[7] He was labelled as the draft smoky[4] and Herald Sun journalist, Sam Landsberger, noted he was "plucked from relative obscurity".

[8] After playing the first six matches in the Victorian Football League (VFL) for Melbourne's affiliate team, the Casey Scorpions in 2014,[9] he was sidelined for over a year after suffering from a back injury[10][11][12] and a broken jaw which he injured in June 2015.

[13] He returned to the VFL in July[14] and played the remainder of the season including the elimination final loss against Essendon.

[23] The next week, he recorded a then-career-high twenty-nine disposals and eight inside-50s in the thirty-two point win against Fremantle at TIO Stadium.

[28] His season was rewarded with the Harold Ball Memorial Trophy as Melbourne's best young player,[29] and an eleventh-place finish in the best and fairest count.