SAM DRAPER knew it was the right decision well before the weekend. After so many injuries across nine seasons at Essendon, he moved to Brisbane as a free agent last October. Now the ruckman is bound for his first Grand Final in his first season at the Lions. 

Brisbane has built a dynasty under Chris Fagan's coaching and Greg Swann and Danny Daly's leadership, but also via the smart personnel decisions made by list boss Dom Ambrogio and national recruiting manager Steve Conole. 

This acquisition has proven to be another shrewd move. With Oscar McInerney retiring last year with a year to run on his contract, Brisbane needed a ruckman and beat Adelaide to secure the services of Draper. 

"I knew it was the right call before the season started. But then to be able to play every game, and now I'm in the Grand Final it's just what you dream of. I'm just so happy," Draper told AFL.com.au after the win over Hawthorn.

"I'm bloody exhausted. That was so hard that game. There is a lot of emotions. To see my family hugging them that's when the tears started."

Draper only played five games last year and didn't play again for Essendon after rupturing his Achilles tendon in round six. Prior to that, Draper's injury history was long. He did his ACL in 2019, a bad syndesmosis in 2021, dealt with lingering groin issues and needed meniscus surgery at the Bombers. 

But Brisbane has a brilliant track record of getting players right. Under high performance boss Damien Austin, Joe Daniher, Lincoln McCarthy, Cal Ah Chee, Grant Birchall and many others have reignited their careers at the club. 

Draper hadn't started running yet eight months after surgery when he arrived at the Lions, but he was ready for round one, even after a stress reaction scare in his foot. 

"I was just really trusting what the Brisbane program is and they were really good at taking it slow to start with and building consistency in my weeks," he said.

"Then it just ends up coming together and playing with that support and planning it's been amazing. I'm just so happy. I don't even know what I'm saying right now."

Draper is no stranger to trade speculation. St Kilda made a four-year offer to him before he'd even played a game for Essendon back in 2019. Last year was different. Draper was sidelined and not out there each weekend, while the Bombers tried to keep him and others chased him.

"There's obviously parts of it that are stressful, but it was easier because I wasn't playing, so I didn't have to focus on performance each week. I could sit back and take it all in," he said.

"But I'm big on perspective. I had teammates that fight and scrap for a one-year deal or get delisted, so for me to have options in front of me, I'm so grateful for that. When I got stressed, I think about that. But yeah it is very different this time compared to last year, that's for sure."

Draper played in only one final across almost a decade at Essendon when the Bombers lost to the Western Bulldogs in 2021 at University of Tasmania Stadium. 

Saturday was his third in three weeks at Brisbane, where the collective big-game experience of the group helped them regain the lead in the dying moments and secure a spot in a fourth consecutive decider. 

"There is just so much belief in this group and so much calmness," he said. 

"Like throughout the week you wouldn't know it was a prelim week. It was just sort of like this is what we do, which made it really calming for me because I wasn't sure what to expect, but just felt like another week. The belief that this is what we do, like we're here for this."

Twenty-eight different players have won at least one premiership medal for Brisbane across 2024 and 2025. Draper will be out to add his name to that list on Saturday.