TIMM House was at home on the family farm when a mate phoned to inform him the Cats had drafted him with pick No.68 in the 2016 NAB AFL Draft.

He was sitting in a truck on the property in Gnowangerup, four hours southeast of Perth, giving his dad a hand shifting grain to storage.

With harvest time bringing the farm alive, he'd nervously crunched the gears as he waited to see where his immediate future lay.

Not only did he hope to be selected, he also knew he had to tell his Dad he was heading back to Geelong if his name was read out.

"I tried to warn him that it could happen," House said.

"I’m not sure what he was going to do for a worker, but I think he’s found someone to take my place, which is good."

'Pinch-yourself moment' for Cats draftee

Where House calls home had become a difficult question to answer in recent years.

He'd arrived in Geelong as a West Coast supporter in 2015 to study farm business management at private agricultural college Marcus Oldham.

Within, he carried a private hope AFL recruiters might notice him but he didn't think it would eventuate.

He joined Newtown Football Club, coached by former Cat David Wojcinski, soon after arriving and helped them make the Grand Final before Troy Selwood invited him to train with Geelong's VFL team in the pre-season.

"I was just running around trying not to get the tap on the shoulder to go home from the VFL pre-season, so I owe it all to them for giving me the opportunity to develop as a forward as opposed to what I was used to in the backline," House said.

House was not a lightweight. He had been runner-up in Claremont's reserves best and fairest playing full-back.

But the Cats had seen him play as a forward and he didn't disappoint, kicking five goals on debut for Geelong's VFL team against Sandringham.

Such versatility made him an attractive proposition when draft night arrived.

"I've always felt very comfortable to play in the backline and [I'm] happy to play at either end," House said.

Now he's at the start, wearing the No.30 Cats champion Matthew Scarlett wore with distinction.

The question now is whether House can reap a harvest of his own.