Tall forward Tom Scully joins Port Adelaide after being taken in the 2022 AFL Draft, coming to a club he has loved since he was a child. Image: Michael Sullivan.

GROWING UP, Tom Scully idolised Justin Westhoff and loved watching Port Adelaide.

So, it was a pinch yourself moment when Scully walked into Alberton as one of Port Adelaide’s newest players and bumped into Westhoff on Wednesday morning.

After hearing his name called during Tuesday night’s draft by the club he has supported since he was eight, the 203 centimetre forward met some of his new team mates as well as Next Generation Academy coach and welfare coordinator Westhoff before a quick tour of the facilities and a chance to watch training alongside fellow draftee Kyle Marshall.

Port Adelaide selects Tom Scully with its second pick

“It’s just a dream come true to be down at Alberton and playing with some of the guys I’ve been idolising growing up,” Scully said during a media conference on Wednesday morning.

“I’m still pinching myself; it doesn’t feel real to be honest.

“I’ve been a massive Port man since I was eight years old watching the likes of big Charlie (Dixon), big Scotty Lycett, Todd Marshall, Justin Westhoff, even Jay Schulz as well, just seeing the likes of those guys running around and getting to work (with them) is really exciting and I’ll take a lot out of it.

“I just can’t wait. I’d have rather started today!”

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Tom Scully press conference - 30 November 2022 | PTV

New draftee Tom Scully speaks to the media at Alberton Oval on his first day at the club.

Scully, Marshall and Port Adelaide’s third draftee from Tuesday night Tom McCallum won’t join training until Friday, when McCallum has arrived from Tasmania.

West Adelaide product Scully was dominant in the SANFL under 18s, booting 50 goals from 40 games including 37 in the first seven.

His form was rewarded with two reserves games for the Bloods in the finals.

But while strong marking, accurate kicking 200+ centimetre forwards don’t necessarily grow on trees, Scully admits he had started to think he was not going to get drafted the longer Tuesday night went on.

He had some suspicion that Port Adelaide might have been interested in him, and he was elated when his move to Alberton was confirmed with pick 53 – the club’s second selection of the night.

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2022 AFL Draft: Tom Scully | PTV

West Adelaide product Tom Scully joins Port Adelaide with pick 53.

“It was a bit of a nervous time,” Scully admitted. “As the picks go by you start to think that hope goes.

“I was lucky to have a good group of mates and a support network around me and when the name got read out it was just pure elation, pure joy.

“Chris Davies and Ken Hinkley were the first on the phone and they just said it’s just the start, just the beginning, there’s a long road but nonetheless just soak it up, embrace it and it’s going to be an exciting couple of years at the club.”

Scully has always been tall but a growth spurt in his early teens took him literally head and shoulders above his friends and footy team mates.

Still lean for a big man, his agility was appealing for recruiters who liked his ability to impact on games both in the air and at ground level.

Tom Scully, Tom McCallum and Kyle Marshall (pictured, right) round out Port Adelaide's 2022 draft haul. Image: Michael Sullivan.

He is looking forward to learning from Dixon and co in Port Adelaide’s forward line and hoping another strong pre-season will help him pick up where he left off with West.

“I’d like to think my contested marking and my goalkicking are my biggest (strengths) but also I think my ground balls for a guy my size,” Scully said, discussing his best attributes.

“I like to think I’m pretty clean below my knees which is something you need at this level.

“I had a pretty good pre-season last year and I was ready to hit the start of the year hard.

“I’d worked on a lot of things in the pre-season like a lot of general forward craft so I was fortunate enough to put a few through the big sticks and hold a few marks.”