A positional change for Vic Metro talent Rory Wright only bolstered the teenager's hopes of a selection at next month's AFL Draft following a period of reflection.
Wright entered the year with a strong campaign for the Sandringham Dragons and in mind, as well as breaking through for a spot in the Vic Metro squad.
The 183cm teenager was due to start his draft campaign at half-back, but following an impressive trial game in midfield and discussions with Dragons coach Rob Harding, a switch to the engine room saw Wright start the Coates Talent League season in the middle.
While Wright found his groove as a midfielder at the top level, a return to half-back for the end of the Dragons' campaign propelled his prospects further.
While playing with busted ribs following a knock in the second week of CTL finals, Wright was an architect in helping Sandringham reach a fourth successive grand final.
Arguably best-afield in the Dragons' preliminary final win over Gippsland, Wright's ability to impose his presence on the game through lethal outlet kicking and intercept marking caught the eye once more.
His stellar end to the year capped off a promising campaign for the Caulfield Grammar product, who was happy to see the hard yards at training pay off.
"My kicking is something that I focus on heaps," Wright told Craft of the Draft.
"Being at half-back, you have the opportunity to set up the game and build the offence from the back half. So kicking was a focus.
| N/A RANK |  | Rory Wright Sandringham Dragons Defender/Midfielder HEIGHT: 183cm | â–¶ |
"As was my intercept marking, I wanted to show I can do that. There was a lot of time spent at training to go and do that on the weekend, as well as working on my balance of offence and defence."
Wright's strong 2025 season came after a pre-season of reflection, having lost the fun of football at times in his bottom-age campaign.
A new outlook on how to get the most enjoyment out of his season was a springboard into draft calculations, with Wright thriving after a more relaxed approach to his game this year.
"I went away from having fun," he said of his 2024 season.
"Coming into this year, I had a new mindset and was able to go out there and have fun with my mates each week, and what'll be will be.
"I spoke to Rob, and he was really good with me all year, making sure I was having fun and enjoying the whole process.
"It can get pretty stressful at times, so it's important to enjoy the whole thing and to take each day as it comes.
"I was putting too much pressure on myself (last year) and too many expectations on what I wanted to achieve out of the year. Then when it wasn't going as I'd hoped or had planned, the pressure would start to mount, and it became a burden on me.
"I saw this year as an opportunity to enjoy my last year of junior footy. It allowed me to have the year I did this year."
Wright played all four games of Voc Metro's U18s National Championships, switching between midfield and defence at the carnival.
An opening game against eventual champions South Australia was a "shock" start for the Victorians, who fell to the Croweaters by 61 points in June.
With Vic Metro's following game now scheduled for almost a month later, Wright was given the time to assess where his performance could improve.
A spell on the sidelines between the games against SA and Western Australia also helped Wright come into the final three weeks of the carnival 'fresher'.
"That SA game came as a shock to a lot of us. It shocked me," he admitted.
"Personally, I got first hands to a few but I fumbled it a lot. It showed the importance of being clean at the next level. After that, I put in a lot of work on being clean at stoppage.
"For the last three games my body was a bit fresher. I had a corky, so I had a week off between (the first and second game), so I felt I was able to get and of stoppages and move a bit better, which helped.
"Also spending a bit more time over the ball and the fundamentals that I then took into the game."
The aforementioned Harding isn't one to offer many AFL comparisons when it comes to his players, but the Dragons coach made an exception when assessing Wright, claiming similarities between the young ball-winner and Hawthorn great Luke Hodge.
Quality leadership, as well as an ability to play across midfield and defence with a lethal kick, pulls in parallels to Hidge, while its Western Bulldogs ace Ed Richards who is a more contemporary idol for Wright.
"I've heard it from a few of my mates, who gave me a bit of stick about it," Wright said of the comparisons to the champion ex-Hawk.
"It's a big honour to be compared to someone of his calibre, so it's cool.
"I look a lot at Ed Richards and how he plays in midfield and at half-back with his speed, kicking and work around stoppage. I try to implement as many things as he does into my game."
