MEDIUM rare or well done? Peppercorn or Béarnaise sauce? Anthony Caminiti couldn't concentrate. How could he? Five minutes before he started his shift at his uncle's steak restaurant in Kew, Charcoal Grill on the Hill, Caminiti had received a call that would change the direction of not only his year, but his life.

His manager, Tom Petroro from TLA Worldwide, had been on the phone with news he and his client weren't expecting. Stephen Silvagni wanted the 19-year-old to meet with St Kilda at RSEA Park the following day to discuss a trial, a little more than a month out from the 2023 season.

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The invite was completely out of the blue. The Saints were in the early stages of the injury crisis that has made Ross Lyon's undefeated return to coaching almost hard to fathom. They were scouring the land late in the pre-season, analysing VFL, WAFL and SANFL lists in an attempt to add some depth inside 50 following a spate of injuries that had claimed Max King, Jack Hayes and would soon delay Tim Membrey's start to the year.

But ready-made key forwards are mostly already on AFL lists, not tucked away at a state league club somewhere. But as it turned out, St Kilda's new list boss had a source close to home that had found a diamond in the rough.

Caminiti played for the Northern Knights in the NAB League in 2022 after finishing Year 12, then signed with Carlton's VFL program and had committed to playing for Heidelberg in the Northern Football Netball League. But then everything changed when he was invited to train with Michael Voss' squad for a few sessions in January.

Almost every AFL club invites members of its reserves to train at times during the summer, mainly to boost numbers for match simulations. But not many are able to turn that opportunity into something bigger. But after Caminiti held his own on star key defender Jacob Weitering and Sam Durdin, hauling in a few contested marks and kicking multiple goals, people at the Blues took notice, including Jack Silvagni, the son of the Saints list boss. Before long, the 196cm, 85kg key forward was on the Saints' radar, following a casual conversation between father and son that has now become famous.

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That was two months ago, and a lot has happened since then.

Caminiti landed a contract, played in a practice match and then made his AFL debut against Fremantle in round one. Last Saturday, he kicked two goals from nine marks to show why many close to him have always believed he could make it AFL level.

"On one of those days (at Carlton training), they did match sim and I was on Weitering for a bit and Durdin for most of it. I did pretty well, took a few nice marks and did a few good things," Caminiti recalled to AFL.com.au this week.

"After training, Jack Silvagni introduced himself and said, 'You've got some good hands.' I think he called me 'Buckets' or something. I thought nothing of it, continued going about my life with two jobs and doing a summer subject at uni. Then about a week later, Tommy rings me up and asks, 'What are you doing tomorrow?'. 'Just work and footy', I say. He goes, 'Scrap that, do you want to go into St Kilda and meet the coaches?'.

"I was ecstatic, couldn't believe it. I knew if I made the most of that opportunity, I could get a spot on an AFL list."

What started as an audition with no guarantees quickly escalated into much more after Caminiti dominated match simulation in just his second training session in early February. He plucked pack marks, converted long-range set shots and left the likes of Cal Wilkie and Dougal Howard wondering who the hell the kid with the black, curly hair was.

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St Kilda GM David Misson grabbed him not long after he got off the track that day and took him upstairs to sit down with Silvagni. Little did Caminiti know, the Saints were about to sign him, they just weren't going to tell him there and then. Petroro was in on it. He had read the contract and knew what his client was signing, but they wanted to wait for club icon Robert Harvey to break the news in a meeting later in the day.

"Straight after that training session I remember going on my phone and there was a (media) report straight away. I was like, 'Far out, that was quick.' I read the article and five minutes later 'Misso' grabbed me and we went upstairs," Caminiti recalled with a smile.

"SOS was sitting there and said, 'Can you sign this?' I was like, 'What is it?' I think he was making up some BS about SSP (pre-season supplementary period) compliance. I checked with Tommy. He knew what they were doing. He said it was all good. It turns out that was the contract. I went through the whole day not thinking about it and then it was announced in a meeting later.

"I had no clue; I was completely oblivious to what was happening; I thought it was part of the SSP process."

Playing AFL level simply wasn't part of the plan this year. Caminiti had been on the radar of recruiters in the past; he played in the midfield for Victoria as a 12-year-old, went missing for a few years and then put himself back in contention after a growth spurt ahead of Year 12 led to a dominant season for Carey Grammar and an overdue opportunity with the Northern Knights.

The pandemic and the timing of a serious leg injury on the second last day of school almost ended his chances of landing on an AFL list. But Caminiti didn't give up on his dream heading into this pre-season. After getting an ATAR score of 95, he was one year into a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Engineering, at Melbourne University. It meant a busy summer, balancing a subject with a VFL pre-season and work at his uncle's restaurant and a café around the corner.

"This certainly wasn't the plan. The plan was to do three units at uni this year; that's basically full-time. I was going to quit one of my jobs because I had a fair bit going, it was getting too much. I couldn't balance the two jobs," he said.

"I still didn't think I was (in the) best 22 for Carlton VFL because of how strong they were at AFL level and all the key forwards they'd drafted. I genuinely thought I was high in the rankings but I may not play every week with the way VFL works. I wanted to show recruiters and people that my footy has developed in the past two years since my injury. My initial goal was to get picked up mid-season."

