Miles was set for a career as a West Australian firefighter until the Saints took him with their second pick in the rookie draft.
And so his plans changed.
"I had just been accepted as a fireman in WA and I was just about ready to put football on hold and get settled for life," Miles said.
"But the AFL opportunity came up ... a once in a lifetime thing. You’ve got to grab that. I can always go back to my studies or fireman duties at other times."
Miles has been working with the AFLPA and the Melbourne Fire Brigade to set up an apprenticeship and is also looking to finish off his environmental management degree, which he deferred after moving to Melbourne.
"I wanted to get settled into football for the first six months so I deferred uni. I’ll pick that up in semester two and I’ve only got four units left on my degree anyway," he said.
"I’ve been doing it for three years full-time so I wanted to focus on settling in before I picked it up again."
Miles has given plenty of thought to life outside football, understandable considering his opportunity came at 21.
"When I was 18 I was playing WAFL colts and I think when they were looking at guys for the draft I was sitting around on the sidelines with a back injury," he recalled. "I didn’t get too worried about it.
"My goal was to play in the WAFL and I was quite happy with that. It wasn’t until the end of last year that AFL prospects started to pop up."
Hitting the scales at just 78kg when he was picked, the running defender has now bulked up to 85.
The added mass better equipped him for the demands of AFL football, but his body struggled to carry the extra weight and he spent the first half of the season battling stress fractures in his legs.
"With the extra weight going through my legs, something had to give and unfortunately it was that," he said.
"I’ve just had my second week in the VFL at Casey and I should play a full game this week. It’s a bit hard getting back into the swing of things but hopefully I can build my fitness back up again."
Miles realises he has to bide his time before he gets his chance at senior level, acknowledging there are plenty of teammates ahead of him in the pecking order.
But he has already worn the St Kilda guernsey in a match – the first NAB Cup game against Richmond this year.
He said the thrill of playing senior football on the big stage was something he yearns to experience again.
"It was good to get there, relax and walk into the middle of the ground and be comfortable with the surroundings," he said.
"I was thrilled just to start on the bench. We got into the rooms and gave the young blokes a run on the ground first.
"It was amazing – such a great experience."
