NELSON Bay Marlins star Blake Erickson has lived out the opportunity of a lifetime, pulling on the red and white of the Sydney Swans in a reserve match in Newcastle.
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Erickson was one of 10 players from the Newcastle Black Diamond AFL competition to play with the Swans in a 15.19-109 to 7.7-49 win against ACT Eastlakes in the North Eastern AFL at No. 1 Sportsground on Saturday.
Speaking before the match the 20-year-old, who by day works as part of the grounds staff at Nelson Bay Golf Course, called the chance to play for the Swans a "good opportunity" that he had not seen coming.
"It sort of came out of nowhere. A couple of years ago when they played in Newcastle they took a few from the Black Diamond. There's a lot more this time though, it's pretty big," he said.
"It's definitely a great opportunity to gain some experience . . . any chance I get to play at a high level is always a good thing."
Erickson's selection is all the more impressive because unlike most of the other players selected the side plays in the first division, below the premier Black Diamond Competition.
This year the Marlins are undefeated and Erickson said he considered the Swans game as a chance to show how competitive the Marlins would be in the top grade.
"It's a good chance to show we do have a good group of young players and we're building to be even better in the future," he said.
