AFTER three months of training in his first pre-season, Jacob van Rooyen is just days away from getting the opportunity to impress on the footy field.

The 18-year-old, who was taken with the Demons’ first selection in the 2021 National Draft (pick No.19), has adapted quickly to life as an AFL player and is itching to get his shot with the Casey Demons.

“I’m super excited to finally pull on the red and the blue officially, in our first official game in the VFL,” van Rooyen told Melbourne Media.

“I’m really looking forward to playing with the boys.”

The Western Australian has had a small taste of senior footy in his two VFL practice matches and hopes to take his learnings into Sunday’s clash with Sandringham at Casey Fields.

“My first game was a little slow just due to having a few back problems and then I kind of got that sorted and in my second game I felt like I was much better,” he said.

“I probably wasn’t too great on the stat sheet, but I felt like my efforts around the ground were really strong.”

While the step up in training and around the club has taken some adjusting, van Rooyen has enjoyed every moment of his time with the Dees to date.

“You kind of have a little bit of an idea what it’s like coming in, but then once you actually get here you see little things here and there that you weren’t expecting,” he said.

“Coming from a WAFL club in WA, the jump up from WAFL level to AFL level is extreme.

“[Training] is a lot longer, a lot more intense and a lot bigger bodies.”

Some of those bigger bodies are premiership defenders, who he has been tested against on the track.

At 193cm, van Rooyen has the potential to drift down back, but so far, he has settled in the attacking half of the ground.

“I’m really enjoying the forward role – it’s been really good,” he said.

“Even the backs like Mayzy, Tommo – they’ve [been] helping show me what backs don’t like.”

To hear more from van Rooyen as he prepares for his VFL debut, watch the video below: