ONE OF the great things about Australian Football is that it's a game for anyone - any size, any age, any background - something reflected even at the highest level.

Not all players have come through elite junior programs, been handed a jumper by a club legend on draft night, or in some cases, even held a Sherrin until their late teenage years.

The latest example is new Swan Riley Bice, who helped win the game for Sydney against Fremantle on Sunday a little more than 12 months since he was playing local footy in Albury.

Our writers look at the current player who has arrived at your club via the road less travelled, and we celebrate the journey they have taken. 

Mark Keane 

After joining Collingwood as a Category B rookie in 2018, and then Adelaide during the pre-season supplemental selection period (SSP) in 2023, Keane scraped through in his early AFL years. The Irishman has broken out at the Crows, however, and is now contracted through to 2028, giving him the opportunity to be an overseas success story in the AFL. The 25-year-old played 21 games last season and is highly rated for his competitive spirit and ability in one-on-one contests, with the Magpies attempting to lure him back to the club last year. The Crows have no injuries in 2025, but it is Keane lining up as a key defender alongside Nick Murray, showing he is well established in their best team. – Nathan Schmook 

Dayne Zorko

It's easy to forget how far back Zorko came before going on to be a star of the competition. Despite captaining Queensland in the national under-18 championships in 2007, Zorko was overlooked in four consecutive national drafts, and was even passed on by Gold Coast who had access to him under their initial list build concessions. After winning a fourth straight best and fairest for Broadbeach in the AFLQ, the Suns finally acquired him simply to trade him to Brisbane. Since then, the 'Magician' has won five Merrett-Murray medals, two All-Australian blazers and a premiership from his 279-game career, with who knows how much more to come. - Michael Whiting

Adam Saad

Saad went undrafted for two seasons before his scintillating form with VFL side Coburg eventually earned him an AFL opportunity. He's since become a 197-game player, an All-Australian, and one of the best small defenders in the competition. Having won Coburg's best and fairest as a 20-year-old, and earned a spot in the VFL Team of the Year, Saad was eventually taken by Gold Coast with pick No.25 in the 2015 Rookie Draft. Three exciting years with Gold Coast got him a move to Essendon, where he spent another three seasons before moving to Carlton. That's where Saad has played his best footy, earning All-Australian honours in 2022 and gaining plaudits for both his speed and run across half-back, but also his abilities as a reliable lockdown defender. – Riley Beveridge

Brody Mihocek

Hard to dethrone Mihocek for this tag, given the Tasmanian wasn't drafted until 24 after initially moving from Tasmania to play for Maribyrnong Park in the EDFL, before starring for Port Melbourne as a key defender in the VFL. Although his premiership teammate, Mason Cox, has a case for a very different reason. The Texan moved out here in 2014 and is still here more than a decade later with a premiership medal and 130 games next to his name. - Josh Gabelich

Sam Durham

For all its misses in the national draft over several years, the Bombers have uncovered a couple of gems via the AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft and the pre-season supplemental selection period (SSP). Essendon plucked Durham from Richmond's VFL side in mid-2021 and he has quickly developed into an important player across wing, midfield and forward roles. The following year, the Bombers picked up Nic Martin as an SSP signing and the 23-year-old has become a key cog in their side, also used across several positions, with his ability to hit the scoreboard – he kicked five goals on his AFL debut – an impressive part of his game. – Dejan Kalinic

Luke Ryan 

Overlooked at the draft, Ryan had to force his way onto an AFL list by winning the Fothergill-Round Medal as the VFL's most promising young player, with the Dockers pouncing on him as a 20-year-old with pick No.66 in 2016. Ryan quickly established himself as one of the Dockers' better ball-users and was an All-Australian and club champion in his fourth season. His story included an early club suspension for drinking alcohol after a match, but he rebounded to become a leader at the Dockers, setting standards without needing an official title. He earned a second All-Australian selection in 2024 and has played 157 games as a fine defender who can rebound or play as a tall backman whenever needed. – Nathan Schmook

