Membrey finished the season as one of the most talked about hopefuls of this year's crop, after an excellent TAC Cup finals series. In the first qualifying final against the Dandenong Stingrays, he kicked four goals.
He followed it with eight goals and a commanding best-on-ground performance against the Sandringham Dragons in the preliminary final, and another four in Gippsland Power's one-point Grand Final loss to the Oakleigh Chargers.
But Membrey isn't a traditional size for a key position player. He's 189cm and at this week's NAB AFL Draft Combine has tested in the medium forwards category, alongside players who shift onto the wing, or spend time in the midfield. Recruiters are keen to see how he'd go doing the same.
"They know I can play forward but they'd like to see me push up the ground a bit more and play a bit more of a higher role, and on the ball. They'd like to see me get my fitness up," Membrey told AFL.com.au.
Membrey played some junior footy through the midfield, using his size advantage to overcome opponents. When they started catching up, he moved forward, where he has found his niche.
"Coming into an AFL club, I obviously wouldn't be a key tall, so I've got to learn that third tall role, where it's about leading into space, then getting out of it, or giving second and third leads," he said.
"I try to model my game on Jack Darling in that respect. He's not a key position player but sometimes you'd think that he is."
Membrey's end to the year didn't happen by chance.
A knee injury limited him to only three games for Vic Country in the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships, and a groin injury after that didn't help. People were telling him he needed to play more, and more consistently, to properly assert himself as a top 30, or so, pick, where many feel he belongs.
"I was feeling good at the end of the season. I knew there was a lot on the table and a lot of things I had to prove to get me really recognised by clubs," Membrey said. "That was just about stringing games together. Every recruiter, if they're interested in a player, wants to see him actually play. That's what I needed to do."
Making clubs more interested in Membrey are the things that can't be measured at this week's NAB AFL Draft Combine. He knows when a game's course needs to be changed, and tends to find a way to do it. He can lift his side with a bump, or a strong marking contest, and celebrates goals with a roar.
He's walked a different passage to a few of his contemporaries, too.
A late call-up to the AIS-AFL Academy squad this year, Membrey is an apprentice plumber, working five days a week, even when his legs are sore on a Monday morning after a game. Surfing most weekends takes his mind off things, as does the odd shot at hunting rabbits and foxes at a friend's property.
Membrey also comes complete with tattoo: a colourful anchor and palm tree that stretches from the top of his left shoulder to his elbow. It's another little point of difference to a player who, in an even draft, is setting himself apart.
"I've always been interested in the beach theme and one of my mates is a handy drawer so I got him to draw one up and the artist slapped it on," he said. "I'm happy with the half-sleeve at the moment."
Callum Twomey is a reporter for the AFL website. Follow him on Twitter at @AFL_CalTwomey.
