A ROLL of the dice five years ago has paid off for Western Bulldogs' defender Shane Biggs, who has committed to the club for a further two years, extending his stay until at least the end of 2018.
Back in 2011, Biggs, now 24, was playing football for fun with Warrandyte and learning the plumbing trade before an invitation came to play VFL for the Bendigo Bombers.
"I had to make a decision whether I was going to take it [football] seriously or not," Biggs told AFL.com.au.
"I stopped my apprenticeship and just laboured three days a week so I could manage the training for three or four nights a week.
"It was a real roll of the dice."
Now at the Western Bulldogs after three years with the Sydney Swans, the running defender is making the punt yield dividends.
In the first two rounds, he has averaged 29 disposals, making a breakneck start to the season after becoming a permanent member of his new team in the second half of 2015.
It's the type of output the Bulldogs hoped for when they watched him ply his trade, often on cold Saturday mornings in Canberra, as a rookie with the Sydney Swans.
From 2012-2014 he played good football in the NEAFL, breaking through for six games (including two finals) in three years with the Swans.
It was enough for the Bulldogs to court him at the end of the 2014 season.
Although he had loved his time at the Swans, he knew as soon as he met the Bulldogs it was time for a change.
"For a club to show interest in me, and show interest in having me in their team, was enough to bring me back home," Biggs told AFL.com.au.
Right now, the Bulldogs-Biggs combination appears a good match.
"What I bring is different to what Bob [Murphy] brings, and what Bob brings is different to what JJ [Jason Johannisen] brings, and that is all over the ground," Biggs said.
His ability to run to the right spots mean a large percentage of his possessions are uncontested but he can also defend in one-on-one battles.
And through the help of his skipper, Biggs has found ways to stress less.
"If I get a bit rattled out there, [Murphy] literally just smiles at me and I look at him and we just laugh," he said.
"Something as simple as that makes me just remember why I am playing footy, and he has taught me to love it and remember why I am doing it."
The fact he has played 10 games in succession with the Bulldogs would also help his demeanour and his coach Luke Beveridge said on Tuesday he was cementing a spot in the team.
"No one is a walk up start in this team ,(but) he's a lot more secure than he used to be," Beveridge said.
Not that Biggs feels anywhere near established in AFL football.
"Definitely not. I'm not sure how long it will take but I think it will take a long time, because it is the way I am wired," he said.
But after 18 games and part of a team on the march, Biggs is enjoying the ride, especially when he gets to watch teammates like Johannisen run like Speedy Gonzales, as he did after intercepting an errant St Kilda handball in the second quarter on Saturday night.
"I had front row seats. I was calling for it in the middle but he went straight past me. I thought I could keep up with him," Biggs said.
Biggs' re-signing adds to the good news for the Bulldogs, with Lachie Hunter committing to the club until 2019, and rising stars Marcus Bontempelli, Jake Stringer and Easton Wood locked in to long-term deals.
