TRANSFORMED and full of confidence after a stint in the NFL, former Gold Coast defender Joel Wilkinson wants another crack at the AFL.

After leaving the Northern Blues towards the end of 2015, Wilkinson was signed as a cornerback with the Arizona Cardinals in February after five months training as he sought an opportunity before being cut in May. 

Wilkinson continued to train with other American football professionals in their pre-season, fielding interest from multiple NFL clubs, but his visa circumstances forced him to return to Australia 

He believes he has returned as a different person, physically and mentally, to the one that left with 26 games in three seasons at the Suns and a season-and-a-half at the Northern Blues on his resume. 

"I literally trained at the best facilities with the best coaches in the world, among the best sportspeople in America, learning techniques and movement that are very similar and directly correlate to a lot of AFL patterns," Wilkinson told AFL.com.au. 

"Everything you assume about the NFL and the intensity is true. 

"My cutting and explosiveness from cornerback allow me to move in ways that I know isn’t trained often in Australia. Route running and pattern are very similar to forward and midfield patterns in AFL.

"In regards to what I was at the end of playing AFL/VFL [in 2015] to now, I laugh at how much more improved I am compared to then. It can’t be underestimated what being with the best athletes in the toughest sporting environment has done for me."

A latecomer to the AFL after growing up in Queensland, he estimates he has played just 80 matches of any football in his 24 years and his passion for the game fired once again when he returned to Australia and watched this year's finals series.  

"[I] had a strong feeling of unfinished business and, more importantly, untapped potential," Wilkinson said.

He recorded incredible results for the 20m and repeat sprints at the 2010 NAB AFL Draft Combine, and finished top 10 in the beep test (15.3), 3km time trial, vertical running jump and clean hands test, but says he is even quicker now, claiming 2.66 seconds for the 20m sprint and runs 2km in a tick over six minutes.

Joel Wilkinson during his time at Gold Coast. Picture: AFL Photos

In his stint at the Suns he was regarded as a shutdown player, but Wilkinson said he now has many more strings to his bow and that his previous experience should not be used as a pointer to what he can provide in the future. 

"In my sporting career I've shown an ability to learn very quickly," Wilkinson said.

Wilkinson believes his "potential upside is untapped in the AFL", with his experience coming during a time when the Suns won just 14 of their 66 games.

But he understands he will have to overcome skepticism that time out of the game will prove too big a hurdle to jump.

"I have a lot to learn as well. I am very driven to learn and very driven to help a team win," Wilkinson said. 

There will be issues for clubs to consider with a player coming back from the NFL system as there are rules governing players returning to WADA-compliant competitions such as the AFL.

But Wilkinson doesn't lack confidence or the intensity required to change perceptions.

"I know that what I’m doing is having to create a frontier and there can be a subjective case of 'Can he play now?’" Wilkinson said.

"But I'd like to think that in my sporting career I’ve shown my coach ability to learn quickly, as evident with my NFL signing and playing AFL with minimal experience. A lot of my development has already been done for clubs, now I’m in my prime."  

Cornerbacks
The cornerback is generally the fastest defensive back who covers the key receiver in the opposition. Arizona signed Wilkinson for that role.