Top five AFL Draft prospect Zane Duursma is hopeful he can one day play alongside his older brother Xavier in the top flight.
The third oldest Duursma among a quartet of experienced or promising siblings, the 18-year-old is set to follow in the footsteps of his brother as well as older sister Yasmin - who both ply their trade at Port Adelaide - and join them through November's National Draft.
The midfield-forward hybrid enjoyed a dominant second half of the year with Vic Country and the Gippsland Power to press his case as one of the leading prospects among the class of 2023.
The Foster talent could be the third of four Duursmas who reach their AFL dream, with the youngest of the sibling quartet, Willem, a promising defender eligible for the 2025 count.
While Yasmin continues to carve out a promising career at Alberton in the AFLW, Xavier's future with the Power has recently been met with uncertainty as the South Australian club looks to work through a busy off-season and period of player movement.
Essendon have emerged as an interested suitor in the fifth-year wingman as the Bombers prepare to trade backman Brandon Zerk-Thatcher to Port Adelaide.
While the Power aren't likely to hold a draft selection that would have them in the running for Zane, Victorian clubs like Essendon could manage a double Duursma coup if they can lure the oldest brother back to his home state while also having a high-end pick to potentially make a play for Zane.
When questioned on the potential pairing, the draft-hopeful Duursma said while he'd love to play alongside his older brother, he holds no preference as to where he plays his footy next year.
"It'd be great to play with Xavier," Duursma said.
"Hopefully that gets to happen. Playing footy with Xavier is one of the things I'd love to do in the next few years."
West Coast, North Melbourne, Hawthorn, GWS and Melbourne are all in the mix for Duursma toward the top end of the draft, with the Demons already quite familiar with the 189cm utility.
Duursma trained with the 2021 premiers earlier this year during their pre-season program and would even share the field with a number of Demons players at VFL level across a pair of appearances for Casey.
The exciting goal threat said the likes of Jack Viney and Christian Petracca would act as "mentors" for him during his time with Melbourne, which he'll cherish as a memorable time in his football journey.
"Training with Melbourne was probably one of my favourite footy experiences to date," he said.
"It was just surreal, walking in there and seeing Christian Petracca, Jack Viney and Max Gawn. Seeing guys that you've watched on TV for so many years, it was awesome to train with them.
"Jack Viney, he's a country boy, he sort of took me under his wing. So did Christian Petracca. They were pretty much mentors for me. They told me just to enjoy the experience and look forward to the end of this year, which I am."
Able to play both in midfield and across the attacking third, Duursma's versatility and athletic traits are likely the leading attributes that will make him so enticing to AFL clubs come next month's draft.
The teenager earned plenty of praise for his match-winning display for Vic Country in the final game of the National Championships, booting four goals from 22 disposals and 10 marks to end his carnival on a high note with a win over Vic Metro.
That vein of form would carry into his following Talent League appearances for Gippsland, with Duursma booting 20 of his 33 goals for the season in his final six games.
"I had a little bit of a slow start to the year, the second half definitely picked up," the modest draft star said.
"It was probably that Vic Metro vs Vic Country game where it all sort of lifted off and it just went upwards from there which was good.
"Itย was definitely a confidence builder. I think after that game, coming into my next few Coates League games, I took that confidence in and played really well which was good.
"I think it was playing that half-forward role and being given the freedom to run up the ground and work back. I think that was the main thing to do with (the increase in form)."
Duursma believes his best position is at half-forward, where he can overlap in attack and also influence the engine room to have the most impact on a game.
After entering the year with a balanced mix in mind, the teenager has been pleased with how his draft season ha played out following ongoing conversations with his coaches.
"That was definitely a conversation I had with the coach," Duursma said of his duties.ย
"Playing 50-50 mid-forward was something that we discussed at the start of the year.
"Now that I look on it, playing more forward was a good option."
This year's draft class will undergo testing at the AFL Draft Combine this week ahead of next month's National Draft, which will take place across November 20-21.
