Matthew Pavlich thought his worst nightmare had come true when Fremantle selected him with pick No.4 in the 1999 national draft.
And he was left wondering how it would end after collapsing at his first Dockers training session.
But 15 years on, Pavlich now feels like he’s living the AFL fairytale.
Pavlich will become the first Perth-based player to notch 300 AFL games when he lines up in Saturday night’s clash with Geelong at Patersons Stadium.
The 32-year-old has grown to love the Dockers.
But it wasn’t always the case.
When the Dockers first showed interest in drafting Pavlich, his mum pleaded with them not to.
She even provided Fremantle’s recruiters with a list of players they would be better off pursuing.
West Coast skipper Darren Glass and Dockers ruckman Aaron Sandilands were among that list.
Folklore has it that Pavlich even told then-Dockers coach Damian Drum that it would be his worst nightmare if Fremantle drafted him.
“I don’t know where that one’s come from,” Pavlich said with a laugh on Tuesday.
“I didn’t say that to Damian. I probably thought it internally and said it to mum and dad potentially.
“But the dream became the Fremantle Football Club and it’s become my home.
“I have grown up alongside the footy club. We both had our teething problems, but we matured together.
“Now we find ourselves in a situation where hopefully we can propel and have great success.”
Pavlich’s introduction to the life of an AFL player was a brutal one.
After completing a one-hour skills session, things started going pear-shaped as he tried to complete his sixth 1km time trial.
“I collapsed and passed out and was rushed in the back of our property van to Murdoch Hospital,” Pavlich recalled.
“I had a couple of nights in intensive care and was a pretty sheepish 17-year-old after that for a couple of weeks.
“I was very embarrassed about it and certainly wasn’t the right way to start an AFL career.”
Pavlich soon warmed to his new home in Perth, and it wasn’t long before he became a star of the competition.
He won his first All-Australian jumper in 2002 as a defender, before adding five more – some as a midfielder, and others as a power forward.
Even when the Dockers floundered as a team, Pavlich stood tall.
His meticulous attention to recovery allowed him to overcome the constant travel burden that players in Perth are confronted with.
Geelong coach Chris Scott, a former assistant at Fremantle, felt Pavlich had been under-rated by AFL supporters in the eastern states.
“Some of the things he’s done are going to be difficult for anyone to replicate,” Scott said.
“He has been an outstanding leader for that football club and at times got them over the line off his own boot.”
Pavlich’s loyalty to Fremantle during their long periods of mediocrity shouldn’t be forgotten.
The star forward had numerous opportunities to return home to Adelaide on what would have been big-money deals at the Power or Crows.
But he decided to stick it out with the Dockers in the hope of eventually turning their fortunes around.
Fremantle came close to breaking their premiership duck last year, and Pavlich is still hopeful of winning a flag this season despite their rocky 4-4 start.
Pavlich is likely to play on next year, and no one would begrudge him if he finally gets his hands on that elusive premiership cup.