DELISTED Carlton midfielder Kane Lucas has turned to former teammate and close mate Heath Scotland in a bid to resurrect his AFL career.
After five injury-interrupted years that netted him only 42 games, Lucas is determined to earn a second chance at the elite level.
When AFL.com.au caught up with Lucas this week, he said he would seek Scotland's advice about how best to re-enter the AFL system.
"He was much the same as me early in his career," Lucas said, citing Scotland's departure from Collingwood.
"I still talk to him quite regularly, I plan on catching up with him.
"(We'll talk about) how to take on the next few weeks. You get a bit nervous and anxious, so (I'll ask) how to deal with that, and how I can advertise myself as a player."
When a fresh-faced Lucas arrived at Carlton at the end of 2009, it was Scotland who captivated him most and the veteran defender took the draftee under his wing.
"I owe a lot to 'Scotto' for looking after me and teaching me a lot. I'd say he was one of the biggest influences on me at Carlton," Lucas said.
Scotland won Carlton’s best and fairest award in 2012 as a damaging playmaker across half-back, and ended his career mid-season in 2014 after 268 games, 53 of them with Collingwood.
Lucas is hoping to follow in Scotland's footsteps.
The 23-year-old, recruited from East Fremantle, is a speedy midfielder who can use the ball well and retains the dash of his draft year, when he was selected with the No.12 pick by the Blues.
Lucas was in Bali when he was notified of his axing by football operations boss Andrew McKay.
"Not much helps when someone tells you bad news like that, but he (McKay) said I was the stiffest bloke on the list, and he was sure I'd get another opportunity elsewhere," he said.
Lucas initially found it tough to come to terms with his delisting.
"It hit me pretty hard for the first six or seven hours. After that, I just wanted to move on to the next chapter," he said.
"I didn't tell my parents for about three or four hours. I just tried to deal with it myself and take it all in."
Lucas knew it was going to be difficult to maintain his spot at Carlton, especially after Dale Thomas, Andrejs Everitt and Sam Docherty joined the club.
"Perhaps I got put in the background a little bit, or they got opportunities I was getting the year before," he said.
In Mick Malthouse's first year, Lucas played 17 games and thought "he was on the right track".
He featured in five of the Blues' first seven games this year before being dropped after the round seven loss to Collingwood.
Kane Lucas and Mick Malthouse celebrate a win in round six. Lucas was dropped after round seven
"I played some pretty good footy in the VFL but I was battling to put my name up and make an impact," he said.
Lucas was recalled for the last two rounds, but by that stage it was "too little, too late" to leave his mark.
"I felt I hadn't achieved what I wanted to achieve," he said.
"It was an unfulfilling feeling for me because I felt I had a lot more to offer."
Lucas is working hard in the off-season to fine-tune his kicking technique.
With the delisted free agency window opening on Saturday, Lucas's manager Paul Connors said a few clubs had enquired about his client.
"I'm just hungry for another opportunity. I'm not too fussed where it is," Lucas said.
