He spent some time in Melbourne in his late teens where he was first exposed to Aussie Rules by one of his sports coaches. He proved a talent and played some matches with the Dandenong Stingrays. Upon returning to Queensland he with the Ipswich Eagles where he first caught the eye of Brisbane Lions talent scouts. His dashes of blistering pace and ability to pick the ball up at full speed drew comparisons to the similar size and style of play of Melbourne Demons forward Aaron Davey, who had surprised the league a year earlier with the trailblazing defensive forward style.