At an age where most teenagers are discovering the real world, AFL No.1 draft picks Tom Boyd and Paddy McCartin are carrying the hopes of their clubs.
Boyd, 19, and 18-year-old McCartin already know plenty about pressure, even before the official pre-season games start.
The Western Bulldogs will unveil Boyd in Saturday’s opening NAB Challenge match against Richmond at their Whitten Oval home.
McCartin is also a strong chance to play for St Kilda against Brisbane on Saturday at Moreton Bay.
Boyd, the top draft pick in 2013, switched from GWS to the Bulldogs on a multi-million deal.
The Bulldogs hope he will become the star key forward they have craved for several seasons.
Likewise, McCartin was St Kilda’s draft pick late last year and the goal is that he will take over from legendary Nick Riewoldt as their main target in attack.
“My goals and aspirations are fairly high anyway and they’re not going to change by any speculation from people outside the club or people who I don’t personally know,” Boyd said at Monday’s NAB Challenge launch.
All McCartin and Boyd want to do now is play.
“It doesn’t change my day-to-day life,” Boyd said of the massive hype surrounding his change of clubs.
“It doesn’t affect the way I train … my demeanour, how I act or how I portray myself.
“I can’t imagine it’s going to affect the way I play either.”
The pair have had strong pre-seasons and McCartin is confident he is ready for the AFL after playing in Saturday’s intraclub game.
“To get the call-up early, it would be good to go out and see how it all is,” he said.
“On the weekend I felt like I was able to move alright and got on the end of a couple, so I just have to wait and see.
“I’m feeling confident enough at the moment.”
Boyd is leaner than last season, having dropped three or four kilograms, and said he had learned a valuable lesson about what sort of weight he can afford to carry in matches.
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