New draftee Isaac Heeney hopes to mirror Sydney Swans champion Ryan O’Keefe’s tenacity and professionalism when he pulls on the number five guernsey in 2015.

Heeney was one of eight young Swans to receive their new guernsey numbers this week, with fellow draftee Abaina Davis (number nine) and rookie Sean McLaren (number 30) also taking on numbers of Swans premiership players next season.

Heeney, who grew up supporting the Swans and idolising the club’s sole Norm Smith medallist, made no secret of his excitement when he was granted the number five, telling SwansTV he would do his best to live up to O’Keefe's great legacy in the red and white.

“Number five is the number that Ryan O’Keefe had, and he’s been my inspiration pretty much throughout my whole AFL journey, which hasn’t been too long just yet,” Heeney said.

“He’s been my favourite player and I try to model my game similar to his as well as his professionalism, so for him to hand (the number) over is pretty special.

“He’s an absolute freak and he was an awesome player.

“If I can just have half the career he did then I’d be absolutely stoked and hopefully I can just keep the number five relevant.

“It’s crazy how long (the number) has been unavailable as well, so I’m really proud to have it.”

After playing alongside O’Keefe with the Swans reserves in 2014, Heeney experienced firsthand the great lengths the dual-premiership player went to in order to prepare himself for every match.

The 18-year-old, whose birthday coincidently falls on the fifth of the fifth, said he was able to take a lot away from playing a season with the 286-gamer.

“To have played with him in the last year was unbelievable and he’s taught me a lot of things,” Heeney said.

“He’s extremely professional and the way he went about things whether it was his diet or his training, everything was just unbelievable.

“Even when he gave you a bit of a spray, everything was just so professional and that’s why he had such a great career.

“He’s just a great bloke.”

Heeney hopes to bring that level of professionalism and preparedness to his own game, starting in this year’s pre-season program.

While the QBE Sydney Swans Academy graduate has already impressed with his approach to training, Heeney admitted he still had a lot of work to do to succeed in an AFL environment.

“I felt as though my professionalism was pretty high as it is, but to take the step to the next level into an AFL club is just ridiculous especially with the culture and how everything is run here at the Swans,” he said.

“It’s like another five or six steps up.

“Whether it was the AIS or the Swans Academy, it was two-three times per week, but now it’s five days a week and it’s a matter of runner 13-14km in a matter of half an hour, and that’s three times a week!

“By then you’re absolutely cooked, and then you’ve got altitude training and yoga and everything else, so they are long days, but they are enjoyable.”

Off the field, the kid from Cardiff is also setting into life away from home, and has moved in with young ruckman Toby Nankervis and new rookie Sean McLaren.

Heeney said he was enjoying his new life in Sydney, but was still getting used to some of the household tasks that come with living out of home for the first time.

“I’ve moved in with Toby Nankervis, and ... also Seany McLaren, the big fella, coming in with us,” he said,

“It’s a pretty old house, so it’s fairly stained, but I got in and scrubbed a few things because I’m a bit of a clean freak.

“It’s good though, I’m enjoying it and it’s in a perfect location.”