When he left the Dockers after three games over three years, Max Duffy spent a year at West Perth in a bid to earn a lifeline.
He didn't perform to the standards he wanted and considered American football more seriously. A tryout day saw former punter Tyson Beattie suggest Duffy have a serious go at it, so in March, and with the blessing of his club, Duffy paid his way to move to Melbourne and train with ProKick Australia.
It was a huge risk to resettle on the other side of the country for a dream that might not pay off. He realised it could be a serious possibility when he impressed legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban while on a training camp in the US.
"That was the moment it kind of sunk in and I thought this was going to be a realistic dream and it could actually work out," Duffy said.
Duffy has requested to wear No.24 at Kentucky, the number he also wore at Freo, to honour his mate Stephen Doig who passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest while playing cricket on January 24, 2011.
"It opened my eyes to how fragile life is and pursue whatever you can with the most dedication and hard work that you can to make sure that you get the most out of life, because you never know when it's going to end," Duffy said.