Wagga footballer Pat Voss determined to keep his AFL dream alive

The Bombers made the surprise decision to delist Voss last week despite the 20-year-old winning the club's VFL best and fairest in just his second season.

The Turvey Park product remains upbeat however and is keen to take up any other AFL opportunity that comes his way.

"It was obviously a little bit disappointing but at the same time, the conversations between myself, the list manager and Scotty (Brad Scott) was just that they thought I could succeed somewhere else a lot easier than at the Essendon footy club," Voss said.

"They still see me as an AFL player so it was all pretty positive, it was just that things weren't on my side in terms of list spots.

"Unless you're a gun and get that security with your career, there's always going to be that little bit of worrying or the bit of an unknown, which is the scary part."

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Voss has already attracted some initial interest from rival AFL clubs since his delisting.

He and his manager, fellow Riverina AFL product David Trotter, will work through that over the next month.

After next month's AFL Draft, Voss will hopefully be in a position to accept a train-on position with a club in the view of securing a remaining list spot.

"Obviously we're in the early stages at the moment so we're just working through what that looks like with my manager," he said.

"Hopefully if there is any interest out there, it will be with a train-on spot. Hopefully there are a few clubs interested with that and I get a look in that way.

"I'll probably get a good indication before the draft and if things turn out the way I hope, shortly after the draft I'll be training with an AFL club. But again, the reality is a lot of people think that's going to turn out for them.

"If not, I'll just put myself in the best environment to get myself back on a list mid-season or at the end of season draft in a second tier competition, whether that's VFL, SANFL, WAFL."

Voss said he'd be prepared to move anywhere in the country to secure his AFL lifeline.

"One hundred per cent. Definitely," he said.

"There's been a little bit of interest. Obviously clubs have only just figured it out and now they're probably doing their own work internally and they'll probably reach out as they see fit.

"I'll just continue training the way I would. I'll probably just continue to follow the Essendon off-season program and then work through what it will look like if I don't get back onto a list.

"I'll keep my options open with all second tier competition clubs and then I'll have to sign on with a local club somewhere so I'll look to sign on somewhere locally, whichever is the best fit for me, and put myself in the best environment."

Voss was happy with the season he produced at VFL level for Essendon this year and has been heartened by the support from Bombers fans since last week's delisting was announced.

"I thought I had a pretty good year and had a few things on my side in terms of being young, a key position player and that sort of thing," he said.

"I think that's how Essendon fans view it but the reality is AFL clubs have got list sizes and that sort of thing and I got a bit unlucky in the end when we bought in three or four blokes through the free agency and trade week.

"That didn't work for me and at the end of the day that's the reality of the industry that we're in."

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