Fremantle forward Sam Switkowski often reflects on the years he was left wondering if an opportunity at AFL level would ever arise.
The Diamond Valley product was overlooked in his initial draft year of 2014 despite earning the plaudits as the Northern Knights' player of the season.
Like most who face the heartbreaking reality of missing the cut on draft night, Switkowski turned to the VFL to remain in touch with a potential pathway into the top flight.
Two seasons at the Hawks had flown by, with Switkowski honing his craft across multiple positions but still remaining out of favour among AFL talent scouts.
Come 2017, the lively small forward enjoyed a stellar campaign at Box Hill City Oval, booting goals in all but one of his 12 matches for the year to sit among the club's leading goalkickers in a campaign that saw the Hawks clinch second spot on the ladder.
But draft night was once again a nervous evening for Switkowski, whose name wasn't called across the opening four rounds of the count, before the Dockers decided to roll the dice on the mature-aged prospect.
Taken at 73rd overall, the sixth last selection at the 2017 National Draft, Switkowski was suddenly plucked from Melbourne's north-east and flown over to Perth to live out his AFL dream.
Among a draft class that included top five picks Andrew Brayshaw and Adam Cerra, Switkowski would soon emerge as one of the Dockers' best selections of 2017.
Currently in his fifth season in purple, the now-25-year-old has made Fremantle his home, recently recommitting to the Dockers until the end of 2024.
Speaking to Zero Hanger, Switkowski reflected on the unconventional journey that has led to a life in a city he has since fallen in love with.
"It's a beautiful place to live," Switkowski said. "The club is such a good work environment with good people.
"It was a journey to get drafted into the AFL and I'm super grateful for Fremantle for taking the opportunity, Pick 73, one of the last picks in the draft.
"[I] absolutely love it. Signed a couple extra years on my contract, which is super exciting. No place I'd rather be at the moment.
"Hopefully get some success in the next couple of years."
Now a key piece in Fremantle's premiership push, Switkowski has had the motivation of missed drafts and his years at Box Hill to fuel his form from day one as a Docker.
The Diamond Creek native knows to remain humble in his approach to each day he pulls on the purple.
"It's really important just to keep yourself grounded and keep that gratitude going for the position I'm in at the moment and how lucky I am," he said.
"I often think back to those moments, those missed drafts, all those years at Box Hill, the TAC Cup. It just makes the whole thing a lot sweeter knowing that it took a bit of extra effort.
"Nothing ever works out perfectly, so I'm grateful for the journey."
Switkowski is currently sidelined for the coming weeks with a troubling back injury, an unforeseen setback that has only added to a frustrating run of ailments in his five years in the system.
A similar back issue kept him sidelined for the entirety of the 2020 season, before being limited to just 12 matches last year in a back-and-forth relationship with the club's casualty ward.
But while the frustrations of being forced to watch his side from the stands grow with each week, Switkowski is ready to have an instant impact should he return in the final stages of this season.
"Rehab's going to plan, I'm making some good progress so hopefully I can get back and play some footy at the end of the year," he said.
"Few hurdles to jump over, so there's a few unknown's but it's promising.
"It's incredibly frustrating, but it's just footy sometimes. Injuries come down to a bit of luck.
"Of course we didn't have any warning signs with my back when the injury popped up, so super unfortunate.
Forward
Disposals
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"The boys are playing some ripping footy so it gives me a lot of motivation and hope to get back and hopefully play some finals footy and be there at the end of the season.
"I've had my fair share of injuries and time in rehab, so I'm used to it to an extent, just doing everything I can to get back."
Switkowski has collaborated with fellow small forwards Lachie Schultz and Michael Walters to form a lethal trio that has sharpened the teeth of Justin Longmuir's attack in 2022.
The group's commitment to the cause under their senior coach has been a catalyst in their stunning rise up the ladder, with a tightly-knit culture something Switkowski has relished this year.
"We're gelling well together," he added.
"We've all got a good relationship with each other, on and off the field.
"Especially on field everyone's just bought into, you know, the way we want to play as a team. All the boys have bought into bringing pressure and tackle and the defensive aspect which is helping create a lot of offensive impact at the same time, a lot of scoring and helping the team as a whole.
"I'm loving what they're all doing down there. I love playing with them. They're a great bunch of fellas and [we're] mostly a young group. So hopefully we can play together for some time."
