Enthusiasm is common amongst all draftees, but it's something Western Bulldogs top pick Marcus Bontempelli is hoping to manage as he takes a level-headed approach to his debut year at the kennel.
As a tall midfielder , Bontempelli acknowledges there are physical gains to be made before he can have the greatest impact against mature bodied opponents in the AFL, but the teenager still has a number of personal objectives he hopes to achieve.
"I guess there's personal ambitions but it's probably a bit early even for that ... managing expectations is important for now," Bontempelli told the Back Page Lead.
The 18-year-old believes he's settled well into the routine of an AFL player, embracing the multi-faceted nature to full time training.
"I think I've caught on pretty quickly, they cater for a lot of different learning styles which is really good,” he said.
“We've done some physical stuff, some video review stuff, and the drills themselves incorporate the game plan, so it's pretty good."
Having spent the past two days at the AFL Players Association Induction Camp alongside the league's other first year players, Bontempelli is also learning to look long term in his career.
The camp acts as the initial instalment to teach and support young AFL players in preparing for their future both on and off the field.
"There's a direction to go through when you finish up footy,” he said, “…the average lifespan [of an AFL player] is only six years."
"[We've learnt] things to do to save money, and to start getting together our education side of things."