You would've expected the Woodville-West Torrens midfielder, who has spent the past 11 months at West Lakes as part of a community development traineeship, to have had an inkling the Crows were considering drafting him, but he said he was kept completely “in the dark” about the Club’s plans.
“Right up until my name was called out, I didn’t know at all,” Joyce told afc.com.au.
“My office at the club is on the bottom floor, so I see everyone walking in and out.
“There were a lot of players coming in for interviews in the days and weeks leading up to the draft and I was starting to get really nervous.
“After working at the club, I just love the culture and wanted to be there, but I saw Matt Rendell walking in and out with all these players and I thought ‘oh, no. He’s not keen on me’.
“Eventually, Matt said, ‘Nick, I guess you’d better come in for an interview’.
“I think he was playing mind games with me.
“After that day, I didn’t hear a thing.
“Matt hadn’t spoken to me or even really looked at me.
“He’d walk straight past and I’d be thinking, ‘I’ve blown it. He wasn’t impressed’, so when my name got called out, I just couldn’t believe it.
“I can’t explain how I’m feeling. It’s just so good.”
Originally from Crysta Brook near Port Pirie, Joyce moved to Adelaide as a 16-year-old to pursue his dream of playing AFL.
His parents still live in Port Pirie, where they run a 6,000 acre farm, but made the trip to Adelaide to watch the draft with their son.
“The only people I wanted around me to watch the draft were my parents and even then I was nervous,” Joyce said.
“I felt a lot of pressure because back when I was living at home in Port Pirie they would drive me down three times a week, which is about a five-hour round trip, so I could play footy.
“They put a lot of effort in for me to try and realise my dream.
“If I didn’t get drafted tonight, I probably would’ve felt like I’d let them down even though they wouldn’t want me to feel like that.”
Joyce played for South Australia alongside fellow Crows draftee Mitch Grigg at the Under-16 Championships in 2009.
The 184cm, 77kg, negating midfielder was selected to represent SA again at the Under-18 Championships in June this year, but was struck down by a shoulder injury a week out from the start of the carnival.
“I was playing okay and confident I’d get a game in the SA team, but then I dislocated my shoulder in the very last trial game,” he said.
“It was shattering, but I got back in only two weeks, which was a miracle.
“I played the last three games, but played pretty average and then went in and had a shoulder reconstruction.
“I haven’t played since, so it’s a huge blessing to be picked up by the Crows and for them to show faith that I’ll be okay.”
Joyce will be restricted to running and non-competitive drills until February.
Having worked at the Club, Joyce is already very familiar with the surrounds.
He also knows Grigg, Lewis Johnston, who grew up in nearby Port Pirie, and former SA teammates Luke Brown and Cam Ellis-Yolmen.
Too nervous to go to work on the day of the draft, Joyce admitted it would be strange arriving at the Club on Friday, but said he planned to go about business as usual.
“I’ll rock up at 10 minutes to nine and work in my office job as normal for a bit,” he said.
“Later in the day, ‘Sando’ [coach Brenton Sanderson] is going to show the new boys around the place.
“I know it well, but it’ll still be good seeing it as a player now.”
