CAM MACKENZIE was up late on Monday night updating the contacts in his phone.

From the moment Hawthorn submitted its pick and AFL GM of football Andrew Dillon read out Mackenzie's name at No.7, his phone started vibrating and has barely stopped since.

Having grown up as a diehard Hawks supporter in a family full of club members, Mackenzie instantly went from a fan who watched his club win four premierships during its golden era to being a key component of its rebuild.

The 188cm midfielder met with club great and current coach Sam Mitchell during the interview process, but hadn't traded phone numbers until Monday night.
 
It meant after a few missed calls from an unknown number lobbed on the draftee's phone on Monday night, Mackenzie's new coach couldn't resist a cheeky drive-by while the teenager was speaking to the media just moments after he'd been drafted.

"Any chance you can answer my calls?" Mitchell quipped while standing beside reporters and listening to Mackenzie answer a question about playing under the Brownlow Medallist.

Mackenzie then headed down the hallway inside the corridors of Marvel Stadium in search of Mitchell, no doubt saving his new coach's number en route to the box where Hawthorn's recruiting team sat.

Landing at Waverley Park was the best-case scenario for the Sandringham Dragons product, who collected 26 disposals and kicked two goals in the NAB League Grand Final earlier this year to put together the final pieces of the puzzle in a standout draft year.

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"It's an amazing feeling. I was a massive Hawks fan growing up, so this is a literal dream," he said.

Mackenzie, who earned All-Australian selection this year after averaging 25 touches for Vic Metro, met with Hawthorn on Saturday and sat down with the club four times in total – the most of any club he met with – prior to Monday night.

But he was still kept in the dark up until the moment Dillon read his name out.

"They kept it real quiet. I knew they were considering (me) but there were lots of others around the same area I knew they were considering. They didn't give anything away," he said.

"I had spoken to them probably four times throughout the year, but they never said if I was available they would take me. They did seem like they were interested, but I wasn't too sure. I was very nervous before the pick was read out."

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Mackenzie has taken an unconventional path to the AFL. Born in London to a South African father and Canadian mother before moving to Sydney when he was just one, his family eventually settled in Melbourne, where he began his junior career.

Then, in a fascinating facet of his story, his parents decided to move the family to the south of France for a year after Cam finished primary school. It meant he attended high school in a village near Nice, which resulted in a troubling language barrier but ultimately led to a big ATAR boost this year given he studied French at Brighton Grammar.

Two years ago, Mackenzie would likely have found his way to St Kilda as a Next Generation Academy selection, regardless of where he was taken in the draft. But a recent rule change means clubs can no longer match NGA bids inside the top 40 selections, meaning the highly-rated Mackenzie was never seriously on St Kilda's radar.

Despite not landing at the Saints after spending the past three years working with their NGA coach Nick Dal Santo, Mackenzie says he appreciates what the club did for his development during a period where he leapt up draft board.

"I'm very grateful for what the Saints have done for me over the last three years. It taught me a lot about what an AFL environment is like," he said.

"It was awesome at such a young age to get access to the great facilities they offered and also the coaching as well with Nick Dal Santo being the head coach.

"I also trained with them at the start of the year, which was a great experience. I learnt a lot about how serious they take their recovery and what they put in their body and the step up in intensity that the AFL demands."
 
St Kilda's loss is now Hawthorn's gain. And Mackenzie is ready to answer the call.