Tom Williamson will enter the next stage of his football career when the AFL draft is hosted in Sydney on Friday night.
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The Ararat-born footballer will compete against the top young talent for a spot on an AFL list in 2017.
“Football from a young age has been my dream and I have worked hard to get where I am now,” he said.
“I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to go down to Ballarat and once I cracked into the North Ballarat Rebels system, it was onwards and upwards.”
Williamson said he is looking forward to watching the draft with his family and close friends to see if he is selected.
He said he does not know how he will react if he is picked.
“The whole thing is starting to feel real,” he said.
“I am sitting here now and in a couple of days I could be training with the best footballers in Australia.
“It will be a whole new experience and I am really looking forward to what is ahead.”
The former Ararat Rats and Mounties player stands at 190 centimetres but with the shift towards taller midfielders at the top level, Williamson said he thinks he would fit in quite well.
“I played a couple of games on the wing for the Rebels this year and really enjoyed that,” Williamson said.
“It showed my versatility on the ground and hopefully recruiters will look at that in the future.”
Williamson said he looks up to Western Bulldogs midfielder Marcus Bontempelli who has made a big impact in his three years at AFL level.
“I just like the modern day midfielder, the size, the way Bontempelli moves and wins his own footy,” he said.
“Tom Barrass from West Coast Eagles is the half-back that I can see similarities with in myself.”
The only time his body has prevented him from playing football was when he suffered a grade three medial ligament tear in his right knee.
It taught him about persistence and the commitment required to succeed at the elite level of sport.
“You gotta learn how to work by yourself through that, doing the extras putting in those weight session to get yourself right for the weekend,” he said.
No matter what happens on draft night, Williamson said he will continue to keep the same words in the back of his mind.
“Do not count the moments, make the moments count you,” he said.
