Paddy McCartin claimed to be as surprised as anyone else. "It's pretty surreal mate. An hour ago I was sort of just sitting out there hoping something would happen; then all of a sudden a click of a finger; it's done," he said after being taken at No. 1 by St Kilda in the AFL national draft.
"So it's pretty surreal, it's a bit of a whirlwind at the moment, but I'm really, really excited. They didn't tell me. So I came in tonight the same as everyone else, wondering what was going to happen, and found out the same time you did. I think that's what added to the excitement a bit, but I'm absolutely stoked."
Minutes after his name was read out, someone threw him a phone; McCartin saw Nick Riewoldt's face beamed back at him. "I thought 'oh, jeez, what's going on here'," McCartin said. "I can't wait to get into the club and meet all those guys and build relationships with them, it's going to be fantastic."
McCartin said he was looking forward to badgering his new captain for tips. "He's one of the best forwards the game's ever seen. So I'll go in there and be a bit of a pest I think, just annoy him and learn as much as possible and see how I go."
McCartin said his designation as the year's top AFL prospect was "just a number".
"It's very humbling and very honouring, you see all the names that are on the banners [at the Gold Coast Convention Centre] and they're all elite players. But I've said it a few times this week; it's just a number; I'm going into the club the same as every other boy who was drafted tonight.
"I'm just going to go into the club and have a crack and work as hard as possible and earn the respect of the boys who have been playing there a while. I'll just see how I go and wherever that takes me, I'll be happy with that."
McCartin said he was looking forward to building a new era at bottom-placed St Kilda. "That's one of the most exciting parts, I think the camaraderie and teamwork and things like that's one of the best parts about playing footy and getting into a club and trying to build success will be really good. I'm really, really excited about it."
