A year after his brother’s dream was fulfilled, Ed Phillips experienced a moment of déjà vu when St Kilda read out his name with their final pick at No. 56, two spots earlier than where Tom was taken by Collingwood at the end of 2015.

After landing exciting utility Ben Long at No. 25 and highly rated sharp shooter Josh Battle at No. 39, the Saints added the hard running midfielder in the closing stages of the National Draft.

Having experienced the roller coaster of emotions last year through his brother, the 18-year-old said it was great sharing the moment with those closest to him and having a brother 12 months ahead of him has provided him with an invaluable insight.

“It feels great to be honest. It was a bit of a surprise at first I guess, we were just watching it on TV. When I heard my name called out I was over the moon; it was a great feeling,” Phillips told saints.com.au in his first official interview.

“It was similar to my brother last year; a little bit of déjà vu. It was great to have the family here and a few friends, so it was really good.

“It’s been good to have him to aspire to, he’s been an inspiration for me and I’ve been able to see how he’s gone this year, so it’s given me a good insight; hopefully I can develop as well as he has this year.”

While Phillips admitted he didn’t think he was going to be taken in the early rounds, as the picks began to go the nerves built up, until the Saints pounced early in the fourth round.

“I knew I wasn’t going to go early, so it (nerves) sort of built as it went, I could feel my heart pumping pretty clearly as it got on. I’m just absolutely stoked to go to the Saints – I can’t wait to get down and train with all the boys,” Phillips said.

“You’ve just got to sit and wait, cross fingers and wait for the night like tonight and hope something happens. For me, thankfully, the Saints picked me.”