A PROJECT manager specialising in finance has emerged as the bolter for next week's NAB AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft.
Coburg defender Lochie Dickson's sudden rise from local footballer to VFL star inside 18 months has the 24-year-old firmly in the frame to be selected on Monday night.
Armed with breakaway speed and a sharp sidestep he credits from his junior touch rugby days, Dickson's start to 2019 has created a buzz among AFL recruiters.
He has attracted interest from multiple clubs including Gold Coast, Sydney and GWS, and will be one of 25 hopefuls to undergo a medical screening on Wednesday.
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However, if it wasn't for a late growth spurt in his early 20s, Dickson could still be running around for Norwood in Melbourne's suburban Eastern Football League.
"I grew physically which helped a lot and I was a bit later to develop than the usual person," Dickson told AFL.com.au this week.
"I went from just on six-foot (183cm) to now 190cm and probably put on 10kg."
Dickson's time at Norwood was split in two.
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After strong early impressions as a teenager including a senior flag in 2014, his football was put on hold in 2016 to experience what most 20-year-olds dream of – a trip to Europe with mates.
While he played a handful of games that year under his dad for the Yarra Valley Old Grammarians in the VAFA, Dickson returned to Norwood in 2017.
Bigger and stronger, he was catapulted into the EFL inter-league outfit before VFL clubs circled as they identified his athletic upside.
"It was at that point that I realised that if I didn't make the step then that I might not ever make it," Dickson said.
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"If I didn't take it on then, I might have some regrets down the track about not pushing myself to play at the highest level I could."
Dickson ultimately signed at Coburg, and even a 103-point drubbing at the hands of Casey on debut last year had AFL recruiters calling Lions officials to learn more about his pathway.
With no TAC Cup or previous VFL experience, scouts that day were at a loss about the late bloomer in guernsey No.17's origins.
Having the flexibility to man both Charlie Spargo (173cm) and Sam Weideman (195cm) as Coburg was inundated with inside 50s, Dickson was named his side's second-best player.
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"They (Casey) had roughly 20 AFL-listed players that day – Angus Brayshaw, Sam Weideman, Cam Pedersen, Tim Smith and these types of guys," Dickson said.
"That was a pretty good learning curve and it gave me the confidence that I could play against guys at the level and play well."
Used predominantly as a defender in his first season, Dickson shared Coburg's best and fairest award with fellow draft prospect Marcus Lentini.
This year Dickson has graduated to the midfield, with his power running and burst from stoppages a feature.
Now with 24 VFL games under his belt and six years working with employers including major bank and supermarket chains, Dickson believes he's fully equipped for life as a professional footballer.
"As an 18 or 19-year-old I would've been nowhere near ready to walk into an AFL club, let alone play senior VFL footy," he said.
"I'd be willing to go anywhere, whether that's Perth or Queensland or anywhere interstate – I think I'm ready now."
The 2019 NAB AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft will be broadcast LIVE on AFL.com.au, the AFL Live Official App and Fox Footy from 6:30pm AEST on Monday, May 27
