A second van Rooyen could enter the AFL by this time next month.
At least that’s the hope of Sam, brother of Melbourne forward Jacob, who isn’t assured of being taken on draft night.
But an impressive draft combine and some late season form for Claremont Colts as they claimed the premiership has held him in good stead.
Van Rooyen kicked 11 goals from 10 Colts games in 2023 but believes he missed his chance during the National Carnival.
“I didn’t really have the best state champs, I probably underperformed on how my season started,” he admitted to SEN WA’s The Run Home.
“Then I went back to Claremont and got things rolling again, had a couple good games and the finished off with the flag.”
Despite impressing at the local state carnival, where van Rooyen’s time of 7.898 seconds for the agility test ranks as the best of the 2023 draft crop, he’s yet to receive any interest from Fremantle or West Coast recruiters.
Instead, it’s been clubs on the other side of the country that have come calling.
Van Rooyen says he’s spoken to Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, GWS, St Kilda, Carlton and more, with his chances of joining his brother in a different time zone growing.
But he won’t present in the same way footy-wise.
“We’re similar in that we play the same sort of role but that’s sort of where it ends,” he explained.
“He’s more of a strong, one-on-one contested player whereas I’m a lead at the ball, fly for marks sort of player.”
While Sam is just a centimetre short of his brother at 192cms, Jacob weighs in around seven kilograms heavier.
With the season now finished and players able to do little more to press their case for an AFL list spot, it’s a lengthy wait for nerve-wracked prospects ahead of November’s National Draft.
The National Draft commences on November 20 when the first round is taken, with the remainder of picks to be made the following day.
“I’m definitely nervous. I’m not 100 per cent going to get drafted so I’m just waiting to see what’s going to happen, I’m doing all I can between now and the draft to get my name called out on the night,” van Rooyen said.