Jack Billings, Luke McDonald and Ben Lennon all ended the year as very early draft picks for St Kilda, North Melbourne and Richmond, and headed to their new AFL clubs ready to be full-time footballers.
Their friendship had developed at junior level as teammates and opponents, before they went through all the Victorian representative squads together and formed a close bond.
But no passage to the draft is straightforward.
Through a number of interviews with each of the prospects across the year, Draft Days captures the differing emotions of being a draftee: the uncertainty, nerves and excitement of waiting until the end of November to have so many questions answered.
Draft Days gives a candid insight into what makes the trio tick, delves into their friendship, how they prepare for games, their home and social life, and their different personalities.
Draft Days follows the trio from before the important under-18 championships in May through to December, where they are interviewed while settling into their AFL careers with their lives changing rapidly.
Despite being highly touted juniors and enjoying successes, each had his challenges in his draft year, which evolve throughout the Draft Days documentary.
For Billings, it was about dealing with a persistent and nagging knee injury and the pressure to perform.
Jack Billings had his heart set on an AFL career from an early age. Picture: AFL Media
McDonald also had some expectations to meet but in different ways.
Already at North Melbourne part-time as a father-son selection, he had to prove to the club he was worth their first draft pick through his performances at VFL level for Werribee.
Lennon, too, wanted to prove to people he could play consistently and progress to a midfield role, while overcoming a troublesome ankle injury.
Draft Days: 3 Of A Kind will screen over four days on AFL.com.au next week, starting on Monday, February 10 through to Thursday, February, 13.
At the end of the week, a full version of the Draft Days documentary from start to finish will be available to watch.
McDonald also had some expectations to meet but in different ways.
Already at North Melbourne part-time as a father-son selection, he had to prove to the club he was worth their first draft pick through his performances at VFL level for Werribee.
Lennon, too, wanted to prove to people he could play consistently and progress to a midfield role, while overcoming a troublesome ankle injury.
Draft Days: 3 Of A Kind will screen over four days on AFL.com.au next week, starting on Monday, February 10 through to Thursday, February, 13.
At the end of the week, a full version of the Draft Days documentary from start to finish will be available to watch.
Ben Lennon's talent was obvious but could he prove his versatility? Picture: AFL Media
Twitter: @AFL_CalTwomey
Twitter: @AFL_CalTwomey