Tom Stewart

Tom Stewart’s footballing CV is so stacked with accolades – including two Cats B&Fs, five All-Australian blazers and the 2022 premiership – that it's now hard to believe that he went undrafted for several seasons after his under-18 year with the Geelong Falcons. However, he was eventually plucked with pick No.40 from South Barwon at the end of 2016, where he was coached by Geelong legend Matthew Scarlett. Stewart made his debut as a 24-year-old in round one, 2017 and never looked back, playing 21 games in his first year and winning his first AA honour the following season. Fellow Cats Mark Blicavs (athletics), Shaun Mannagh (mature-aged VFL star) and Lawson Humphries (Swan Districts reserves) all found their way to the AFL via non-traditional pathways, too. – Michael Rogers

Sam Collins

Drafted as a mature-age player in 2015 and then delisted by Fremantle two years later, Collins has gone on to be one of the great recruitment stories in Gold Coast's short history. The rugged full-back played 14 games for the Dockers, but it was the Suns who saw the best in him, acquiring the then 24-year-old at the end of 2018 via the AFL's state league concessions package. Standing 194cm, Collins has proved to be one of the most difficult defenders in the AFL to take marks and kick goals against in his 114 games for the Suns. The two-time best and fairest winner is also a vice-captain and integral to the culture on and off the field. - Michael Whiting

Jack Buckley

Buckley started his AFL journey as part of the Sydney Academy program, but has wound up being quite the find for the club's crosstown rivals. The son of former North Melbourne player and chairman Ben, he quit the Swans aged 15 before being recruited as a forward by the Giants as a Category B rookie as a 20-year-old. Having been converted into a reliable lockdown defender, Buckley still only played 17 games across his first four years at the club before being struck down by an ACL injury. His return has been magnificent, though, with Buckley cementing his place as a reliable part of the club's defensive unit and playing 49 games across his last two seasons. Now, alongside teammate Sam Taylor, he is part of one of the best backlines in the competition. – Riley Beveridge

Luke Breust

Growing up in the small Riverina town of Temora in country NSW, Breust played rugby league and Australian Football as a junior before the Sherrin took hold in his teenage years. A premiership with Sydney's reserves team followed, before Hawthorn took a punt on the skinny teenager with pick No.47 in the 2009 rookie draft. He got his first chance in the AFL as a substitute, kicking two goals on debut against St Kilda in 2011. It's been a remarkable journey since for the man known as 'Punky'. Three premierships, two All-Australian jackets and 549 goals over 300 games only tell part of the story, with Breust now acting as a mentor for the club's younger small forwards. - Brandon Cohen

Bayley Fritsch

When Fritsch was kicking bags of goals for Coldstream in 2014, few would have guessed that he'd be rivalling Christian Petracca for the Norm Smith Medal just seven seasons later. After winning the Eastern Football Netball League's Div 3 and 4 rising star award, Fritsch joined the Casey Demons ahead of 2015, but back injuries ruined his next two seasons. He finally got fit in 2017, and booted 42 goals for the Scorpions, finishing second in the club's B&F and being named in the VFL Team of the Year. The Demons had seen enough, swooping with pick No.31 in the 2017 AFL Draft. Fritsch made an instant impact, playing 17 games as a genuine utility in 2018 before settling as a strong marking, athletic forward who would become a key cog in the Melbourne machine that marched to the 2021 flag. He finished with six goals in the GF, taking him to a career-high 59 for the season. New Demons Jack Henderson and Aidan Johnson, who won the 2024 VFL premiership with Werribee, can take plenty of inspiration from Fritsch's career trajectory. – Michael Rogers

