It was November 16, 2009. I had recently turned 18, was just one year out of school, had only been to Melbourne once before and didn’t know anyone living there.

I had just been drafted to one of the biggest AFL clubs in the competition and was feeling mixed emotions both the moment and days after.

Having only three days from the Draft on Thursday to flying out for Melbourne on Saturday didn’t provide me with a lot of time to prepare or the enormity of my move to sink in.

Moving out of home and to the other side of the country was one of the hardest but still to this day most rewarding opportunities I've had in my life.

Fortunately for me, since my first year at Essendon (2010) there has been an abundance of Western Australian players on the club’s list that has allowed me to feel more at home.

There are moments when homesickness becomes an issue but having the support of the club and particularly those boys who have come from interstate the feeling does not last long.

I am currently living with David Myers and Nick Kommer, two Western Australian’s who both had different introductions to the AFL system, this allows us to be able to share the journey of an AFL career together.