South Australian Luke Tapscott, the No.18 draft pick in last Thursday's NAB AFL Draft, arrived in Melbourne and was immediately unveiled with No.1 and No.2 picks Tom Scully and Jack Trengove, Jordan Gysberts (No.11), Max Gawn (No.34) and Jack Fitzpatrick (No.50).
Midfield dynamos Scully and Trengove have demanded much of the public attention in recent weeks, but this time the focus was on the other four boys.
Midfielder Gysberts echoed a common theme when he expressed his excitement at being chosen by the Demons when interviewed by coach Dean Bailey.
Melbourne's rich history was significant for 199cm key forward/defender-cum-ruckman Fitzpatrick, "It's got a really good, rich history and hopefully we'll build something special with the other boys."
And Gawn spoke of his "crazy" few days since being drafted.
"I got about 40 text messages and Facebook was being hammered, so it was a bit of a whirlwind start, but it's just starting to quiet down now," he said.
Officially standing at 207.8cm, Gawn is now running and undertaking agility work, having been given the all clear to resume from a knee reconstruction on November 11. He suffered the injury early in the 2009 season.
But it is his height that is always the first talking point (he was the tallest player to ever come through the NAB AFL Draft Camp).
"It's the first question people ask and it's easy to get noticed," Gawn said.
"I shot up majorly in the last couple of years. In years seven to 10, I was probably the second tallest … but I'm a couple of heads taller than the next couple now.
"Last year, in year 11, I grew 10cm and put on something like 15 to 20 kilos."
Tapscott, who hails from Orroroo, about 260km north of Adelaide on the edge of the Flinders Ranges, said it had been quite a ride since he became a Demon.
"I was at home catching up with family and friends a few days before, but Thursday was pretty nerve-racking - the day couldn't go fast enough," he said.
"I was pretty excited, especially coming to Melbourne with [fellow South Australian] Jack Trengove."
The powerful midfielder/forward was regarded by many astute judges as the best kick in this year's draft pool. But he won't be resting on that tag.
"Hopefully I can bring those assets to the AFL. It's a good thing to have that talked about and it helped me get drafted, but there is still room for improvement, along with every aspect of my game," Tapscott said.
Although the first two picks took a back seat at the launch, Trengove revealed how the past few days had been surreal.
"You're straight into it and meeting all of the coaches and players, but I'm really looking forward to it," he said.
