But for the players whose names don’t get read out on draft night, it can be a difficult transition to the next step of their football journey.

Horsham’s Matt Lloyd, Saints’ Brayden Helyar and Warrack Eagles’ Charlie Wilson all featured for the Greater Western Victoria Rebels this season but missed out on being drafted to an AFL club.

For them, the transition has begun.

Wilson and Helyar have both attended trial sessions with Geelong in the VFL with hopes of being offered a contract for next year.

Wilson – who led the goalkicking for the Rebels this season in the TAC Cup and won the sides best and fairest – said he’s still as determined as ever to make an AFL list.

“[Draft night] was a bit disappointing, absolutely, but you’ve just got to move forward now,” he said.

“There’s other ways to get there – I’m still pretty hopeful, it’s just a longer process now.”

Wilson has attended one training session so far while Helyar has attended several over the last two weeks.

Wilson is able to stay with his sister who is studying in Geelong, and is hoping to find work in a trade next year if offered a contract with the VFL side. Helyar would also make the move to Geelong and pursue his own studies if given a contract.

“It was great down there, all the coaches were good and everything,” Wilson said.

“It was good to train and just be a part of that elite system.”

Matt Lloyd meanwhile has been approved by the AFL to play with the Greater Western Victoria Rebels again next season as a 19-year-old. 

After a difficult year with injury, Matt follows in the footsteps of his brother Jake who played as a 19-year-old with the Rebels before being picked up by the Sydney Swans in the AFL rookie draft in 2013.

The program will also allow Lloyd to complete his year 12 studies next year without changing schools.

Greater Western Rebels talent manager Phil Partington said the circumstances made giving Lloyd another chance with the Rebels an easy decision. 

“This will help him continue to develop,” Partington said. “He’s been affected severely with injury – He had a broken ankle at the start of the year and he struggled to get to full fitness this season.

“That rule is there for boys that have been injured or disadvantaged so it works really well for Matt.”