PORT Adelaide’s newest draftees are spending their first weeks living with senior players, to help ease the transition into professional football life.

Victorian draftee Aidyn Johnson is staying with Aaron Young and Sam Gray, while Angus Monfries has taken Dan Houston under his wing.

The club's SA-based draftees are also bunking with experienced Power players - Riley Bonner has been paired up with Jasper Pittard, Will Snelling with Matthew Broadbent and Cameron Hewett with Jack Hombsch and John Butcher.

Leaving home to become a professional footballer can be a daunting experience for any 18-year-old, and having a comrade at the club helps them feel comfortable in unfamiliar surroundings.   

Player welfare and development manager Marcus Drum says senior players are invited to nominate to take in a draftee, and they’re then paired up based on common interests, on-field positions or player managers.

The draftee then lives with the senior player for a few weeks, learning what it takes to be a top level footballer.

Matt Broadbent with Will Snelling. 

“The new boys get to see first-hand how an AFL player lives an elite athlete lifestyle,” Drum told portadelaidefc.com.au.

“We tell the draftees to absorb as much info from the players they’re living with, because they’ve all been through the exact same thing themselves.

“It also helps them build friendships by having a playing mentor they feel comfortable with, to help guide them around the club.

“It’s a talking point for the playing group, as one of the first things they ask the draftees is ‘which player are you staying with?'”

The draftees stay with their respective buddies for a week at minimum, and sometimes longer.

After a stint with their on-field mentors, Aidyn Johnson and Dan Houston will then move into their new host families just before the Christmas break, while the South Australian draftees will return to their usual living arrangements.