DRAFT prospect Koby LeCras remembers the build-up to his WAFL debut with West Perth in April and the perfect set of circumstances that meant it was almost too good to be true. 

Surprised with the news by his coach Paul Sanzone at his workplace, LeCras was then told on game day that he'd be wearing the No.20 that his dad, Brent, wore in 141 games for the Falcons. 

It was a special achievement to kickstart the hard-working WA forward's draft year, and it was all happening on his 18th birthday and at the ground where he grew up as a kid kicking a footy around the changerooms.

It turned out it was too good to be true, with LeCras suffering a partially torn ACL late in the game that didn't require surgery but still wiped out his season in a blow to one of WA's most promising prospects. 

The year became about learning as much as he could off the field and supporting his teammates, with the Telstra AFL Draft Combine taking on even more importance as a key milestone to show AFL recruiters how he had applied himself in rehab.  

"To make my debut was really special for my family and it was such a whirlwind all weekend. But it was probably always too good a day, because something was bound to go wrong," LeCras told AFL.com.au this week, reflecting on the injury that shaped his draft year.  

"Unfortunately I did my knee and it was hard for the first few days, but then I really flicked the switch and just wanted to get the most out of the year and learn as much as I could. 

"It made me look at footy with a different perspective, and I think I've learned a lot from being injured. 

"I feel like I had a really big pre-season and I was looking forward to showcasing my strengths and having a consistent year. But that's footy." 

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LeCras was already in a strong position ahead of his draft year after earning All-Australian selection at under-16 level in 2024 and developing with the National AFL Academy as a mobile and hard-working tall forward with a high footy IQ.  

The nephew of West Coast premiership star Mark LeCras, he was able to showcase his talent in an Academy game against Richmond's VFL team in April, booting three goals in the on-field highlight of his year.  

His under-age football and that Academy game have meant that clubs are familiar with his talent, and all have maintained an interest in the 193cm forward this year when speaking with his coaches, who have been impressed with his dedication in rehab. 

"His attitude and application since knowing that he wasn't going to play has been unreal and he attended every session with us through the winter program," WA talent manager Adam Jones told AFL.com.au. 

"He kept coming in, doing work with our physios and strength and conditioning, and he built up really well to the national combine.

"I think that's been a real positive for him this year that he's just nailed his application from an off-field perspective, and if a club does take a chance on him, I think he's going to get the best out of himself over the course of his career."

LeCras, who models aspects of his game on Brisbane triple-premiership star Logan Morris, said the key to his year in rehab was having good support around him and a detailed structure to his days and weeks, working closely with West Perth physio Mike Lewis on his rehab program. 

There were short-term goals along the way for LeCras to work towards, but the big target for the left-footer was the Draft Combine at the end of September, with the crafty forward thrilled to get an invite to test in the 2km time trial and 20m sprint.

"When you're playing, you're thinking so much about the National Champs and all these games you've got coming up, and I wanted to have something to look forward to," LeCras said. 

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"We decided to aim for the Combine, and that was sort of my game almost. I really wanted to prepare myself the best I could for that, and I think I did. 

"I got to sit on the bench for the colts during the year and be in on all the team meetings, and all of the teams that I was a part of made me feel like I was still part of the team. 

"I went to every training, and I learned a lot of little things that I probably wouldn't have learned if I was playing, so it has sort of made me look at footy in a bit of a different way."

As well as feeling the support from his West Perth and WA teams this year, LeCras said the Cervantes community that he is from, 200km north of Perth, had rallied behind him when he had returned. 

A coastal fishing town with a thriving cray fishing industry, LeCras grew up with a footy in one hand and a fishing rod in the other, travelling up to two-and-a-half hours between towns for footy games on the weekend in a five-team competition.

Kicking the footy with his uncle Mark, who is now doing media work and helping operate a family avocado tree farm, and picking his brain about the game has been a highlight in recent years. 

His father Brent, who played six games for North Melbourne between 2005-06 in addition to his long West Perth career, has also been a great source of advice and travels regularly between Perth and Cervantes, where he works as part of the family's long-running cray fishing business.  

"He's been a cray fisherman almost since he finished up. My Pop did it, my granddad did it, and my great granddad did it. So, it's sort of in the family bloodline," LeCras said.  

"Fishing and footy are the two things that I've grown up doing, and I've just been surrounded by it my whole life, especially growing up in such a big footy family. 

"I love getting back home. It's a really nice place and everyone's really close up there.

"I went up to watch a game this year, and everyone just asked how [my recovery] was going, so word spreads pretty quick. They're all really supportive and the town's a really good town."