OSCAR McDonald believes he has done everything possible to have his name called at next month's AFL draft.
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The Edenhope teenager completed a battery of skill, athletic and fitness tests at the four-day AFL national draft combine in Melbourne last week.
McDonald was also interviewed by several AFL clubs at the combine.
He was confident he had boosted his chances of being selected in either the national draft on November 27 or the rookie draft on December 3.
"It definitely helped my chances a lot," he said.
"Being at the combine increases your exposure to all of the clubs.
"They already know what you've done, but the combine gives them a chance to see you in person and the interviews give you a chance to show yourself as a person as well as a player."
McDonald performed well in the 20-metre sprint and three-kilometre time trial.
He said several weeks of training for the 20-metre sprint had paid off.
McDonald posted a personal best time of 3.01 seconds in the sprint, wiping nearly 0.1 of a second off his previous best.
He also matched his best-ever result with a time of 10.30 in the three-kilometre time trial.
McDonald said he was well-prepared for the tests at the combine but did not realise how much down time he would have.
With about 100 players being tested, McDonald often had to wait an hour or more between events.
He said the disruption made it harder to stay focused and produce his best results.
"It wasn't relaxing down time, because you kept thinking about what you need to do for the next test or things you could have done better on the last one," he said.
"Sometimes if one test is postponed, you end up warming up three or four times for the same one."
McDonald said he was initially nervous about interviews with AFL clubs, but believed he had spoken well.
He said the clubs did not give him or most of the other combine invitees any indication if they might be picked in the draft.
McDonald said he would rest for a few weeks and train lightly, before starting pre-season training with the VFL's North Ballarat Roosters in November.
He said the training would give him a solid fitness base to build on if he was drafted.
