Reigning Moama best-and-fairest Nick Pavlou was on the cusp of an AFL career. His journey to Murray Football League hasn’t been straightforward.
Sandringham Dragons have produced a number of out-and-out stars at AFL level.
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Household names such as Chris Judd, Luke Ball, Jobe Watson and Tom Hawkins have all pulled on the navy blue, maroon and white jumper in what is now known as the Coates Talent League before making the jump to the big time.
But none of the aforementioned players have had the distinction of being named captain of the representative side.
Nick Pavlou has.
The reigning Moama best-and-fairest was identified as a junior star, being selected as a bottom-age talent for the Dragons.
It was in his top-age year in 2015 that he was given the honour of captaining the side, succeeding the recently-drafted Angus Brayshaw.
“That was a really interesting time for me,” Pavlou said of his time at the Dragons.
“The Sandy Dragons are one of the unique teams where a lot of their players are private school students who have to actually play for their school team as a priority, opposed to the Dragons.
“I was actually the sole captain of Sandy Dragons, however, I probably only played eight or 10 games throughout the year because I had to go and play school footy as a priority.
“It was a pretty unique circumstance trying to juggle it all together.”
On top of being named captain for the Dragons, Pavlou was captain of the Brighton Grammar first 18 side, while also completing his Year 12 studies.
As an 18-year-old, the AFL was within reach for Pavlou, a dream he had held since first pulling on a pair of boots.
But it was to go unrealised.
“A lot of kids growing up, it's their dream to play footy and, yeah, I was close, but unfortunately didn't get the chance,” he said.
“It's a pretty political industry trying to get drafted and you not only need to be a good footy player, but you need a lot of luck on your side. I didn't have a bit of luck in a few circumstances, so I missed out."
In his draft year, Pavlou captained two bottom-age players by the names of Andrew McGrath and Tim Taranto.
They would go number one and two respectively in the draft one year later.
As a young man dealing with the reality of not being drafted, Pavlou threw himself into his studies and work, graduating from the Dragons to the Sandringham VFL side.
While he followed the VFL pathway for a number of years, he ultimately came to the realisation that there was more to life outside of football.
Taking a step back, Pavlou found himself back at childhood club Hampton in the VAFA, before moving to Old Brighton Grammarians to play in the premier division of the amateur competition.
There was no denying his class, as he claimed the 2019 Old Brighton best-and-fairest in a stellar year that included a 54-disposal, two-goal performance against VAFA powerhouse St Kevin’s.
Ever humble, Pavlou played down his exploits.
“I think it was just right place, right time,” he said.
“Lots of people play good games of footy.”
But with an eye-catching 2019 season behind him, COVID-19 lockdowns and disruptions sparked a desire within Pavlou to escape the Melbourne bubble, a decision that led him first to the Northern Territory, before ending up at Moama.
Winning the best-and-fairest in his first year at Banks, Pavlou returned and won a premiership in the 2021-22 season.
Alongside him in that best-and-fairest season was Moama assistant coach Jye Warren.
“A few of my teammates at Banks Bulldogs were Moama boys,” Pavlou said.
“Obviously I created a bit of a connection and friendship with them when I was playing footy up in Darwin.
“They were in my ear a bit to come and give Moama footy a crack, (there was) a number of reasons, but it was good timing.
“I was keen for a change and to get out of Melbourne, so yeah, played there last year and have been absolutely loving it ever since."
That Pavlou is loving his time at Moama is evident.
He was best-and-fairest in his first year at the club, kicking 28 goals from the midfield to finish one behind Fraser Buchanan in the club goal-kicking award.
The club is firmly in the premiership window this season, with Pavlou among the many that are excited about the prospect of going deep into September.
“We're very eager to see where we could go this year,” he said.
“We've brought a couple of players into the team and pretty much kept, you know, 90-95 per cent of last year's team. We're really excited to see where we can go.
“I'm not sure we've found our most consistent and best footy as of yet, we're all sort of still trying to find that, but from glimpses of what we have shown so far, I think everyone's pretty pleased with where we're at, and we've got a keen eye on what we can do later in the year.”