Adam Sweid felt it was happening.
If anyone was going to bid on the Essendon Next Generation Academy graduate in the first round of the AFL National Draft, it was almost certainly going to be the Dockers, who had shown significant interest in him in the lead up to the big night.
It was either Sweid, or a bid for West Coast NGA prospect Tylah Williams – but Sweid felt adamant that he was the player who had been bid on.
The wholesome vision of Sweid being swarmed by his crowd of friends and family has done the rounds on social media in the last 24 hours.
Among them were fellow Essendon NGA graduate and now AFL Bomber Isaac Kako.
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“I was shaking, Harley Barker was picked before me and I saw bid pending then I was like ‘here we go' whatever happens, happens," Sweid said.
“I had to be patient because I knew there were other NGAs who it could have been but when there was no match I was like ‘this is where I want to be' and then all the family came over so it was good.
“There wasn't much info from Essendon about whether they would match a bid so I had to prepare myself to go to Freo and I spoke to my manager before the night and I said that if I was to go to Freo I would be happy.”
Sweid spent plenty of time in the midfield at underage level in 2025, mixed in with proving his competence in the front half.
It's in the latter position where he is expected to spend much of his career, and will bring competitiveness and flair.
“I want to bring excitement,” Sweid said.
“I want to kick goals at Optus Stadium and get the fans up and about and be a little rat to the opposition, getting under their skin making sure we get the home advantage.
I can't wait to play with Murphy Reid and Shai Bolton, those high forwards, that's the position I'm definitely looking up to so I can't wait to get in and ask questions.
“I can't wait to play alongside Murphy Reid based off what he did in 2025 – he just put on a show and I'm definitely going to ask him a lot of questions."
Sweid's rise has been sensational.
After an ACL rupture kept him out of much of 2024, there remained a quiet confidence from some in the Calder Cannons region that he had the talent to put himself on the radar.
But the reality was, outside of one five-goal performance playing U16s footy for Calder in 2023, he had otherwise not shown anything in the talent pathway.
He captured attention early in 2025 with his blend of offensive punch and defensive intent and has continued rising as the season has progressed.
“It was tough. I had to stay disciplined, seeing Hussy and Duffy, two of my best mates do so well in their bottom-aged year inspired me to hit that level" Sweid reflected.
"My aim before the year was to stay consistent.
"My decision making and kicking efficiency improved a lot.
"I started hot however my kicking efficiency at times let me down and I was aware of that and had discussions with my coaches.
"I put some hours in with my kicking and I believe I improved it later on but that's definitely something I want to continue to improve on."
Having conditioned himself to the possibility of moving interstate ahead of the AFL National Draft, Sweid is confident he will be able to handle the move west, noting that family and members of his community will visit frequently, while having childhood friend Cooper Duff-Tytler at fellow Perth club West Coast will make the transition easier.
He also noted that he has already felt the support of the Dockers squad and has turned his attention to helping the Dockers win.
“My goal is to debut Round 1,” Sweid said.
“That is something I'm looking to do. If there is a position I want to play, I believe high forward but I think I'm pretty versatile so wherever Justin thinks is best for me.
“I have to focus on discipline, I have to lose a few kilos, focus on my eating, run hard, fix my sleep and stay off my phone but I believe I can do that.”
The Bombers traded into the first round to pick up top-end trio Jacob Farrow, Sullivan Robey and Dyson Sharp, which limited the capital
Having mentored him throughout 2025, Kako and NGA coach Marty Allison were among those at the packed Sweid residence on Wednesday night, but Fremantle's Justin Longmuir was the coach who came through the door.
Seeing that will rankle some Bombers fans, who had become wedded to the concept of seeing Sweid and Kako share a forward line and time will tell whether it was the correct move for the Bombers, but they were put in a tricky position.
The widespread expectation was that bids for Carlton NGA prospect Jack Ison and the Eagles' Williams would come before a bid for Sweid.
Had that been the case, Essendon's later picks would have increased in value as the Blues' and Eagles' picks would have been absorbed, which would have given the Bombers of matching a bid without going into deficit.
“That was a tough one because we really rate Adam and we're really proud of what he's done and that he's found his way onto an AFL list so we're proud of the program we've put together and the part we've played in Adam's journey,” Essendon Recruiting Manager Matt Rosa said.
“It would have been nice to see him in the red and black but unfortunately it didn't work out that way.”
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