'It's pretty exciting': AFL draftee embraces chance to grow and develop

The 19-year-old Essendon defender is embracing life as an elite athlete months after being recruited by the Bombers with pick 39 in the 2023 draft.

Lual, who is living in Port Melbourne with a teammate and enjoying the Melbourne lifestyle after making the move from Warrnambool, has impressed at VFL level this season with his trademark bounce and creativity off half-back.

The Hampden league product told ACM's The Standard it was an amazing feeling to wake up every day as an AFL player. He said he was embracing the opportunity to learn new things every day and absorb as much information as he could.

"It's what I expected in a way having a taste of it last year in the NGA with the Western Bulldogs, it's been great," he said.

"Learning the game plan and the specific techniques, movement, footwork and skills, things you can do post-training, pre-training has helped me get onto another level. Everyone is drafted for a reason and once you can learn the game plan it's just about playing footy which I've enjoyed.

"Having to work with my development coaches like Michael Hurley, Cam Roberts and Trav Cloke has been good. They've broken the game plan down for me and how we want to play.

"I'm learning something new every week and every day and hopefully it holds me in good stead. Hopefully when the time is right I can then have a taste of AFL footy."

Lual said the transition into the elite system wasn't just about your performances on the field but how you prepared and set yourself up to succeed at the level.

"I think one of the biggest things is what you eat, what you're putting into your body and how you prepare," he said.

"Last year I was pretty good with my diet and this year it's been good to have a dietitian at the club, I've spoken to him. These days on Tik Tok there's plenty to see so things like Christian Petracca's Tik Tok so you take bits of inspiration from him. It's a bit of a platform for me and something that really interests me."

He said fellow half-backs Andy McGrath, Nic Martin and Mason Redman were invaluable support to him as he developed his craft.

"I play a pretty similar role to them as that aggressive half-back player," he said.

"Learning from them has been really good for me. They've been in the system for a long while and just their smarts and knowledge of the game is really helpful and exceptional to learn from."

Lual will line-up for the Bombers' VFL side in the traditional Dreamtime at the 'G curtain-raiser on Saturday, May 25, 2024, against Richmond and said there was an electric energy at the club, which sits second on the AFL table.

"It's pretty exciting at the moment as a club and as a collective, but as a group we know that we're locked into our processes and the rest will take care of itself," he said.

"Everyone is locked in on what we can control and what we can do to perform at the maximum level each week.

"If you look at clips in team meetings in the AFL and VFL games you can really see things that are being replicated and how we want our game plan to be. It's challenging for the guys pushing for an AFL spot but it's a really good, healthy position to be in.

"As a collective it's great to push ourselves to the limits and hopefully we can then see the results on the ladder."