Will Snelling didn’t see it coming.

Waking up on a cool Adelaide morning with a typical Monday ahead, little did the 21-year-old know that just 24 hours later, he’d be packing his bags and flying to Melbourne to begin a new chapter as a Bomber. 

“I’d been at uni that day, so I was pretty much wrapped up in my own world,” Snelling said. 

“At 6:30pm or thereabouts, I got the call. I was actually at training (West Adelaide Football Club). I was a bit surprised. They (teammates) all came over to me, yelled at me and I said, ‘What’s going on?’ 

“They were ecstatic for me, and so were all the coaches, so it was great and just really positive. The head’s still spinning a bit.”

Delisted at the end of 2018 after three seasons at Port Adelaide and one senior game, Snelling could have been forgiven for thinking a second crack at the AFL was just a pipedream. 

But after responding at new home West Adelaide with an average of 30 disposals, 10 tackles and six clearances across seven SANFL games this season, the diminutive but dogged on-baller’s stats proved too good to ignore for the Bombers, who read out his name with pick No.7 in the mid-season rookie draft.

And form aside, Snelling is a wiser head this time round. 

“Towards the end at Port Adelaide, I knew the end was near. I just really wanted to focus on enjoying my footy,” he said.

“This year’s been great. I’ve just kept my head down and this (recruitment) has been a reward for that. It’s a reward for effort and hard work. 

“I’m a bit more prepared (coming into the AFL) this time. Last time, the first couple of years went really quickly and I maybe took my spot for granted. This year, I know what’s coming ahead. It’s a short duration, but being as focused as I am, I think it will hold me in good stead.”

Arriving at The Hangar on Tuesday, Snelling wasted no time acquainting himself with his new environment and teammates.

He already has several connections with the Bombers, having played alongside fellow South Australians Mason Redman and Aaron Francis in state games as a teenager.

Then there’s Orazio Fantasia – the most experienced of Essendon’s six-man South Australian contingent – who Snelling will live with as he settles in.

With his contract lasting until the end of the season and allowing him to play immediately, Snelling said he’d be a man in a hurry.

“(I’m already) speaking to the coaches and trying to get an understanding of the game plan. I want to really get that under my belt.

“In the short-term, I want to earn the respect of everyone at the club and show them why I deserve to be here.

"Hopefully I get a crack at senior level.”