Bailey Humphrey is on the verge of realising his AFL dream and hopes to use his new-found status as an opportunity to raise awareness of a cause close to his heart.
The powerful Victorian midfielder is widely tipped to be taken in the top 10 of next week's draft.
He hopes the standing and platform he will gain from becoming an AFL footballer will help him increase insight into mental-health struggles after dealing with his own over the past two years in the wake of a friend's death.
"I lost a mate to suicide at the start of last year," Humphrey said on Tuesday.
"It's a big, big part in my life, losing a mate, and it's something that I've never experienced before.
"So it was a bit tough and it put me in a pretty dark hole. But now I've come out of that dark hole pretty well.
"I've learned communication is key. Talking to people and opening up is the best thing.
"I know a lot of young kids, and even adults, still don't really talk about (mental health), so by me trying to talk about it to the media, I'm trying to raise awareness."
Plenty of athletes have spoken about issues with their mental health in recent years, including Western Bulldogs star Bailey Smith, and Humphrey admitted that had made opening-up easier.
"It's good to see that people are opening-up," he said.
"That's what I want to do - use my platform to raise awareness.
"I'm very close with Mindfull Australia and I've just been named an ambassador for them, so I'm pretty happy with that and it's just a first step in the field outside of footy for me."
Humphrey said he was "chatting to a couple of clubs" about his draft prospects but otherwise keeping himself busy by playing golf and tennis.
He had posters of Nat Fyfe and Dustin Martin on his wall as a kid and hoped to become a similarly powerful midfielder, while the Gippsland Power product has got no qualms about potentially moving interstate.
"I'm a pretty tough footballer, just a very physical footballer that tries to bring people into games," he said.
"I have to move either way - Melbourne's a move for me as well. So I'm excited."
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