Nick Heyne’s overwhelming response to his drafting at Carlton was understandably one of relief.

“It’s good to get another opportunity,” said the three-game former Saint. I’d had a bit of interest from other clubs and today I was a bit nervy because I wasn’t sure where I’d fit in.

“I’m grateful to Carlton for giving me another chance and hopefully I can repay the faith . . . and there’s no hard feelings at St Kilda, but I want to prove them wrong.”

It was barely a fortnight after his delisting that the 22 year-old Heyne received a phone call from the Carlton Coach, out of the blue so to speak.

“I got a call from ‘Ratts’ to come down and I wasn’t expecting it,” Heyne said. “I thought my footy was pretty much over and I was starting to think about other VFL clubs.

“Ratts told me he has a lot of belief in my ability and that he wants to try and pull those talents out. He said he’d watched my footy and was impressed when I trained here with the AIS a couple of years ago . . .

“He said he could see me playing a number of roles - anywhere from half back to half forward - and I think playing on a wing might be the go.”

For the past three weeks, Heyne has trained with the Carlton group at Visy Park as he anxiously awaited D-day. The period has proved invaluable on many levels for the former Gippsland Power player, who has since relocated from Mentone to his brother’s house in Maribyrnong.

“I’ve been really impressed with Carlton’s facilities and I’ve been able to fit in pretty quickly,” he said. “I have a fair bit of experience behind me and most of the guys have wanted to know my background at St Kilda and what I’ve been through.

“Obviously the goal now is to break into the team, learn the game plan and hopefully play a role on the wing or half-back.”