Every kilometre travelled and every alarm loudly sounding before dawn brings Angus Clarke one step closer to a dream held since he was a little boy.

“[I’ve] had a dream since I was four years old putting on my [Adelaide] Crows kit,” Clarke said.

“It’d be a dream come true if I do end up making the big league.”

But realising that dream from a dairy farm at Tantanoola, near Mount Gambier — more than four hours from Adelaide — comes with a fair share of logistical challenges.

Clarke spent this past winter playing for Glenelg in the SANFL as well as the South Australian under-18s, making lengthy round trips to travel to Adelaide twice a week.

“I did my first class lesson in PE [physical education] and then drove home to dad and dad took me up every Wednesday,” he said.

“I stayed there that night and then left the next morning at four o’clock to get back to school and work.”

Two days later, the journey would repeat again.

“Then I fly up on Fridays to get back to training if I make the side, and then yeah play either Saturday or Sunday,” he said.

Clarke is just one of the many young footballers in regional Australia going the extra mile in a bid to reach their dream of being drafted to the AFL.

The sacrifices of a ‘country lad’

Hundreds of kilometres away, fellow teenager Xavier Lindsay has lost count of the hours he has spent going to and from training sessions and matches.

Lindsay lives in the Victorian seaside town of Inverloch, a journey of nearly 1.5 hours from the Morwell base of elite under-18 side Gippsland Power.

“Sometimes there’s a shuttle bus if there’s a double header with the girls and then other times mum and dad, they sacrificed a lot of time to get me to trainings,” he said.

It was a schedule that had its moments.

“I loved it, just gives you time to have a good chat and relax,” he said.

“Sometimes it gets a little bit too much when you’re playing a game in Melbourne.

Lindsay met that brief when he won the Coates Talent League best and fairest award after starring for the Power, while also dominating for Victoria Country in the national titles and named in the All Australian team.

“They’re not something I usually pride myself on, but yeah pretty cool honour and achievement to be named in the All Australian and [to] also win the Morrish Medal,” he said.

Lindsay tries to model his game on AFL stars Scott Pendlebury and Zach Merrett and has spoken to 14 AFL clubs in the lead up to this month’s national draft.

The left footer, who has been recovering from two partial tears in a knee — a late season injury that ended his year — is ready to leave the comforts of home.

“[I] could be moving either interstate or two hours away from home so I haven’t really thought about it too much, just more trying to soak up being around my family and friends and just enjoying it while I’m here,” he said.

And it is not just AFL footy he will need to deal with if he moves for the game — he will also need to navigate daily life on his own, including cooking.

“Mum harps on about it, she tries to get me in the kitchen a little bit,” he said.

“I can cook, it’s just more that I can’t be bothered half the time.”

Leaving the farm behind

Back in regional South Australia, Clarke is also prepared for the possibility of relocating for the game he loves.

After speaking to several AFL clubs in the lead up to the draft, the speedy defender could be forgiven for dwelling on his future but life on the farm has kept him busy.

“I cut firewood in my spare time, that’s good fitness for me,” he said.

“Get the axe and do shear a bit as well … I do the jobs that dad doesn’t want to do.”

Clarke burst into prominence with a stand-out national championships, much to the surprise of many in the South Australian camp.

“They were a bit shocked actually, like they were surprised at how well I went in some aspects,” he said.

“I was happy to prove them wrong.”

He has taken inspiration from Essendon defender Mason Redman, who grew up down the road at Millicent.

“[I’ve] been in contact with his brother and his dad, I talked to them on the weekend actually just about what he had to do, how much commitment he did to make it where he is,” he said.

The AFL national draft will be held on November 20 and 21, with the pre-season and rookie drafts to follow on November 22.

Both Lindsay and Clarke look certain to be drafted, an honour they hope will inspire others.