THERE are many who envisaged Jarrod Brander would be a dominant forward at 24 years of age. They just expected it to be at the MCG, rather than George Gordon Oval in Mildura.

But the first-round draft pick from 2017 is at peace with how his football journey has panned out. And away from the pressures and pitfalls of the AFL, he is falling in love with the game again.

Kicking goals helps, of course. In Brander's case, there have been plenty of them: 33 in six games this season to be exact, including a haul of 13 for the Wentworth Kangaroos in the Sunraysia Football League.

It's a fair way from the bright lights of the big time, though, for a player who was tipped to have a huge ceiling in the game.

That was certainly the view of West Coast, who felt they'd stolen one at pick No.13 in 2017, selecting him ahead of Oscar Allen and Liam Ryan in the same draft.

Not to mention Tim Kelly, who they would spend big on to bring back to WA years later.

Brander's stint at didn't work out at West Coast, clearly.

Nor did it at the Giants, despite Brander winning the club's VFL best and fairest award in his only season in Sydney.

There are plenty, though, who think the Eagles in their current predicament, or several AFL clubs for that matter, could use the Bendigo Pioneers product now.

Former Hawk and Swan Ben McGlynn, who is Wentworth's director of coaching, is chief among them.

"Definitely. I think every club should have a look. There are not many blokes that size that can get up and down the ground," he said.

But while Brander isn't opposed to another crack at the AFL, that's far from a priority right now.

His focus is squarely on life back home in Mildura, and as the skipper at Wentworth, where footy has "absolutely" become fun again.

"I think getting back to playing local footy, it's a lot of pressure taken off what you do, I'm really enjoying myself," Brander told AFL.com.au.

"The standard of footy is still quite good. Personally, I've been kicking a few goals. It's been good fun.

"The community around here really love their footy, and that gets me up and about as well. I've found a bit of flair, which I haven't done for a while, so I'm playing with freedom. Being captain of the team as well is really exciting," he said.

While assessments from the outside are not always accurate, there was a fair bit of bemusement among Eagles fans when Brander was let go at the end of 2021.

He played the last 11 games of that season, averaging 15 possessions and five marks a game over that stretch.

On a list that needed replenishing, Brander looked like a project worth persisting with.

The Eagles felt differently and when the opportunities at the Giants dried up, West Coast's call seemed accurate.

But neither club seemed confident on where best to play him, constantly shifting him between the third tall forward spot and the wing.

The standard at Wentworth may pale in comparison of course, but based on his stunning output there, Brander is adamant that his best position is inside attacking 50.

And while he harbours no grudges over his time in the AFL, if he could change one aspect of his stint in the big time, it would be to persist down that path.

"I think what I'm doing now, playing key forward, I think I would just stick to doing that," he said.

"I changed my role just to try and get a game, but I think if from the start I said, 'I want to just play key forward,' even if I was playing reserves just to build that reputation, I think that's how I would do it.

"When I was at West Coast, I got drafted as a key-position player, but there was Jack Darling, Josh Kennedy and then Oscar Allen probably overtook me and then I tried to change my role a little bit. I played some decent footy in different roles, but being my size, there's probably better wingmen around."

The story was similar at GWS, despite Eagles coach Adam Simpson contacting Leon Cameron to help foster the move.

But considering the Eagles' current plight and the early pick used on Brander, the confusion as to why it didn't work out still lingers as a West Coast talking point.

For the player involved though, the scars don't seem severe.

"I played some good games, but it just didn't fall my way in the end," he said.

"There's been talk that, 'Oh yeah, they're not going so well because Brander wasn't a good pick.' But I don't blame myself for not making it work, those things happen.

"I don't hold any sort of grudges. I don't sit here and think, 'Oh they should've kept me around.' It just didn't work out for me."

"I'm not the first bloke not to spend 15 years in the AFL."

As clubs broaden their horizons for talent, and Brander keeps on kicking big bags of goals, that AFL door may just open again.

"Honestly, I don't think about it at all," he said.

"I'm not really chasing it at the moment, but if I had a good season or two and someone was interested then I wouldn't say no, but that's not why I'm playing footy.

"I'm playing footy to enjoy it. I've been delisted twice. Your head space gets mucked around a bit.

"I'm happy just playing footy, still holding myself to a high standard, being the best player I can be here, and I think I'm doing that well at the moment."

For McGlynn, who played 171 games at Hawthorn and Sydney and has been watching Brander first-hand, interest from AFL clubs should be a no-brainer.

"I think every club should have a look. Given those traits that he's got, he's definitely a natural forward. He's got a great contested mark, his ground level stuff is impressive for his size and he kicks goals from pretty much anywhere," he said.

"He's definitely capable of coming back in and playing five or six years.

"I would encourage him not to give up hope, but I do see that he is happy now and he's got a great job and the pressure of footy is not hanging over his head but if someone came knocking, I would encourage him to look at his options."

If that doesn't happen though, there'll be no hard feelings.

There is a clear element of calm surrounding Brander to go with a healthy dose of perspective on the rigours of life in the AFL.

And there's also the matter of a premiership at Wentworth to focus on for the fourth-placed, 4-2 'Roos.

"I've got a good opportunity here with my work, with good people around," Brander said.

"I definitely loved my time in the AFL but it's not the be all and end all of life and you've got to move on and do what makes you happy and I'm definitely doing that at the moment."