Every player has their own draft story, their own recollection of where they were the moment they became an AFL footballer.  

From the conservative – Marcus Adams spent the night on the couch with his family - to the unusual - Bailey Williams was at a friend’s house watching an episode of Home and Away.

In Luke Goetz, picked up at selection 29 in the Rookie Draft, we now have the most impressive.  He was volunteering at a kindergarten.  In Cambodia.

“At the time I was helping them with finger painting and I got the phone call from Mum.”

It’s been quite a year for the 202cm ruckmen.  He started the season as a member of the Altona Vikings in the Western Region Football League, before being snapped up by the Western Jets half way through the season.

“I broke into their squad within two weeks because I’d impressed them at training and then, surprisingly got a call from the Bulldogs who wanted me to do some testing.

“I did well in that, and now I’m here.  So, everything has moved pretty quickly for me.”

Goetz’s exceptional athleticism, quickness and endurance has seen him draw some comparison from pundits, but the 18 year-old thinks he’s got a way to go before he is deserving of that.

“I probably wouldn’t be up there with skills (just yet), but it would be more my athleticism and my running capacity.  But still, it’s a bit of an honour to hear that.”

He arrived at the Club a bit later than his fellow draftees due to being in South East Asia, but it’s slowly starting to sink in that he’s on an AFL list.

“When I first found out I just kept treating my life as normal but [now] I wake up every morning like, wow, I’m actually living the dream I’ve had since I was a little kid.”