Brodie McLaughlin had already begun to make peace with the possibility that his AFL career was over.
He describes football as "a brutal industry" and one "not for the faint-hearted".
By the end of 2025, McLaughlin was preparing to walk away from the VFL altogether. Then came an unexpected call from Hawthorn, offering him another chance at the level he had spent years trying to reach.
What followed was another reminder of just how quickly football fortunes can change.
A broken foot threatened to end his latest opportunity. Another draft passed him by. And as the 2026 season wore on, McLaughlin was again forced to confront the possibility that his AFL dream might never eventuate.
"It's been one of my most challenging years across my career," McLaughlin told Zero Hanger.
"It's just had a lot of ups and downs. At the end of last year, I was going to be retiring from the VFL bar an AFL lifeline, so I was pretty much ready to walk away, and then obviously got the call from the Hawks to try it with the SSP, which was going really well.
"I was making some really good inroads there, and unfortunately broke my foot, which seemed like that could be curtains. Then they extended the offer to extend the trial out until the mid-season draft."
After another mid-season draft disappointment, McLaughlin was left weighing whether to finish the VFL season or walk away and play local football.
Ultimately, he chose to see it through, unwilling to leave his career with any regrets.
Despite knowing an AFL opportunity might not come, he felt he owed it to Box Hill — a decision he is now glad he made.
McLaughlin had previous experience on an AFL list when Gold Coast picked him up as a rookie ahead of 2023 after a pair of strong seasons with Frankston in the VFL.
The talented key forward was a crucial part of the Suns' reserves premiership, and shared the Jim 'Frosty' Miller Medal (Coleman Medal equivalent) with teammate Chris Burgess after slotting 51 goals for the year.
McLaughlin was delisted without making his AFL debut, and he immediately joined Williamstown in the VFL, which proved fruitful, winning a second goal-kicking award in 2025 (67 majors).
And now he's on the verge of a second VFL premiership when he lines up for Box Hill Hawks on Sunday against Geelong after another dominant season, coming second in the goal-kicking to Dolphin Corey Ellison.
"Looking back at my career, I'm very lucky in the sense that I've achieved a lot at VFL level. I've met so many great people, had a lot of team success, and been one of the top forwards across the country outside the AFL. It's been such a ridiculous journey of twists and turns, but I think all of that gives you a lot of positivity and optimism amidst all the missed drafts and disappointments. I definitely have no regrets," he said.
"I'll hold out hope for an AFL lifeline, but I think if an AFL lifeline wasn't to present itself, I think it would be a pretty natural conclusion of my VFL journey."
McLaughlin reflected on his unique footballing journey, which still has one more chapter left to write.
"That's the craziest thing about my footballing journey is it's never been linear, and it's always had so many twists and turns," he said.
"From the very, very start, from COVID to being drafted to being delisted, and all the ins and outs. Like it's never gone, I guess, to plan.
"I've always just gone with the assumption that you only get one career, and you need to close every door before you walk away. And I think this was, although I didn't know it at the end of last year, this season was another door which I needed to go through and then close and really play it all out into the very end.
"Because I don't want to be someone in 20 years' time who's looking back with regrets or anything like that."
