Touted as a potential first-round pick, Heyne had to wait until pick 48 in the third round before St Kilda recruiting manager John Peake read his name.
"I wondered if I even nominated for the draft. Everyone spoke to me and said I'd be between 15 and 30-odd but I'm happy to be down here and it's great," he said.
Heyne starred as a forward/midfielder with Gippsland in the TAC Cup and is in familiar company at Moorabbin with five new teammates who grew up in Eastern Victoria.
Brendon Goddard, Robert Eddy, Andrew McQualter, Sean Dempster and Jason Gram are all products of the Gippsland Power, a fact not lost on Heyne.
"I had a few phone calls from the Gippsland boys on Saturday welcoming me down here. There's quite a few of them down here."
Fellow draftee Rhys Stanley has also followed a familiar path to Moorabbin, having grown up in Berri in rural South Australia, just five minutes from Sam Fisher's home town Barmera.
Stanley plays as a ruck/forward and says he is happy to play whatever role is asked of him.
"I'll be doing everything I can and learning as much as I can. I'm a developing ruckman and have a lot of work to do. I'll do my best to improve and see what happens," he said.
Fellow South Australian Paul Cahill is also happy to fit in wherever he can.
Cahill, who plays up forward, says he is looking to soak up as much information as possible from Nick Riewoldt, who is widely considered to be one of the best tall forwards in the AFL.
"People like Riewoldt set the benchmark. He's one of the hardest workers in the club, if not the AFL and everyone respects that," Cahill said.
"He pushes everyone to the next level and I want to sponge off him and hopefully he can teach me a few things."
Speedy midfielder Alistair Smith is the third interstate recruit to join the Saints this year, coming over from Northam in country Western Australia.
"I came in on Tuesday, I flew in from Perth. I've met a lot of players but didn't know many people because I was from Perth. I'm happy with it," he said.
"This is the second time I've been to Melbourne. I was only 15 years old last time."
