High-flying forward-ruck Eric ‘Roy’ Benning has dished out a comical sledge to his half-brother Shane McAdam on his first official day at Fremantle.

The Kununurra and Claremont WAFL product became the third member of his siblings to be drafted into the AFL when the Dockers swooped on their Next Generation Academy graduate with pick 54.

McAdam realised his AFL dream with Adelaide a couple of years back, with Benning’s other half-brother Ash Johnson heading to Collingwood in the mid-season draft.

When asked who had “the bigger hops” out of him and McAdam, Benning responded: “I’d say me”.

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Benning, who is known by his middle name ‘Roy’ to his family and friends, paid tribute to the influence of McAdam and Johnson.

The pair have always been there for some advice over the phone.

“Just before my games I’d give them a call or a text and ask them as much information as I can get, just to get better on and off the field,” Benning said.

Matching the 196cm talent’s leap is his rapid rise from regional footballer to the AFL in the space of a year.

Benning was playing for Waringarri Crows in the East Kimberley Football League last year before moving to Perth in February to try his luck in the WAFL colts and study a Bachelor of Sports Science at UWA.

The 18-year-old continued to improve as the season went on, in the ruck and attack, to earn State 19s selection and a draft combine invite, interviewing with five AFL clubs including the Dockers multiple times.

Likened to Fremantle tall Rory Lobb, the lifelong Dockers supporter can’t wait to learn from one of the players he’s modelled parts of his game on.

“I haven’t spoken to him just yet but I’m looking forward to getting to know him and learning off him,” Benning said.

Benning and fellow WA-bred national draftees Jye Amiss, Neil Erasmus and Matt Johnson watched on as their new teammates trained at Cockburn on Monday, spending time chatting with coach Justin Longmuir on the sidelines.

The club is still working through the logistics of getting Victorian rookie pick-up Karl Worner over to Perth.

Benning became the sixth Docker drafted through their NGA system after top-10 pick Liam Henry, Joel Western and former players Leno Thomas, Jason Carter and Isaiah Butters.