After being overlooked twice in the national draft, Jye Menzie thought his childhood dream was over.

A lifeline from the Essendon Football Club in the form of a mid-season selection finally saw his dream of playing AFL football come to fruition.

The road to selection was not easy, however.

Representing his home state Tasmania as a junior, Menzie made the move to South Australia to find new direction and pave a fresh path towards AFL.

“I was overlooked in two national drafts, my draft year and then the year after. I made the decision to move to South Australia to pursue footy further,” Menzie said.

“I’d had a few conversations, and the general opinion was the SANFL was the next step down from the AFL, so that’s why I decided to move across and join South Adelaide.”

Eager to impress, Menzie took his opportunity and made his impact felt, kicking 20 goals in just eight games for the Panthers.

This quickly caught the eye of Essendon’s recruiting team.

With his last chance at making an AFL list hanging in the balance, a nervous Menzie had just finished football training when he got the important phone call.

“I was so relieved come mid-season draft when my name was read out,” Menzie said.

“To then be able to go on and play a few games was the cherry on top for the year, I was stoked to sign on for another season.”

The small forward has made some huge sacrifices to achieve his dream of becoming an AFL footballer.

“I’ve lived in three different states in six months,” Menzie said.

“When I was drafted to Essendon, the transition was easy off the field, because I was already used to living away from home.”

Teammate, housemate and Dons vice captain Andrew McGrath has already made a positive impact on young Menzie, leading him on and off the field.

“Andy has been great, he took me under his wing when I first came in and I’ve been there ever since,” Menzie said.

“He’s great around and away from the club as well.”

Menzie has also singled out assistant coaches Daniel Giansiracusa and Ben Jacobs as vital mentors in his pre-season, both helping to perfect his ground ball craft.

“I’ve been working closely with 'Gia' and Ben Jacobs, they’ve both been really great for my development,” Menzie said.

With his first full pre-season in the works, Menzie is primed for a strong start ahead of round one.

“I’m just trying to get the most out of myself and get in the best shape I can during pre-season,” Menzie said.

“This is a lot tougher than the pre-seasons I’ve done in the past, all I want is to get a full pre-season under my belt and then see how far I can push myself.”

A standout at training during match simulation, Menzie is clearly comfortable in front of goals.

A dynamic pressure forward, Menzie uses his speed and agility to regularly impact the contest.

“I feel like I could bring a lot to the team in the small forward aspect. It’s something Brad loves, that chase, so if I can do that then I’ll be putting myself in a good stead.”