IN AMONG everything that has made Dyson Sharp's junior career one of the most accomplished within this year's draft crop, perhaps his standout attribute has been his ability to turn his most glaring deficiency into his biggest strength.

At the end of each season since Sharp's under-16s campaign, where he emerged as one of the most talented players at that season's national carnival on the Gold Coast, his state program at South Australia has asked him to improve upon something.

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But, as the victorious South Australian coach Tony Bamford will tell you: "Every year, he's always done it. He's always ticked that box 12 months later. Everything we ask him to do, he just says, 'OK, I'll add that to my game, that's no problem at all'."

Last season, when Sharp was 17 and stamping his name as 'one to watch' going into his draft year, he was a dominating inside bull. But the game was going in a different direction. To make it in the AFL, he would need to make it on the outside. So Bamford made another request.

"For us, we knew he would do what he did around stoppage and contest, but we were hoping he would kick goals and get more uncontested ball in transition," the South Australian coach told AFL.com.au.

The result was exactly what most AFL recruiters, and South Australia's talent program, has come to expect from Sharp.

"He did both of those things we asked of him," Bamford said. "He's had a huge year."

That huge year has catapulted Sharp into top-10 contention at the draft. One of the best pure midfielders available in the open pool, he has won huge fans in the recruiting ranks from across the competition and is a guaranteed first night prospect.

While still winning plenty of contested ball and maintaining his elite clearance numbers, Sharp's endless thirst to improve has also seen him take South Australia's feedback on board and become one of the draft's best transition runners and one of its most dangerous forward-half onballers.

"It was probably a little bit more mental," Sharp told AFL.com.au.

"I'd always been recognised as an inside midfielder that could get the job done in a contested environment. But there'd always been doubts on my outside game. This year, with my high speed and power ability, to get myself on the outside was a major focus.

"It was about being able to mentally know that when I'm on the field, I've got to give it my all and keep running on the outside. Don't stop. That's what really raised my GPS numbers. My metres per minute, my top speed, my sprint efforts … all of that type of stuff.

"To get to the outside, that was a big difference for me this year. Just the mental side of it. When I'm on the bench, that's my recovery time. When I get back out there, I leave it all out there. Whether that's the first or the last quarter."

The result was a carnival with South Australia where Sharp joined the likes of Christian Petracca, Sam Walsh, Will Ashcroft, Tom Hawkins, Marc Murphy and Lachie Whitfield in claiming the Larke Medal for the best player in the national championships.

His numbers tell the story. Sharp had 20 disposals and six clearances against the Allies, 32 disposals and two goals against Vic Metro, 33 disposals and two goals against Western Australia, then 23 disposals and a goal against Vic Country.

"You want to have a good champs, everyone does," Sharp said.

"It was just important that during that champs campaign, I wasn't focusing on myself. I was focusing on the team and the team's success. When I'm worried about how the team is going, I just naturally play better anyway. Rather than me trying to go out there and be the best.

"When my name was called out for the Larke Medal, you're going against some real high-end talent like Cooper Duff-Tytler, Willem Duursma, Dan Annable, those type of guys. So to be highlighted as the best player in the champs was really surreal. I'm so, so grateful for all of the opportunities that I've had."

Sharp's remarkable form coincided with a carnival where he captained South Australia to its first national title in seven years. His and the team's motto heading into the tournament – 'you plus me equals we' – reflected his attitude to leadership.

"I just wanted to be someone that was a good, welcoming character," Sharp said.

"I'm someone that likes to build connection within a group, with my teammates and stuff like that. Coming into it, I already had pretty good connections with blokes from previous years, playing state stuff with them.

"But making sure I was having conversations with guys and building that trust within the group, I felt like if you can step onto the field with the 22 you're playing with – also knowing that the other boys in the squad trust you and have your back through everything – and you'll wear your state's colours with pride.

"To have that trust within the group, that's what I wanted to bring out of everyone. That's kind of the path that I was trying to lead as the captain. The leaders were so good in buying into that, and so were the players and the staff. They all bought into that one motto really, really well. That's the reason we were so successful."

Sharp also maintained his form at senior SANFL level with Central District. Having broken through for his League debut as a bottom-ager last season, he played nine more games with the Bulldogs this year and averaged 14.3 disposals, 3.1 clearances and 3.3 tackles per game.

Such form has put him on the cusp of realising his AFL dream, with the likes of Essendon (picks No.5 and 6 at the draft), Melbourne (No.7 and 8) and Hawthorn (pick No.10) all likely to seriously consider Sharp with their early selections.

"Everyone's dream is to go as high as you can," Sharp said.

"You set yourself up in the year and you try to play the best footy to go as high as you can. At the end of the day, where you go and what club you go to and with what pick, it doesn't really matter. Whether you're pick No.1 or pick No.50, if you go to a club you're all at the same level. You're not treated any differently.

"For me, yeah you're trying to get as high as I can. But it wasn't a major focus. I just had the major focus of staying fit, staying healthy and just letting everything pan out how it was supposed to. Even now, with the footy season done, I still don't really think too much ahead.

"I just think wherever my name gets called out, if it gets called out, so be it. Wherever I go, I'm just going to rock up at the doorstep, crack in and try to build into whatever culture may be building and try to put my best foot forward and make a good impression."