The emotion poured out at the home of Fremanlte draftee Matthew Johnson as he realised his AFL dream on Thursday night, surrounded by family and friends.

Taken with Fremantle’s first pick of the second night of the NAB AFL Draft – pick 21 – Johnson said hearing the news of his selection was a ‘special’ feeling.

“My family has been huge, seeing them and how happy they were brought out a bit of emotion in me as well,” Johnson said.

“Being able to hug them and know that my dreams had come true was really special.

“I love them so much and having them around (to see him get drafted) was great.

The tall, athletic midfielder won plenty of fans two months ago when Western Australia took on South Australia in a curtain-raiser match ahead of this year’s AFL grand final at Optus Stadium.

Johnson took home ‘Best on Ground’ in the Championship clash, with 20 disposals, five clearances and nine tackles to round out an impressive season.

“That was the first time I played on Optus Stadium, it was a pretty surreal experience,” Johnson said.

“It was a day where I think I got a little bit of reward and recognition for some good games and my footy over the years, so that was a pretty special day.”

Matt is on board! Join our future NOW

The exciting athlete also tested third fastest nationally for agility at the draft combine and recorded top 10 finishes in the vertical jump and running jump tests.

“I like to take the game on, back myself with my skills and break the game open a little bit,” Johnson said.

“To the Freo fans, I’m super excited to be joining the Club and I can’t wait to be a part of what the team is going to achieve in the next few years.”

Draft pick 54 - Eric Benning
'I supported this club growing up, it's a dream come true' | Eric Benning