place on the NEAFL Eastern Conference ladder.

Despite running forward and kicking a goal in the reserves’ most recent win over Belconnen on Sunday morning, Lynch said he is more comfortable playing down back.

“I definitely enjoy playing down back, playing forward is a bit new to me,” he said.

“I like locking down on an opponent and working off him, rather than trying to kick goals all the time.”

The young player admitted that while his first season with an AFL club has been challenging, he understands that the only way to have a crack at the Swans list is through hard work.

“It’s been extremely full on and much harder than I thought it was going to be,” he said.

“I’ve been working on my skills and my running and weights, and every session I’m just working on improving."