WHEN THE highly-touted Tom Boyd went down with an ankle injury in June, it signalled a golden opportunity for ruckman teammate Michael Apeness.

 

While Apeness was disappointed his mate and talented fellow Eastern Ranges forward would be sidelined for three months with the injury, he knew he suddenly had a chance to step out of the shadows.

 

Apeness, a physical ruckman/forward who spent a year playing rugby union and even made it to the Melbourne Rebels development squad, began pinch-hitting in the ruck and playing in attack on a more consistent basis.

 

It helped him realise he had more strings to his bow than just bashing and crashing, which gave him confidence on the road to Thursday night's NAB AFL Draft.

 

"Tom's an awesome player and he's a good friend so it was a bit sad to see him go down," Apeness told AFL.com.au.

 

"But that happens and I suppose it's been beneficial for me because I've been able to play more forward and that's helped my chances.

 

"I think playing in the championships helped my confidence heaps, going back to TAC Cup, it really helped playing against the best under-18s in Australia."

 

Still, Apeness was happy to see Boyd return for the TAC Cup Grand Final, where the expected No.1 pick booted four goals on the way to the Ranges' premiership win over the Dandenong Stingrays.

 

The win was a memorable occasion for Apeness, who could be drafted inside the top 30 on Thursday night.

 

It would cap an interesting few years for the West Australian, who moved to Melbourne at age seven after his mother, Katherine, took a job at the productivity commission as an economist.

 

He's done it tough at times, forced to rehabilitate a reconstructed knee that was injured when he jammed the studs of his rugby boots in the ground and twisted his leg in the middle of 2011.

 

The injury happened after he'd left the Ranges as an under-15s player in search of a new challenge and found himself playing rugby union as a lock for Box Hill.

 

He'd liked the look of the game on television and knew his competitive nature and physicality would suit Rugby's hard-tackling nature.

 

He then made the under-16 state team, such was his promise in the code he'd only just picked up, before he did his knee.

 

Despite his reconstruction, performed in the traditional way with a hamstring graft, he was offered a spot with the Rebels' development squad, spending his recovery within the club's professional environment.

 

"It was really shattering but I learned many things from it about hard work and putting your mind to something and training really hard," he said.

 

"I was new to the game so I didn't really know what to expect but it was exciting as well [to join the Rebels]."

 

However, he missed Australian Rules – the game he'd played since before his family moved across the country.

 

He called Ranges' region manager Anthony Parkin and said he wanted to come back.

 

The rest, as they say, is history. Apeness became a key cog in the Ranges' side this year after playing his first game back from the injury in round one.

 

He kicked goals – 23 in 14 games - and stood out as one of the dominant ruckmen in the 2013 draft pool.

 

Looking back now, he regrets the brief stint he had away from football and wonders what it could have cost him.

 

But he knows it made him a stronger player, one aware of what he can overcome when challenged, and hopes that helps him on Thursday night.

 

"Back in under-15s I wasn't enjoying footy. I was a bit immature and I always liked physical contact sports so I thought I'd give rugby union a shot and really enjoyed it," he said.

 

"But then it turned out I loved footy more.

 

"I can't believe I made the move but there are a couple of benefits. It helped with my tackling and aggression around the field.

 

"But I do regret it … I probably would have had a better opportunity to get picked if I was playing footy throughout juniors.

 

"Playing rugby was the reason I did my knee but you've just got to look forward."

 

Twitter: @AFL_JenPhelan