Despite a raft of off-field changes at Arden St since their only chat, North took the Oakleigh Chargers midfielder with the No.3 pick in Wednesday's draft.

In the most unpredictable draft of all-time, the first shock came early on a long night.

Most good judges - and Phillips himself - considered the 18-year-old falling in the bottom-half of the top 10.

But with the Kangaroos buoyed by the recent appointment of new coach David Noble, they settled on Phillips and not Elijah Hollands who Gold Coast grabbed instead at pick No.7.

"Only one (chat with North during the year), that's why it was such a big surprise," Phillips said.

"Compared to other clubs I had way more, two or three with most clubs, but North took me so it was a big surprise."

The bombshells kept dropping for Phillips, who had North legend Brent Harvey knock on his door straight after the Kangaroos selected him.

The AFL's games record holder didn't just pop by to congratulate Phillips, he also handed over his famous No.29 which North retired when Harvey's glittering career ended in 2016.

"I didn't even know how much (Harvey) was (still) connected to the club, apart from playing more than 400 games," Phillips said.

"He works closely with the first and second-year players, so I'm really looking forward to working with him.

"It's a huge honour to take his number which hasn't been used for four years now.

"The best moments in life are a surprise and it was one of the best moments of my life."

Phillips, a hard-working inside onballer, will learn plenty off veteran North midfielders Ben Cunnington and Jack Ziebell.

A consistent player who averaged 22 possessions last year, Phillips can also go to another level in a big game after kicking two goals in the Chargers' 2019 NAB League grand-final win.

Australian Associated Press