Nick Larkey

It's been quite the journey for Larkey. He was recruited with pick No.73 in his draft year – and even that was higher than he thought he'd go – but has since become one of the competition's best key forwards. On his AFL debut, in his first year at the club, Larkey finished completely stat less – aside from his two clangers – but was backed in and has repaid North Melbourne's faith. He's since played 119 games, including a career best 71-goal campaign in 2023, where he earned All-Australian honours despite playing in a side that won just three games for the season. A reliable set shot and an ever-present target, Larkey has also committed his best years to the Kangas by signing a deal through until 2029 midway through his best ever season. – Riley Beveridge

Joe Richards

The best is hopefully ahead for Richards, but just making it to the AFL was one heck of a story. Rather than take the traditional State League path following his junior years, Richards played for Wangaratta, where he won three best and fairests, in the Ovens and Murray League. Collingwood took a punt on the 23-year-old with the 48th pick of the 2022 AFL Draft. The small forward then had to wait until his second season to play senior footy, kicking six goals from his nine appearances. Now 25, Richards looks set for a regular role in Ken Hinkley's forward line this season. - Michael Whiting

Tylar Young

The key back played football until he was 12, but his soccer aspirations then took hold, and he had a nine-year break from the game. A chat over a few beers at the local pub convinced Young to pull on the North Albury guernsey at 21, playing six games at the backend of 2019. His form was good enough to earn a contract with VFL side Frankston for 2020, but the season was ultimately cancelled due to COVID-19. He played with the Dolphins in 2021, then Richmond's VFL team in 2022. Young was elevated to the primary list as a 24-year-old rookie in 2023, playing on Buddy Franklin at the MCG just four years after picking up the footy again. Mykelti Lefau is another cross-sport success story, born in Auckland, signed as a development player with NRL club Melbourne Storm, before playing local footy at 19. He was signed to the Tigers five years later. – Sarah Black

Callum Wilkie

A 22-year-old accountant one day, an AFL player the next. Wilkie was crunching numbers in an Adelaide firm during the week and playing SANFL on weekends when the Saints came knocking. Six years later, and Wilkie hasn't missed a beat – or a game. An All-Australian defender in 2023, Wilkie is one of the game's greatest success stories, currently holding the second-longest active game streak in the competition with 133 games in row since debuting, while also serving as the Saints' vice-captain in recent years. – Sophie Welsh

Dane Rampe

Riley Bice looms as just the latest on Sydney's long list of rookie success stories, but there's been none better than the undulating career of Rampe. A product of Sydney's famed Newington College, home of Australian rugby union royalty, Rampe was pushed towards that sport and played soccer as a teenager but turned to footy at 17 and showed enough promise that he decided to move to Melbourne, joining Williamstown in the VFL. He impressed enough to have two pre-seasons with the Western Bulldogs, but despite being told he would be drafted in 2009, he was overlooked and returned to Sydney in 2011 convinced his AFL chance was over. However, after dominating local footy in his home city, he was picked up as a rookie by the Swans and has never looked back. One of just 12 players to play 250 games for South Melbourne/Sydney, Rampe is an All-Australian, best-and-fairest winner, club captain and has four Grand Finals to his name. From the most unlikely beginnings, he is a Swans legend. - Martin Smith

Jeremy McGovern 

A late rookie selection who didn't play in his first three seasons, McGovern hit an early crossroads at the end of 2013 when he returned for pre-season overweight and was banished to train on his own. It could have been the end for the key defender, but he lost significant weight and emerged to play 13 games in 2014 and then become one the best key defenders in the AFL, winning All-Australian selection in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. A star interceptor and a deadly kick, the 2018 premiership star has played 193 games and is among the great defenders of his era, lifting later in his career to win a club champion award in 2024 and a fifth All-Australian blazer, gaining new purpose in guiding the Eagles' next generation. – Nathan Schmook

Sam Davidson

Of all the draftees last November, none have the fascinating story of Davidson. The 23-year-old had completed five years of medicine before the Western Bulldogs picked him. His footy CV before 2024 included stints at Sale City, South Mildura and Maffra. But his form for Richmond in the VFL last year led to him winning the Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal, essentially sealing his passage to the next level. - Josh Gabelich