NORTH Ballarat Rebel Michael Close is an imposing physical specimen.

At 196cm and 84kg, the 18-year-old is a strong marking tall forward who represented Vic Country at this year's NAB AFL Under-18 Championships.

Click here to see his highlights

But while his physical attributes are exciting, they're hardly rare for young footballers yearning to be drafted.

However, his mental strength and determination set him apart from the pack.

With injury sidelining him from all but two games at the championships and rendering him unable to do any physical testing at the NAB AFL Draft Combine, Close needed to impress AFL clubs.

So he travelled almost 2000km to test at Adelaide's state combine last Saturday, having attended his grandmother's funeral on the Friday.

To test the day after saying goodbye to his "Nan", let alone combat the logistical nightmare of travelling from Ballarat to Hamilton, to Melbourne, to Adelaide, back to Melbourne and finally back to Ballarat in less than 48 hours, showcased the hunger needed to make it in the AFL.

"I had my Nan's funeral on the Friday, so after I left that I got to Melbourne around 11pm, then I flew out at a 7.15 the next morning to Adelaide," Close said.

"I flew back Saturday night - I was buggered.

"At least I can say now is, there's no if's' or but's; if I do or don't get drafted I can say I gave it my all and it was a positive thing to go over and show I want to be an AFL footballer."

Close admitted it was difficult to concentrate after the funeral, but said he tried to use the experience as motivation.

His parents, who had joined him in Hamilton from the family farm in Harrow in western Victoria, told him to go for it.

"It was a tough day, but it definitely gave me a bit of extra motivation to test the following day," he said.

"Mum and Dad were really supportive of it, they know that for me to get drafted I had to do everything I can and to put my best foot forward, so they thought it was a good idea.

"I just want to be an AFL footballer and want to do everything it takes to show recruiters and clubs I'm willing to do everything it takes to play at the elite level, and do everything in my power to be the best I can."

AFL national talent manager Kevin Sheehan said Close did exactly that by overcoming a host of obstacles and test with other draft hopefuls.

"That's the keenness you love to see," Sheehan said.

"The clubs look for intangibles and how guys carry themselves in lots of different circumstances ... that's a big plus in that intangible area of 'do blokes want to do this badly enough' because AFL level is pretty tough going.

"That's a terrific plus for Michael to have done that and clubs are always looking for those little clues appearing."

Admittedly, Close's numbers were down in Adelaide, which is understandable given his recent injury setbacks.

His beep test score of 14.1 was well off his best effort of 15.6, but he isn’t too concerned.

When running at full power, his engine offers him a huge advantage as a key forward.

"I did a 15.5 at the start of this year and ran my PB of 15.6 last year, so I'm pretty happy with how my endurance has been over the last couple of years," he said.

"Key forward is probably my spot and usually these days key forwards and key backs have big engines - you've got to be able to use it.

"It's definitely handy to have."

Close said that while he'd received a good amount of interest from clubs at the NAB AFL Draft Combine, he couldn't be sure how interested they really were until the draft on November 22.

There's one thing he is sure of though, as is everyone else; he's given himself the best shot at fulfilling his dream and making it into what he described as "the big league".

Harry Thring is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_Harry.