Despite only playing three games with the Bendigo Pioneers in the TAC Cup this year because of a knee injury, Selwood is tipped to be taken in the top 10 at the AFL National Draft.

When his name is called out, he will be the third Selwood to be selected on an AFL list, behind his brothers Troy (Brisbane) and Adam (West Coast), who were both taken in the 2002 National Draft.

The Advertiser's Luke West spoke with the 18-year-old yesterday as the biggest day in his football career continues to draw closer.

LW: Considering there were many who said you were ready to be drafted last year, but your age prevented you, this Saturday must seem like an eternity to come around.

JS: It has been a long time once they put the draft age up a year, which cancelled me out after I was in the bracket where I could have been drafted last year.

But it hasn't hurt me in the end because I got to finish Year 12 and get over my knee injuries and be ready to go for pre-season.

There has been plenty of hype surrounding yourself and the fact you will become the third Selwood to play AFL football. But you're still only an 18-year-old from a small place like Bendigo, how have you handled all the national attention?

It has been pretty easy; I haven't been that much in the limelight because I haven't been playing this year, so it has been good to be able to sit back and not grab the attention of maybe being the number one pick.

Before the knee injury this year, the talk had started about the likelihood of you being the number one pick. There's a lot of pressure that goes with the tag, but the guys who have had it this year have handled it quite well.

The papers have been all over those top few guys, which hasn't minded me, it puts me to the back, which is good.

I see you have been over to Perth for a few days. It must have been good to get away from all the hype of this week?

I finished up school, so I headed over there with five mates, and it was good to get away, not think about the draft and head down to the beach and do all that sort of stuff.

How did you handle your recent Year 12 exams knowing what lay around the corner this Saturday?

The exams made things go a little bit quicker because you have to concentrate on those a little more, and you don't know what's going to happen this Saturday.

There's no control on what's going to happen this week, so you just have to deal with the things you can control, and I tried to do as well as I could with my exams.

With your older brothers now established as AFL players, what has it been like these past few years in your junior footy having to carry the Selwood name?

It hasn't been too bad.

Mum and dad have brought us up well where we don't have to be under the pressure maybe some other parents would put you under if you did have a brother playing AFL.

They just treat us (he and younger brother Scott) like Troy and Adam when they were our age - if we make it we make it, if we don't and want to do something else, go ahead and do it.

Have Troy and Adam helped you through these past few weeks, having had to endure the lead-up to Draft Day themselves four years ago?

They have been pretty quiet, the same as with the rest of the family, and we're just going to keep it low-profile on Saturday.

Obviously, the players who are on the fringe this week will be nervous about Saturday. How are you feeling, considering you are considered in the group of certainties?

It's still a very stressful time for myself because when Sunday comes, you may be now living somewhere on the other side of the country - you just don't know what's going to happen.

But I can't wait for Saturday to come and go as quick as possible.

Your knee injury this year has been well documented. How is your recovery coming along?

I got the all-clear back in August and probably could have played the last four games in the TAC Cup, but I decided to have it off and just rest up and get a good pre-season in and hopefully, get ready for round one, wherever it may be.

It must have been extremely frustrating to sit out most of what was your last year of under-age football with the Pioneers.

Exactly right, and because the boys weren't going so well . . . we had a very good team on paper, we just couldn't get everyone out there at the same time.

It was frustrating that way, and also in that I wanted to get out and put myself out there as much as possible, which I couldn't do this year.

Touching on the under-17 tour to Ireland last year. You were named the player of the series and captained the Australian side that featured the likes of Marc Murphy, Clint Bartram and Grant Birchall who all had impacts at AFL level this year. Does that give you confidence that you can step into the AFL next season and perform from the start, considering they did?

For sure, it does make it a little bit easier when you see how comfortable Marc and Clint did look out there this year, so you just have to go out there and hopefully, you can have even half the impact they did this year and get the 10 or so games up in your first year.

But whatever happens, the club will do what is right for your best interests.

There has been a lot written this year about what type of player you are. How would you sum yourself up as a footballer?

A running, hard midfielder, not an outside player.

Have you modelled yourself on any particular player?

Luke Ball and Paul Kelly. They are both hard at it and good leaders. Who do you barrack for? Geelong.

Finally, do you have any preference with where you end up come Saturday?

Hopefully, stay in Melbourne and with whatever pick that is, it doesn't matter.

Look at Adam, he was taken at 53, been in the system for four years now and won himself a premiership, and that's what I want to do, so whatever club it is, it doesn't matter.