Bayley Fritsch was once a skinny kid playing for Coldstream, a club stuck in the lower division of the Eastern Football League and was considered not good enough for the Eastern Ranges' TAC Cup team.
But now, the same kid has attracted interest from a dozen AFL clubs with West Coast being the most likely suitor, who has five picks in the top 40 of NAB AFL draft.
The key forward has added 10kgs onto his 186cm frame to weigh in at 82kgs and his efforts in 2017 helped him claim the Fothergill-Round Medal as the VFL's most promising player, joining past winners such as Michael Hibberd and Kane Lambert.
He kicked 42 goals in 19 games, a record which just four rival players matched this season, as the soon-to-be 21-year-old finished second in the Casey best and fairest losing out to Jack Trengrove.
"I'm feeling a bit nervous, but I've just got to hope I've done the work and hopefully my dream comes true," Fritsch told afl.com.au.
"You hear of so many stories of people who've spoken to that many clubs and then their name doesn't get called out.
"You can't get too confident, because you don't want to get shot down if it doesn't happen."
Stress fractures in his back put a stop to his first VFL campaign, then a torn meniscus in his left knee delayed his 2016 season. However, this year he was injury free and he proved that he belonged playing at a state league level and potentially even higher.
