APPROACHING Christmas last year, Mark Austin feared his AFL career was over.

After just 15 games in five seasons with Carlton - including just one appearance in his final two injury-plagued years at Visy Park - Austin was delisted by the Blues.

After showing great promise as a key defender - he made his debut as an 18-year-old in 2007 - Austin was shattered to suddenly find himself on the AFL scrapheap.

"All of a sudden AFL footy was taken away from me, and it was really hard to take," Austin told AFL.com.au on the eve of the Bulldogs' big clash with Geelong.

"I was pretty down for a while. I was never certain I was going to be re-drafted. It could have been all over for me right there and then."

Although Austin was desperate to resurrect his AFL career, he still hedged his bets. He started preparing for "the worst-case scenario" - life after football - and completed short courses in business and personal training. (He still doesn’t know what he will pursue when his career ultimately ends, but hopes he won’t have to worry about it for a while.)

Austin suspects Western Bulldogs assistant coach Brett Montgomery - an assistant at Carlton from 2008-10 - might have put in "a few good words" to initially get him in the door at Whitten Oval.

Austin was granted permission to do pre-season training with the Dogs, but the club didn’t offer him any guarantees. With other clubs showing little interest, it appeared a case of Bulldogs-or-bust.

Austin was training at Whitten Oval when he was told the good news: that he was officially a Bulldog. He was selected with pick No.76 - the Dogs' final selection - in the AFL Rookie Draft. (Just eight players were picked up after him.)

It was the best Christmas present he could have wished for, but Austin knew only too well that the hard work had just begun.

Again, there were no guarantees. Such is the lot of rookies, whose careers, to some extent, depend on external factors and timing. They need to be ready when an opportunity arises, and Austin was.

During the NAB Cup, the Dogs' injury-prone defender Tom Williams went down with another shoulder problem that required a reconstruction. Williams was placed on the long-term injury list and replaced by Austin.

Three days later, with key backman Lukas Markovic also sidelined, Austin played his first game for his new club - in the round four clash with Melbourne at the MCG.

His VFL form with Williamstown had been solid - nothing startling; just good, hard, honest percentage footy - and, crucially, he was finally injury-free.

Austin's direct opponent for much of the Melbourne game was one of his old schoolmates, James Sellar, the former Adelaide ruckman who was also forging a career at a new club. They both laughed about it afterwards, but Austin took the honours, as did the Bulldogs for their first win of the season.

Austin has remained in the Dogs' back six ever since. He says it took him a while to re-adjust to the tempo, but is feeling increasingly confident in his role.

A standout performance was his effort to restrict North Melbourne forward Aaron Edwards to just 11 touches and one goal in the Dogs' round seven win at Etihad Stadium.

"There's always something positive to come out of hardship," he said.

"I was so grateful to get a second chance with the Bulldogs, and finally a bit of luck has come my way for a change.

"If you told me after the rookie draft that I'd play six of the first nine games, I probably would've laughed at you. Footy's a funny game like that.

"I'm just so keen to take this opportunity with both hands and hopefully never look back."

Austin understands the challenge he faces to retain his spot as Markovic, Williams and Dale Morris eventually become available, but he also regards it as a great opportunity.

"With so many good players to come back, all you can do is try to play your role well enough to make it a headache for the selectors," he said.

Speaking of headaches, Austin is thankful his change of clubs didn’t necessitate a house move. He still lives in Ascot Vale with former Carlton teammate Bryce Gibbs.

The Dogs and Blues will clash at Etihad Stadium in round 17.

"I'd love to play that game," Austin said. "'Gibbsy' and I could probably drive to the game together!"

However, he quickly added: "But I can’t afford to get too far ahead of myself. Every game is important, especially when you've got a background like mine."