New Richmond rookie Adam Marcon says persistence and a constant desire to get better is why he's finally landed on an AFL list after five years of being overlooked.
The 23-year-old Williamstown midfielder was first eligible for the AFL, Pre-season and Rookie Drafts in 2010, but missed out after playing for the Northern Knights in the TAC Cup.
He said it had been hard to deal with being rejected multiple times by the AFL pool, but he had simply tried to stay hungry as he embarked on a VFL career.
"There definitely has been some ups and downs," Marcon told SEN on Sunday.
"I guess the one thing I always kept in the back of my mind was to just make sure I was continually improving and learning.
"I never wanted to stagnate or just stay at the same level I'd been playing at.
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"Luckily enough, I always had the drive to keep getting better and hopefully that's something that holds me in good stead at Richmond as well.
"Six drafts later, I've finally got my crack. It's been a few watched drafts with nothing happening, so it was nice to finally get a result."
Marcon played for the Northern Blues from 2011-13, and has been with the Seagulls for the past two seasons.
He said Williamstown coach Andrew Collins helped develop his game defensively and encouraged him to bring more teammates into the play, which increased his chances of finally earning an AFL gig.
He hasn't let life pass him by while waiting for this opportunity, having started at Keilor's Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School as a PE and health teacher this year.
He was at work on Friday morning when the draft was held, and was watching it live in the office with a few of his colleagues when his name was called at No.47.
"Funnily enough, they're Richmond supporters so there was a few screams and shouts when the name came out," he said.
"It was a crazy day, that's for sure.
"I'm very lucky they're very understanding and also aware it could have ended up like this.
"The school have been extremely supportive and they've really looked after me."
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Marcon met briefly with Richmond coach Damien Hardwick on Friday afternoon and will be given more of an understanding of the club's expectations of him next week.
For now, he just wants to emulate what his former Northern Blues and Seagulls teammate Kane Lambert achieved in his first year as a Tiger – 13 AFL games after being picked up as a rookie 12 months ago.
"It's something I've always had my eye on – to be part of that 24/7 environment," he said.
"I'm aware that the hard work starts now and everything is in the past and I'm starting afresh.
"I'm looking forward to getting down to work and improving a lot and being a really integral part of Richmond."
