This time two weeks ago, Swans rookie Shane Biggs was in the midst of his first trip as part of a professional AFL club.

The journey was a homecoming of sorts for Biggs who had lived in Melbourne until the Swans selected him with their first pick in last December’s rookie draft.

Having departed the building site to take up a spot on the Swans rookie list, there were no nails, timber or levels for Biggs to deal with upon his return to Melbourne, this time having to make do with hotels, massages and drinks.

And while it may sound more glamorous than it actual is, the weekend trip gave Biggs an insight into the rigours and routines of being part of an AFL club.

“It was a really good experience, just getting to know the whole routine - getting down there the night before, getting your own room… everywhere you go there’s a Powerade and a water,” Biggs told sydneyswans.com.au.

“It definitely made me feel what it is like - it’s just so professional in every little thing.

“(In the rooms before the game) everyone was going through their routine and there were guys getting massages and strapping at certain times. Just the whole vibe was pretty intense, so I got a look of what it would be like down there during the regular season.”

Biggs was the starting substitute for both games against St Kilda and Geelong, and although he had to wait a while to get into the action, he said it was thrilling being a part of the whole experience and soaking up his first outing as a Swan.

“I had a lot of time to think and look at the crowd, run up and down the boundary - cop a bit from a few opposition fans. It was awesome just to be able to sit there and lap it up, and then get my chance” he said.

Biggs entered the fray in the second half of the game against reigning premiers, Geelong, who were fielding a team without many of their stars, but Biggs said as soon as he ran on he could still feel the intensity from a club who has won three of the last five premierships.

“It was pretty crazy,” he said. “As soon as you got out there, you knew you were out there because you had to pick someone up and run with them and try and get a kick.”

“They (Geelong) had a fairly young side in, but they’ve still got that (intensity) bred into them. I didn’t get much of it, but from what I saw, there was just so much pressure on the ball.”

The following morning, Biggs joined the rest of the Swans travelling group at Port Melbourne’s Aanenson Oval for the Melbourne Fan Day, where hundreds of fans of all ages braved the heat to line up for autographs - even if not all of them knew Biggs.

“That was a great day,” Biggs said. “Just seeing how many fans came out - it’s a Sydney-based team now, and of course we’ve got that fan base in Melbourne from South Melbourne, but it was more than I expected.”

“(The club) means so much to a lot of people. There’s people ranging from two (years old) through to 80, still with their jumpers, wanting signatures of me. Half of them don’t even know who I am! But they just want a scribble on their jumper which means so much to them, and I love being a part of it.”