He has received jumpers for Kerry, Ireland and St Kilda before, but as one of the Swans newest recruits, Tommy Walsh says he is still getting excited by the prospect of receiving his first Official Sydney Swans guernsey.

Speaking to SwansTV six days out from the Guernsey Presentation and Hall of Fame Dinner, Walsh said taking on the number 17 jumper, previously worn by countryman Tadhg Kennelly, would add a special lustre to the already prestigious night.

“It’s a great honour to be given the number 17, so I’m just looking forward to the night and everything that goes with it,” Walsh said.

“It’s an amazing feeling - it’s indescribable really. When you get (a guernsey) for the first time, it’s just such a sense of pride when you put it on, and you just want to wear it every single week and just keep putting it on.”

Walsh said he wasn’t feeling any added pressure by donning the famous number recently vacated by the decorated Kennelly - who played 197 games for the Club over ten seasons, including the 2005 premiership - but wanted to carry on the Irish tradition and etch his own chapter.

“I spoke to Tadhg about it and he said just treat it as an Irish number and it’s kind of a symbol of where you come from, as it was for him during his career,” he said.

“I’m not trying to do as much as Tadhg did or anything like that; I’m just trying to be my own player and just wear the number as proudly as he did.”

Walsh, who has played two of the Swans three pre-season games, said he is still learning the craft of AFL but has been pleased with the progression he’s made from his early days with the Saints.

“I suppose from where I’ve come from in the first couple of months when I was down at St Kilda, it’s a big difference (in the improvement in his game),” he said.

“It is hard and it is very difficult to adjust, but I’d like to think I’m a fair way towards that (improvement), but I suppose only time will tell.”