Will Phillips had no idea his name was to be called out so early in last week’s AFL Draft.
Expected to be taken a little later in the first round, the Oakleigh Chargers midfielder landed at North Melbourne with pick 3.
Phillips admits it was a huge surprise that the Kangaroos came calling because of all the clubs he spoke to in the lead-up, they appeared to show the least amount of interest.
“I found out via broadcast. It was a bit of a shock to me,” he said on SEN Drive.
“I always thought I was sort of in that range, but having not played all year I thought I would have slid to five or six to Hawthorn or Gold Coast.
“They were one of the clubs that spoke to me the least. I spoke to 17 clubs and only had one interview with North. That’s probably the main reason why it was such a big shock.
“But super stoked and so grateful to not only be staying in Melbourne but to be at such a great club. The club is going through a transition stage, I guess, and to be a part of that will be really special.
“Hopefully we can bring some success to the club over the next few years.”
Another shock on draft night came when club legend Brent Harvey turned up at Phillips’ house.
The reason for the visit was to bestow the famous number 29 jumper on the talented youngster which was last worn by ‘Boomer’ in 2016.
“Definitely not my choice. If I could choose it I would!” he laughed.
“Literally, Boomer just rocked up to my house on draft night with one of the media team and asked me if I’d be willing to wear jumper number 29.
“After four years without it being occupied, I said, ‘Absolutely of course’.
“If the cameras weren’t there I might have said something else.”
Phillips explained how it all came about on what was a very memorable night and how he plans to learn from the man who holds the record for the most career games in history.
“Dad went out to meet them, he was meeting people as they came in because I had a few people over that night,” he said further.
“I answered the door and he (Harvey) was standing right there. I was pretty shocked, it was a night full of surprises really.
“Firstly getting picked by them, then a 400-game player presents you with their jumper number. It’s pretty surreal.
“I’m really excited to work closely with ‘Boomer’. He’s obviously a master of the game. He works pretty closely with the first and second-year players.
“I can’t wait to get to work.”
Phillips became North’s highest draft pick since 2006 when they took Lachlan Hansen at 3.