IT'S JANUARY and Marcus Bontempelli and his family are on holidays in Rye on Victoria's Mornington Penninsula.
The 17-year-old has just finished his pre-Christmas training with TAC Cup team the Northern Knights and has earned a well-deserved break.
But a break is the furthest thing from Bontempelli's mind.
Bontempelli pulls up Google Maps and keys in the details in search of directions to the local oval. Once there, he begins by laying out drink bottles in an orderly fashion – using them as markers in mapping out his running course.
Taking inspiration from knowing not many others are putting in the same hard yards, he turns on the GPS function on his watch and gets to work.
"That's where my motivation arrived, I guess," Bontempelli told AFL.com.au, 10 months down the track at the NAB AFL Draft Combine last week.
"And I was just focused on trying to get that competitive edge."
In fact, Bontempelli had systematically mapped out season 2013 before it had begun.
At the end of 2012, he had spoken with Knights coach Marco Bello of his desire to be a permanent fixture through the midfield in the upcoming season.
"It was more my pushing. I saw myself playing a midfield role," Bontempelli said.
"As a top-age player I thought I'd stand up and say, 'Listen, I think I can play at this level, give me the opportunity'."
Impressing through the middle in early TAC Cup games, Bontempelli returned to a half-back/wing position for Vic Metro in the NAB AFL Under-18 National Championships.
"I definitely think it was a big learning curve for me," he said.
"After my first game which was pretty average, I thought I really improved from that point, and I learned a lot in that game of the intensity and speed required to play at the national level."
Returning to the TAC Cup after the Championships, and with a primary midfield focus, Bontempelli sizzled.
His run and carry was damaging, his inside grunt work was much improved, his raking left foot was a weapon and he hit the scoreboard too.
Recruiters pushed him up their draft boards and opposition teams started to put more work into him.
The attention was something he found difficult to contend with. As such, he decided to speak with someone who knows all about what it takes to break a tag – his cousin and St Kilda star Nick Dal Santo.
"I found I needed a little bit of advice and Nick was the first person I called," he said. "The fact that I could call and speak to him so easily was something I really valued."
Bontempelli considers Dal Santo an important resource and has no doubt he will refer to his cousin's experiences as his football journey progresses.
At 192cm, Bontempelli offers a point of difference in this year's draft class.
He can play as a tall midfielder and use his range to shark clearances; push to half-back where he kick starts his team's attacks or even take advantage of his height as a key forward.
One club recruiter told AFL.com.au Bontempelli could wind up being selected inside the top 10 in this year's Draft.
Clubs lined up to interview him during the Combine and his testing was solid.
An elite level 14.7 beep test result was just reward for the work he put in over January when no one was watching.
Like so many others, Bontempelli's football future will begin to be mapped out when draft day arrives on November 21.
With eight interstate clubs in the competition, Melbourne-based Bontempelli may find himself drafted outside of Victoria.
He may again need to rely on Google Maps to find his way around unfamiliar surrounds.