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Caminiti was interviewed by six clubs in his draft year and was invited to the Draft Combine before it was cancelled due to COVID. Clubs were interested; some viewed him as a rookie pick, others late in the national draft. But then disaster struck.

"It happened on the second last day of school, muck up day," he said. "The school decides to do a water fight and it was on a slippery surface. There are about 200 kids running around, the whole year level. One of my mates dunks me with water. I try and get revenge on him with a big bin full of water. I start chasing him around, he ends up hiding behind his girlfriend. I go for him and I remember changing direction and my ankle just caved in. My fibula broke and I tore my syndesmosis.

"It was pretty traumatic. I initially thought I'd done my ACL because I heard a pop. Straight away I thought, 'I'm not going to get drafted anymore, the English exam is in two weeks, I have stuffed up everything'. When I found out how bad it was, I just bawled out, crying. I knew I wasn't going to get drafted after that."

Caminiti didn't undergo surgery straight away. He had to wait until after his exams and it took seven long months to finally get his leg and ankle right, resulting in a delayed start to 2022. It was a dark time for him and for his family, who knew how desperately he wanted to be drafted, only to watch his chances evaporate in such a cruel fashion.

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The Caminitis are a tight-knit family of Italian and Palestinian descent. Anthony is older brother to twin sisters, Claudia and Isabella, as well as a younger brother, Daniel, who are all extremely proud of his journey thus far. Then there are his parents, David and Fadwa, who can’t believe what's happening.

Dad was a VFL star before knee injuries ruined his career, while mum has already endeared herself to many inside the St Kilda Football Club. She has watched her boy respond from the devastation of the injury to be rewarded for his perseverance and dedication in the most magical of ways.

"I think that's the story," Fadwa tells AFL.com.au.

"If you really want something in life and you are passionate and you're so hungry and you want something so badly, you don’t give up. That’s what I used to drill to Anthony. He just had to have faith in the process that it would happen and work at it. I think that's the best part of it, the fact he worked so hard to get back from this injury."

If the call never arrived from St Kilda, the most likely outcome was Caminiti suiting up for Heidelberg against North Heidelberg in the opening round after Easter. Let that sink in. Instead, Caminiti might have four AFL games next to his name by that point.

Vince Dattoli coached the First XVIII at Carey Grammar and recruited Caminiti to Heidelberg after joining the local powerhouse as senior coach in October. He remembers Petroro approaching him at a huddle one day asking about the key forward who just kicked four goals in a quarter. Dattoli just winked at the veteran manager who has one of the biggest and best client stables in the game. 

Dattoli, who recently coached Matt Rowell, Noah Anderson and Nick Daicos at Carey, watched Caminiti emerge as a star at APS level in Year 12, after arriving on a scholarship and responding after a tough Year 10 season and then the challenges of COVID-19. 

"His levels of belief were challenging for him, even though we all believed in him. If the individual doesn't believe it makes it hard. We chipped away at different things and did a lot of work behind closed doors on his marking and kicking and he just kept getting better. It was a credit to him," Dattoli said.

"His Year 12 was phenomenal so imagine the disappointment when he didn't get drafted. He kicked eight goals against Geelong College one day, that was amazing. He also played against Sam Darcy at Scotch one day for a quarter at full-back and played really well. It was great for him to have that experience. He has so much raw talent. He couldn't be in a better place right now. I think Ross Lyon will get the most out of him."

Caminiti hasn't forgotten the tough times; they have made him who he is today. With King and Membrey still not back, he is determined to grasp the opportunity and force the Saints' match committee into a difficult decision when the cavalry returns closer to winter.

"My goal is to just make the most of the opportunity. I've been given a really good opportunity to play at an AFL level so young. I'm doing well at the moment, so I just want to make the most of it. I feel like I've got nothing to lose, so I've been playing with that freedom," he said.

"I've always just trusted my ability. I don't think I've ever had a real crack at showing my best because of all the setbacks I've had. I've never done a full pre-season before - this was my first pre-season of footy. This was the first time I've felt really good with my body. I think because of the VFL and the confidence I got from that has translated to here. I've treated it the same. I'm a confidence player and if I'm confident I'll play well."

Those close to Caminiti know how grateful he is for a chance he thought had eluded him. He knows Petroro played his role, as did both Silvagnis, although he hasn't been able to show his gratitude to Jack just yet.

"I think I've got to bloody thank Jack. Whenever I see him, I'll definitely be sure to say thanks to him. He is probably the reason I'm on an AFL list right now," he said.

Caminiti will continue chipping away at his degree. He passed the Linear Algebra exam he sat on Labour Day by just one per cent, much to his relief. But unfortunately for his uncle, the young man they call 'Hammer' won't be pouring glasses of Malbec at the Charcoal Grill on the Hill any time soon.

Anthony Caminiti features in the first drop of Mint Moments, digital collectibles from AFL Mint highlighting epic moments from the 2023 Toyota AFL Premiership Season