At the end of last season, Josh Green feared his time in the game was done.
He'd played 81 games for Brisbane and even picked up a couple of leading goal kicker awards along the way.
But he knew his time at the Club was over and so began weeks of uncertainty.
“It was really hard, it wasn’t a great time,” Green told Bomber Radio.
“I wanted a fresh start and Brisbane was great with that – they said ‘we’ll put you up for trade’.
“But nothing eventuated so I thought this might be it, I might be done.”
When all seemed lost, Essendon threw Green a lifeline.
“I had a look through the Club and I was just thoroughly impressed with the whole set up,” he said.
“I just knew then I wanted to be here.
“I just said to the manager ‘let’s get something done, it doesn’t matter about money, I just want to come here.”
While talk of big contracts and long-term deals are commonplace in AFL circles, for Green it was just about getting an opportunity.
“You can get caught up in the money and the years, but I’ve got to the point in my career where it’s about success now,” he said.
“It’s not about money or trying to set myself up, it’s about wanting to leave as an Essendon premiership player.
“That’s all I want to do and if that means I’m on one year contracts for the rest of my career, I’ll do that.
“Essendon were great, they handed me an opportunity and ever since then I’ve just put my head down and worked hard.
“I’ll always be thankful to this Club for giving me this opportunity.
“Each week I’m just trying to do my best for the team and I’ll continue to do that.”
Green’s first pre-season as an Essendon player was interrupted by a lingering foot problem, but he did enough to earn selection in round one and has gone on to boot 12 goals in his nine games this season.
The 24 year old said he’s enjoying life under new Coach John Worsfold.
“He understands what type of player I am and just let’s me go out and play and just simplifies the game for me," Green said.
“He’s just really measured with his approach to footy, he doesn’t get too high after a win or too low after a loss.
“He just gets back to what we need to do to get better … he doesn’t complicate things.
“He wants to get the best out of this team and I think he’s the right man for the job.
“Skippy [Performance Coach Hayden Skipworth] has been really good as well, just backing me in every week and teaching me the little things that can help my game.
“I’ve just really enjoyed playing for Essendon, it’s just such a great Club with a great history and hopefully I’ve got five or six more years here.”
