YOUNGSTER Deanna Berry says she was “gobsmacked” when she was the second player selected by Melbourne in the AFL Women’s Draft earlier this week.

Berry thought she’d be selected around the 40 to 50 mark, but that all changed when the red and blue claimed her inside the top 10.

“I [quickly] had Daisy Pearce with a phone in my face, because I’d gone at No.9,” she told Melbourne TV. 

“I didn’t know how to react and I didn’t know what to do and I just thought I was dreaming, but it was real. It’s really exciting and I can’t wait for what happens next.

“To be selected as Melbourne’s second pick – I can’t even begin to explain how it is. As a female player, to finally be able to pull on an AFL jumper is just a real eye-opener to my life and I can’t wait.”

A forward player with the ability to hunt the ball, Berry is a running half-back who loves to attack the ball.

The 18-year-old thought the fact she had just come out of Youth Girls allowed her to get drafted earlier.

Berry said she had worked particularly hard over the past two years to get herself into this position.

“It’s definitely something I’ve always dreamed of and they’ve seen how hard I’ve worked over the past two years to become the person and player I am,” she said.

“Being able to get picked so high is something I’ve always dreamed of.”