Swans draftee Tim Membrey says he is happy to call Sydney home.

The former Gippsland Power forward, who made the move to north from Traralgon in Victoria’s south-east after being selected by the Swans in the 2012 AFL Draft, is now enjoying some of the perks of Sydney living.

“I go to the beach almost every day,” Membrey told SwansTV.

“It’s a pretty good lifestyle up here and the beaches are so close and it’s really been a good experience so far and something I can get used to for the future for sure.”

In addition to his new Sydney lifestyle, Membrey is also getting used to the Swans gruelling pre-season training program.

The 18-year-old said his first AFL pre-season is shaping up to be as tough as he expected.

“The first couple of running sessions we had were a bit of a shock and I didn’t think I’d get through them, but luckily enough I did,” he said.

“I knew it was going to be hard because you always hear about the AFL pre-season and how they are really solid.

“To my expectations, it’s been really hard but at the same time it’s been really enjoyable and you just know you’re going to get a lot out of it.

“It’s been really exciting but it’s also been really hard as well.”

Membrey said the Swans’ pre-season running program was what he found the most difficult to adapt to since joining the club.

The one-kilometre time trial, in particular, was a session that the young player found significantly testing.

“When we had the 1km and then we had to pretty much get our boots and get straight into training and then after than we had to take our boots off and put our runners back on and do another running session, that was one of the toughest sessions for sure,” he said.

“You get the guys around you, the senior players, who are egging you on and it makes you keep working hard which is good.”

In addition to his regular pre-season program, Membrey and his fellow Swans first-year team mates headed to Melbourne for the AFL’s annual induction program.

Membrey said the two-day forum provided the young group with important insights about life as a professional footballer.

“We had a couple of good days down in Melbourne and it was a lot of talks about gambling, drugs, alcohol and those sorts of things,” he said.

“It was interesting and you take a lot of things out of it, like how those things can ruin players’ careers so it was really interesting.”

The teenager is hoping to begin his career as a Sydney Swan in next month’s NAB Cup and said he would do everything he could to put his name forward in the pre-season competition.

“I’m just trying to keep my body fit and with no injuries and hopefully come round one of the NAB Cup I can put my hand up and get a game,” he said.