WHEN Brandon Ryan turned up at Cramer Street on a sticky summer night, the aim was just to complete the pre-season. Then it was about finally playing his first VFL game after a couple of false dawns elsewhere. Anything else was a bonus.

The goal posts have shifted radically since then. First, the 25-year-old was picked for a debut against Richmond's reserves in the opening round of the season. He kicked three goals in the shadows of the MCG at the Swinburne Centre to leave a breadcrumb for those looking for clues in obscure places.

Preston is one of those places. By the time Ryan slotted 5.2 from 17 disposals and 10 marks against the Sydney Swans at Genis Steel Oval a month later, the Northern Bullants spearhead had recruiters wanting to know the where, the why and the how. That's what happens when a skinny 200cm forward kicks 13 goals from his first four games after arriving from local footy.

Ryan didn't come through the traditional pathway. He didn't play for the Geelong Falcons. And he wasn't close to that level, by his own admission. He gathered momentum playing for Geelong West Giants. That led to a spot on North Melbourne's VFL list, but injuries prevented him from playing a game. He had another brief dalliance with Carlton's reserves, before heading to Maribyrnong Park under former North Melbourne coach Dani Laidley.

It was his form at the Essendon District Football League powerhouse that prompted newly appointed Northern Bullants coach Brodie Holland to convince Ryan to try his luck at VFL level again.

That was in November last year. Now nine months on, the Bellarine Peninsula product is not only on an AFL list after being selected by Hawthorn with pick No.12 in the AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft, but he has played at the MCG against Collingwood in front of 62,134 people.

"I can't believe this is real, to be honest. I'm still pinching myself. The levels keep rising and it is just awesome to be on this journey," Ryan told AFL.com.au after Hawthorn’s 32-point win on Saturday.

"The goal at the start of the year was just to tick off a VFL pre-season. When I did that it was to play a game. When I did all right, the goals kept rising and I was going with the flow. There wasn't a big thought of 'Let's make AFL', it was step by step and see what happens.

"I would have been kicking myself if I didn't try VFL again. There were a lot of people at local level that told me to give VFL a go. With my age and how my body developed, it was the perfect time to go down."

The Northern Bullants have endured a nightmare winter. They have won only two games and struggled to punch above their weight division in a competition where the gap between the haves and the have nots has never been wider. Ryan has been the one shining light, even though he has gone on to bigger and better things. 

But without Holland, who was the playing-coach in two Maribyrnong Park premierships but had moved to Caroline Springs by the time Ryan switched to the Moonee Ponds-based club, and the investment by the Northern Bullants, Ryan would still be playing local footy.

"They were all in on me and they were all in on getting me drafted as well. I can't thank them enough. Brodie was the first one who said that he thought I could play AFL. From there it just stemmed," Ryan said.

"I just remember after the first couple of games, Brodie was rolling with it and kept saying, 'You've got a chance to make it, I think you should get a manager.' The ball just kept rolling and now we are here. I just really can't thank them enough for what they did for me."

After kicking a goal against St Kilda in his debut at Marvel Stadium in round 20, Ryan rose to another level in his first appearance on the hallowed turf of the MCG, kicking three goals from nine disposals and five marks against the ladder leaders.

"I suppose there was always a question mark on myself and whether I could do it at this level," he said. "Since my first game, my confidence has grown from there. After (the Magpies game), I feel like I can play at this level. For that to be my first game at the MCG, what an unreal win, just unbelievable. It gives me enormous confidence."

If it took a few days to get his head around life inside Waverley Park, before he went and fired at Box Hill, Ryan is now getting his head around being coached by one of the greatest players to wear the brown and gold.

Four-time premiership player Sam Mitchell is in charge of the full-scale rebuild at Hawthorn. The Hawks have unearthed gold in the VFL on a regular basis, dating back to Mitchell in 2001, and including Jai Newcombe. It looks like they have found another one. 

"There is something about a big, awkward guy that makes him such a tough match-up. He kicked three but also tapped that one down. He has some footy smarts. He has been around, he is 25 years old," Mitchell said.

"When we see him at training, quite often he does something uncanny, unlikely. He is doing some things that a second gamer does, which he will improve, but he also has some things in his kitbag that you can't teach. He is an exciting player that's having a great time out there."

Ryan has never had to look too far for inspiration. His cousin, Fremantle defender Luke Ryan, climbed a similar trajectory, leaping from Maribyrnong Park to Coburg to the AFL in successive years, albeit at an earlier age. 

Now an All-Australian and Doig Medal winner, the Dockers defender remains a source of inspiration to his younger cousin, who is yet to secure a deal for next year and is focused on making the most of an opportunity that has come from nowhere.

"I'm not taking this for granted for one second," he said. "I'm living in the moment, everything that comes my way I'm enjoying and living in the moment. I'm doing everything I can to pursue this opportunity and that's all you can do. The plan was always to have one year at VFL, one crack. It has worked out."