BOOM Essendon recruit Maggie Johnstone experienced a frantic draft day on Monday, which culminated in her name being called out at pick 10. The South Warrnambool export earned a late invite to the live event at Marvel Stadium, making for a race against the clock and reassurance she would be picked up.

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“It was definitely stressful,” Johnstone said. “[I got the call] at 10 o’clock in the morning so I had to pack the bags straight away and get in the car. Picked up a couple of friends along the way and had to organise it quick-smart, so I didn’t have much time to think.

“Honestly with the late call-up I didn’t know what to feel… I had faith and I was super excited to watch and hopefully hear my name called out. But getting an invite was definitely reassuring and I had confidence that I would get picked up, it was just a matter of who.”

Aside from the whirlwind that landed her in iconic new colours, Johnstone described the feeling of being drafted as “unreal”. While any destination would have been a dream, ending up at The Hangar had the 18-year-old “super excited” for what is to come.

What’s more, Johnstone’s emotions were heightened by the later news that good friend and Vic Country teammate Nalu Brothwell (pick 50) would be joining her in red and black.

“The emotion was real,” Johnstone said. “I’m just super excited for Nalu and I’m so excited that we have each other… [to] hopefully move in together and start this new life in Melbourne. I’m super excited that we get to do it as mates.”

Johnstone was presented her new guernsey by Bombers co-captain Stephanie Cain, a player the youngster says she is looking forward to learning off. Her education will likely start in the forwardline, before potentially graduating into roles further afield.

“The captain ‘Caino’, she was so lovely [on Monday] night and really helped me feel comfortable,” Johnstone said. “So I think she’ll take me under her wing and I’ll definitely be a sponge to her and soak everything up.

“[I’ll] probably start in the forwardline. I think I’ll make my mark there first and probably ease my way into the midfield. There’s a few experienced heads in the midfield that I probably can’t replace straight away.”

Hailing from a region around three hours from Melbourne, Johnstone will have to relocate as she prepares to get stuck into her AFLW career. It’s something she already has experience in, albeit with plenty of travel under her belt beforehand.

“The travel has been taxing, I’ll be honest,” she said. “But moving up to boarding school [was] helpful… I’m super grateful to my parents who have been willing to drive me up and down the road all the time… it gives us time to talk about footy and talk about life, so it’s been awesome to have that quality time with my family and friends.”

Watch the full interview with Johnstone in the player below.