And one of them will stand shoulder to shoulder with him as he makes his debut for Greater Western Sydney against the Crows in Adelaide on Sunday.

Jonathon Patton may only be 20 but the power forward’s experience dealing with the extraordinary attention that comes from being labelled the best prospect in the land has been handy for Boyd who enters his debut with expectations reserved for a chosen few.

Boyd said Patton and fellow gun forward Jeremy Cameron had taken him under their wing since he arrived for the 2014 pre-season. It’s easy to understand why the 200-centimetre 18-year-old and Patton, in particular, have built a strong bond.

“I went through pretty much the exact the same thing, all that stuff,” said Patton, who before playing a senior game had been likened to Brisbane champion Jonathan Brown.

"So I know there is going to be a bit of pressure on him. But he’s a good young bloke with a good head on his shoulders. I can see him being a superstar of the game and the more I help him, the better he makes our team which, ultimately, helps us win more games.”

Patton suffered a forgettable couple of years because of injury after going number one in 2011. But he clearly remembers the hype that surrounded his selection.

“Leading up to the draft there was a lot of that sort of stuff, interviews, media, people saying things, writing things, so by the time it came around, I was pretty used to it,” he said.

“There is definitely extra pressure being the No.1 pick, but I think the way to look at it is that it’s something to be very proud of. It’s a great achievement that we’ve done and something we can all look back on and feel good about.”

Two other Giants have a unique understanding of what Boyd is going through. Lachie Whitfield was the 2012 No.1 and Tom Scully went No.1 in 2009, to the Demons.

Just last week, Adam Treloar discussed feeling “blessed” to have been pre-listed with GWS - along with Cameron, Dylan Shiel and Curtly Hampton - when the club started, rather than having to endure the scrutiny of being a top draft pick.

“We didn’t have any pressure,” Treloar said. “If one of us had gone No.1, it would have been a lot of stress. But we were blessed not to experience that.”

Patton, who was a teammate of Boyd at TAC Cup side Eastern Ranges, said the difficulty was mitigated by being in Sydney, out of the extra glare of Melbourne, Adelaide or Perth. He said being at a club with many good young players made it easier for someone in Boyd’s position to blend in.

Coach Leon Cameron will hope Boyd combines well with Cameron and Patton in the forward line, in addition to doing some rucking duties on Sunday, giving a taste of an attack that could feature for the Giants for the next several seasons.

Patton and Cameron are each in solid form. Patton said his effort against the Western Bulldogs last round was his “most rounded game so far”. Boyd is coming off a reserves game in which he kicked three goals.

“It’s his first [senior] game so we’re not expecting too much of him,” Patton said. “We just want him to get a kick, have a bit of fun and compete.”