As last month's NAB AFL Draft whipped through the first, second and third rounds, Dylan Clarke felt the panic start to set in.
The Eastern Ranges midfielder watched clubs he was linked to pick other prospects, and then other clubs began to pass on their selections.
By pick 60, he had moved out of the living room at his Lysterfield home in Victoria where some school friends were watching and moved into another room to tune in alone with his dad.
"When they started speeding through the draft in the later rounds and you're not having your name called, the anxiety levels raise and you start to question if you're going to get picked up and what it might be like if you don't get drafted," Clarke told AFL.com.au.
"I thought I had a pretty consistent season but leading into the draft I had no idea what was going to happen. It was getting really stressful. A few clubs where I thought I might be a chance picked other people and when clubs started to pass, the nerves really kicked in."
The 18-year-old didn't have to wait too much longer, however, with Essendon picking him at No.63 as their fourth-round selection at the draft.
His house erupted, and soon after he received a call from brother Ryan, a second-year North Melbourne midfielder watching the draft from the Roos' training camp in Utah at 3am.
"Getting picked up by Essendon, staying in Victoria and going to a great club with a few of my mates has been the perfect result," Clarke said.
Essendon, too, was pleased to pick up Clarke at that spot. He will bring some more midfield depth to their list, and presents as a prospect who is ready to go in many ways.
The stoppage specialist averaged 13 contested possessions and nearly six clearances a game at the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships for Vic Metro, and his 25-disposal average was the equal-most of any division one player.
His running also stacks up, having recorded a level 14.12 result at the beep test and finishing third overall in the 3km time trial (9min 52sec).
But if his first two weeks at Essendon since the draft have proved anything to Clarke, it's that he'll need to keep improving before being ready for senior selection.
The Essendon draftees spent their first week as Bombers at a navy training base on the Mornington Peninsula, before settling back into the club's Tullamarine base this week. Clarke said each day was providing a new learning experience.
"Our first footy session went for about half an hour before all the younger boys were blowing up heaps. The intensity they train at and the speed of all the drills is something we couldn't really have dreamed of doing before we got here so it's all something we have to adjust to," he said.
"There's a long way to go for all of us, and we have to work on our fitness and speed, but I'm loving every minute of it. The goal for all of us is to play a game next year and I think we're all capable of doing so."
