When Jayden Taylor landed at the Tamworth Swans, he was quickly slung into the back-line.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
That is where he's stayed and became an integral cog of coach Paul Kelly's back six over the past four seasons.
"He's pretty unassuming. He's got good speed, surprising for his size, and for a bloke that had to get talked into playing, he's turned into a good footballer," Kelly said of Taylor.
Taylor was part of a group of players, along with the likes of Liam Dunn and Adam Cruickshank, who came to the club in 2018, all were good friends with coach Kelly's son, Tom.
The players that joined the club that year helped turn the club's fortunes around following a winless 2017 season.
Being able to help with that turnaround is something Taylor is proud of.
"It's good to be a part of the rebuild and doing it with the boys that we're all good mates with now," Taylor said.
"It's a good club and it's good to see the numbers roll in."
And of that group of players who joined in 2018, Taylor will be the first to rack up 50 games.
He'll bring up the milestone when he laces up the boots against the New England Nomads on Saturday.
Kelly said the backman had come a long way in the previous 49 matches.
"You could see in his first game, he didn't really know a lot about the game but he picked it up pretty quick," Kelly said.
"He brings a lot of speed and run out of the backline. He's showing that more and more the last couple of years.
"He backs himself to take the play on and he's another good tall down the back."
The Swans head into this weekend's crucial clash on the back of a one-point loss to Gunnedah and a three-point loss to Inverell.
In the past five rounds, the Tamworth side has one win and four losses - all by less than 10 points.
With two rounds remaining, they still sit inside the top four, one win in front of the fifth-placed Gunnedah Bulldogs.
Both Taylor and Kelly agreed that the return of players from injury would help propel the Swans forward.
"Every week, the players that are missing are key players. Once we get them back, I think that will steady us with their experience," Kelly said.
The last two rounds of the AFL North West season are vital to the makeup of the top four.
A win against the Nomads on Saturday would see the Swans climb to at least third on the ladder while a loss would see them hold on to fourth position heading into the final round. The home fixture doubles as the Pancare Round with the Swans to wear special socks to raise funds and awareness for pancreatic cancer.