He has joined the growing call for the minimum age for being drafted into the AFL to go up by a year to 19.

With little or no under-age development football to be played this year because of the COVID-19-enforced hiatus, 2020 is considered the perfect time to make the change.

The now Perth-based Petrie this year marks 20 years since he was drafted by North Melbourne and he has never been more convinced that giving young men another year before going into the AFL system would be in their best interests.

The 37-year-old remembers clearly the moment he was drafted.

"I was at home in Alfredton with family and some mates.

"It was (being televised) on channel 10."

Petrie, who played his junior football with the Ballarat Swans before graduating to the North Ballarat Rebels as a lanky teenager, said he was only half paying attention early in the draft.

He said Geelong had had the most communication with him in the lead up to the national draft.

Petrie said the Cats had late picks in the 40s and 60s, and that was where his focus was on as he waited in anticipation.

So when the Kangaroos called out his name at number 23 he was caught completely off guard as he lay on the carpet.

"It didn't sink in straight away."

He said North Melbourne had spoken to him briefly, but not enough to suggest that he would be going to Arden Street with a pick so high in the draft.

From that moment Petrie, who had been a lifelong Essendon supporter - his uncle Ronnie Andrews played with the Bombers - and only a matter of weeks earlier had been in the crowd with his brother Scott watching the Dons in the grand final, was a true Roo.

Petrie recalls that the draft was the day before his first VCE exam - hardly an ideal preparation.

This factor alone emphasises to him why the draft would be best put back a year.

Petrie said although these days the draft was much later in the year and avoided a clash with Year 12 exams, the pressures of having such important studies and meeting the demands of football in the hope of being drafted clashing in the one year would be best avoided.

"It'd give them a chance to give their all in finishing school and experience life.

"They might go to uni, take a gap year or get a job."

Petrie said a later draft age would also ease the pressure of youngsters early in their junior football.

He said under the existing system they were put under pressure from about 14 years of age.

Petrie said with the draft age at 19 they would be able enjoy their football in a more relaxed atmosphere for a little longer.

Petrie has had a great deal to do with youngsters since ending his AFL career after one season with the West Coast Eagles in 2017 - working in community and game development as part of the club's next generation academy program.

His focus includes getting more youngsters in the 13 to 16-year age bracket with indigenous and multicultural backgrounds involved in the game.

"I love working in football."

He said West Coast was led by an amazing CEO in Trevor Nesbitt.

"I love the environment."

His work takes him all over West Australia, reaching out to youngsters in mining towns and other remote settlements, as well as meeting the needs of those in metropolitan areas.

In his third year out of the AFL as a player, Petrie said he had had time reflect on his career.

He said the big games obviously stood out as favourite moments and his most vivid memories.

While not getting the opportunity to play in a grand final, some big finals towards the back end of his career with North Melbourne stood out.

Petrie said he had some good memories of the 2014 finals series, which featured a 12-point win over Essendon in an elimination final after trailing by 27 points at half-time in front of almost 80,000 fans at the MCG.

He recalled Ben Brown booting three of his four goals in the third term and kicking one himself late in the game to get the Kangaroos' in front.

The win was North Melbourne's first in a finals series since 2007, when the Kangaroos reached a preliminary final, only to be thumped by Port Adelaide - a game Petrie said he also remembered, but preferred not to.

North Melbourne went on to defeat Geelong by six points in a semi-final in 2014 before losing to Sydney Swans by 71 points in a preliminary final.

Petrie said the Roos added free agents Shaun Higgins and Jarrad Waite in 2015 and again reached a preliminary final.

With the majority of 90,000 spectators barracking for Richmond, Petrie said the noise made by the crowd as the Tigers ran out onto the MCG that year for an elimination final clash with North Melbourne was the loudest he had heard.

"I'd never heard such a roar."

And it did not let up as Richmond worked away to a 13-point lead by half-time.

North Melbourne went onto win by 17 points, then defeat Sydney by 26 points in a semi-final and lose to West Coast by 25 points in a preliminary final.

Petrie said for all success achieved on the field in a playing career, it was the friendships which he made and retained which meant so much.

As well as his academy commitments, Petrie had this year been preparing to play a, AFL match-day support role with the Eagles.

He said he was all set to provide player feedback from the bench to the coaches' box.

" I was looking forward to being part of it."

COVID-19 changed all that, as it has for every AFL player.

Petrie said there was no doubt that isolation away from the club structure was impacting on individuals in varied ways.

He said he was confident players who had been in the system for 10 years or close to it would be able to deal with maintaining the required disciplines despite being out of a tight knit club environment.

"They're mature and would be comfortable in their own space."

Petrie said he could not be so sure for all those less experienced players who relied heavily on a structured support base.

"They'd be the most vulnerable without that structure and direction."

So when the AFL does resume after the COVID-19 lockdown - whenever that might be - what shape does Petrie see the game taking other than what he hopes is a change to the minimum age in the national draft?

"It's a massive opportunity for change and experimentation.

"They can have a play with the fixture, match times. It's a chance to experiment."

He said if the season resumed this year it would be an ideal opportunity to experiment rather than leaving it to a pre-season when changes were usually tried.

Petrie said he would like to see the return of substitutes.

His preference would be four interchange and two substitutes.

And on his future?

He sees his family remaining in Perth for sometime to come.

"We love it. It's a beautiful city."

And he is enjoying the development work he is undertaking with West Coast Eagles, seeing youngsters playing football for the love of the game.

AFTER retiring from the AFL, Drew Petrie returned to Ballarat to make last appearance as a marquee player with his Ballarat Football League club Ballarat.

Petrie donned the red and white of the Swans, with his fimiliar number 20 on his back, and produced a match-winning performance against Redan at Alfredton Reserve in round seven in 2018.

He kicked two goals in a best-on-ground performance as he inspired Ballarat to come from 34 points down at quarter time to secure victory by 13 points.

It was a fitting farewell for Petrie, an all-time Ballarat Swans favourite, in front of a big home crowd