NORTH Ballarat wingman Dean Towers was just another VFL footballer trying to make his mark in the game when he went into an ABC-televised match against Collingwood in round three this year.

The then 21-year-old had shown undoubted athleticism during his few games in the Roosters' seniors, but in this match he showed his football talent as well.

During the last quarter it all fell into place. With his ability to run and carry, he made opponents look static as he sliced his way towards attack.

Brad Macgowan, the Roosters' midfield coach, said Towers truly announced himself when he kicked a goal on the run from outside 50. "That made people open their eyes," Macgowan said.

Six weeks later, Towers impressed in the VFL representative team that overwhelmed Tasmania. At the end of the season, he knocked them out at the NAB AFL Draft Combine when he broke Trent Croad's record in the standing vertical jump.

Croad jumped 83cm in 1997. Towers jumped 85cm in a performance that confirmed he was more than just a fast runner.

Now, with the NAB AFL National Draft around the corner, Towers is a near certainty to be selected, with good judges tipping he'll go late in the second round or early in the third round. His selection would mark one of the more remarkable recent journeys at the game's top level.

"He just has that drive to improve," Macgowan said. "I think that's what's enabled him to go past other players."

As an 18-year-old, at an age when most draft prospects are putting the polish on their game on the best grounds in Australia, Towers was playing at a small club where the hills meet the plains in western Victoria.

The Towers family have been farmers and timber millers from Lavers Hill and Beech Forest through to Colac for generations. Their home club is Otway Districts, which is just south of Colac.

While the best teenagers in the region were heading into Geelong to play for the Geelong Falcons in the TAC Cup, Towers was lining up for the Otway Districts' seniors.

He began at 16, playing alongside some of his father Neville's contemporaries. His coach was Tim Pekin, the former Fitzroy and St Kilda midfielder who'd returned to the hills when his AFL career was over.

Pekin this week told AFL.com.au that Towers wasn't necessarily the best player when he began at the ODs. "But he was the keenest."

Dean, Neville and Pekin were teammates at the Kawarren Tennis Club over summer. During winter season they were all involved in Dean's improvement as a footballer.

Neville Towers would often head out to the huddle to poke Dean in the shoulder and offer advice. Pekin played Dean all over the ground to enable him to better learn the game.

After the siren, Dean would pester his coach for tips on how to improve. "He's a sensible kid," Pekin said. "He's got his head screwed on."

Before the 2010 season, Pekin advised Towers that he should head into Colac to play at a higher level. Towers took a little while to find his feet with the Tigers.

His coach that season, Tyson Hay, said Towers' district footy background was evident when he arrived at Colac. Rather than give off the ball to a teammate in a better position, Towers would do a U-turn and try to beat the field on his own.

"It was frustrating for his teammates," Hay said. "But he'd usually get out of trouble."

Towers played most of the season on a wing, with instructions to play an outside game. The reasoning was that he was too light to go into the clinches.

By the end of the season his confidence had grown to the extent that he became a trouble-shooter in attack. He was far from Colac's best player, but his improvement over the course of the season suggested there was more to come.

While playing at Colac, Towers was in the first year of a degree at Ballarat University. He was studying physical education and science, with a view to becoming a secondary teacher.

Before his second year, he took the advice of a university friend, North Ballarat player Ben Birthisel, that he should try his hand with the Roosters. As the pre-season neared conclusion, Towers was one of 10 players vying for the final five spots on the Roosters' list.

After making it through, he was one of the few players who didn't have their names on the backs of their training jumpers. He began his career with North Ballarat from a very low base.

North Ballarat football manager Marg Richards described Towers as "a very dedicated young man". She also said he's quiet, humble and popular.

Towers put his nose down from the minute he joined the club. He trained at full tilt, and after matches he sought out coaches' opinions on his game.

After every North Ballarat match, coaches take each player through relevant footage from the side-on view. Not content with that feedback, Towers developed a habit of bringing in a hard drive on which to download the behind-the-goals footage.

He'd watch the match from this view and then return to the club with a list of questions.

Towers had to play almost the entire 2011 season in North Ballarat's development league team (the reserves) before he cracked a senior game in the elimination final against Williamstown. He played in both finals as the Roosters were thrown out in straight sets.

Towers told AFL.com.au that he relished the chance to play in those finals. "I enjoyed them very much," he said.

He also gained confidence from the coaches' post-season feedback. Their advice was to just keep doing what he was doing.

Before the 2012 season Towers looked at the fixture and was aghast at the byes because of Foxtel Cup games and the state match against Tasmania. "I hate missing footy," he said.

At it turned out, he played in the state match and launched a new chapter in his football life. His scorching pace, marking ability and defensive efforts stamped him for a potential AFL career.

Towers, who turned 22 mid-season, franked his claims at the recent draft combine. Besides his record in the standing vertical jump, he finished in the top five in the repeat sprints and in the top 10 in the running vertical jump (89cm) and 20m sprint (2.88sec).

He was also pleased with his performance in the endurance events: 13.8 in the beep test and 10.45 minutes in the 3km time-trial. His dimensions of 189cm and 84kg make him the perfect size for a modern midfielder.

Towers said Pekin put him on the right path at Otway Districts. "He was the first person to open my mind to a higher level of football. Since then it's been going up and up and up."

He said the Geelong Falcons had never asked him to train because at that stage he wasn't good enough. In coming through the ranks at his local club, he was able to keep playing other sports away from footy.

As well as two nights of tennis a week over summer, he played basketball, soccer and even badminton. The all-round skills he gained stood him in good stead as his footy career gathered pace.

After finishing school at Colac College, Towers embarked on a plumbing apprenticeship under his father. He said he gave the job 100 per cent — as he gives everything in his life — before deciding to go to university.

He credits his father with being his biggest influence. Neville, who was also a late developer as a footballer, has been a constant sounding board since Dean's Otway Districts days.

"If he thought I wasn't trying he'd let me know, which was good," Dean said.

Now they talk after every match on the phone. "He keeps me honest," Dean said.

Neville is proud of his son's determination. He said the fact that Dean had played country footy rather than pathway footy as a teenager simply provided more scope for improvement.

"He'll go a long way," Neville said.