Teenager Meyrick Buchanan’s signature was one of the most sought-after in junior sport.
With a cricket bat in hand, the then Geelong resident would smash bowlers all over the park in summer before showing off his silky skills with a football in winter.
Despite still being at school, his sports resume included pulling on a green and gold for Australia in junior cricket and attending the AFL draft combine.
When a final decision was required about which sport would ultimately win his services, Buchanan made the call that cricket was the place for him and put pen to paper on a deal with Cricket Victoria and the Melbourne Renegades.
But almost exactly 12 months ago, the gun sportsman made his second life-changing decision in the space of two years when he announced he was returning to the football field.
“I wasn’t really enjoying my cricket so that made it a little bit easier to be able to come back to footy,” he said. “It was hard, but I’ve been really enjoying my footy, which has made it a lot easier.”
Buchanan resumed playing TAC Cup with the Geelong Falcons, a side in which he had starred two years earlier.
The versatile forward immediately showed he still had what it takes.
In just his third game back he was named best-on-ground for a match last year against the competition’s eventual premier, Eastern Ranges.
With his name again being bandied about as a potential draftee, Buchanan’s rise back up the ranks was halted by a knee injury.
He was subsequently overlooked in the national and rookie drafts, but that did nothing to extinguish the fire of his AFL dream.
The now 20-year-old signed with the Werribee Tigers and is intent on launching his AFL career from the VFL.
“That [being drafted to the AFL] is definitely the goal,” he said. “It might take a few years, but they are looking at mature-age recruits now more than ever. I just need to keep working and doing everything I can to get there.”
If his early form at Werribee is anything to go by, it won’t be long before Buchanan is again meeting recruiters.
It took just one game in the development league before he forced his way into the Tigers’ senior side to take on Port Melbourne last month.
After being named among his club’s best players on that occasion, he retained his spot and collected another 15 disposals against the Northern Blues.
“I’m really happy I made the decision to join Werribee,” Buchanan said.
“John Lamont [senior coach] is a really good coach and a really good person, as well, so it’s been a great start to my time there.”
