It was the phone call that would determine whether Xavier O’Neill might get to live out his childhood dream.

Having spoken with Adam Simpson following the team’s main training session on Thursday, the 20-year-old knew he was in the selection mix and expected the senior coach’s name to flash up on his mobile sometime throughout the day on Friday.

But when the call eventually came, O’Neill still had no idea whether Simpson was going to say ‘you’re in’ or ‘you’re close, but not this week’.

Fortunately for O’Neill, his time had come. Simmo confirmed that he would be making his debut against the Giants.

“I just got a call from him at about 2.30pm and he let me know that I was in the team and that I was going to play. It was pretty cool,” O’Neill said.

“It kind of happened too quick for me to realise, but I knew what it was going to be about when he called me. It was just whether I was in or out. Thankfully it was good news.

“I told my family and a couple of my best mates.

“My family was pretty happy and very proud. Mum shed a little tear, which is probably what most mums would do in the same situation. They were all just really happy for me and excited. It was a similar vibe to draft night.

“After that call I just kind of sat there with a smile on my face and soaked it all in.”

O’Neill, who arrived at the Eagles via pick No.28 in the 2018 AFL Draft, knew it would be an uphill battle to break into a midfield featuring the likes of Luke Shuey, Andrew Gaff, Elliot Yeo, Tim Kelly, Dom Sheed and Jack Redden.

But the Oakleigh Chargers product embraced the challenge ahead of him and sought the guidance of his senior teammates in a bid to rival them at match committee.

In fact, O’Neill said West Coast captain Luke Shuey played a significant role in helping him improve as a footballer and, ultimately, break into the club’s star-studded side.

“I’ve been hanging around ‘Boots’ a lot this year, probably annoying him,” O’Neill joked.

“I’ve been doing extras with him and sitting in on his vision sessions. He’s definitely been my role model at the club.”

Those who have been keeping a close eye on O’Neill would know he took significant strides last year.

After taking some time to find his feet competing against battle-hardened footballers, O’Neill became a vital cog in the WAFL Eagles’ onball division and played an important role in helping the inaugural state league outfit qualify for finals.

And his breakout game occurred during the club’s first final, where he amassed a season-high 24 disposals in a thrilling contest that saw West Coast edge West Perth by three points in the dying minutes.

Although WAFL footy has been off the cards for West Coast’s emerging players this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, O’Neill has continued to develop his game via the club’s scrimmage contests.

Now he’s looking forward to testing himself on the big stage.

“It was a big move over here and coming to a very successful club it was always going to be tough to crack into the team, but I just tried to soak in as much knowledge as I could and get better over the last almost two years now,” O’Neill said.

“I saw big improvements towards the end of last season managing to get almost a full season in the WAFL.

“Throughout the shutdown period I went back to Melbourne to train with a focus to build more consistency into my game this year. I think that’s helped me.

“Usually I’m the one sitting in the players box hearing how loud the crowd is at our AFL games, so I think it will be something else when I’m actually on the field. It will lift my energy a fair bit.

“I’m excited to soak the atmosphere up. I’ll probably have a quick look up into the stands before the game, but I’m sure I’ll probably forget about it all and get to work once the ball is bounced.”