Mature aged draftee Matt de Boer said he is ready to put his “head down and bum up” to earn a spot in the GIANTS starting line up.

The selection of the former Fremantle midfielder with pick 58 of the 2016 NAB AFL Draft came as a surprise for some, but it didn’t come completely out of the blue to de Boer.

“I’m forever optimistic and thought I had plenty to offer,” the 26-year-old told Perth radio station 6PR.

“I was staying fit on the off chance and my manager said there were some talks progressing so I was certainly staying fit and training in the humidity.”

De Boer – who played 138 games for Fremantle across eight season – was overseas when he found out that the progressing talks were with the GIANTS.

“I was in Vietnam with my partner at the time and I got a call from my manager saying he’d had some interest from Greater Western Sydney and was asking when I was back,” he said.

“I came back a few days later then was on a plane to Sydney to have a medical and meet with Leon, which went well.

“They’ve got a great environment over there and he said no promises but there’s a strong chance we’ll pick you up on Friday, which came to fruition so I’m absolutely pumped.”

De Boer played five games for Fremantle in 2016 but dominated during his time in the WAFL, finishing runner-up in the competition’s best and fairest award, the Sandover Medal.

Despite limited game time in the AFL in 2016, de Boer believes he has a lot to offer the GIANTS and said he will be working hard to prove it.

“I’ll be head down bum up now, I’m looking forward to learning the game plan, meeting the boys and trying to cotton on to what they are doing,” de Boer said 

“Granted it will be tough but I see a great possibility for myself and it’s a fantastic opportunity with such an up and coming list.”