For Sydney Stack, football has been an escape.

To watch Stack play is to see a fearless contested bull but the 18-year-old says the football field is actually a place where he feels at peace.

On talent, Stack would be one of the first West Australians taken in the national draft, which will be staged over Thursday and Friday.

But the Perth midfielder has taken some time to come to grips with the off-field demands ultimately required to join the AFL.

“It’s more like off-field and what your character is like and what you are willing to do to develop as a person and player,” Stack said.

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“Footy is like kind of an escape for me. I grew up moving a lot and grew up around violence ... and never really had stability, so I just find footy as just a way out, to get out of trouble and things like that.

“I just really find my peace there, on the footy field. Just that physical side, I really take my anger out at footy sometimes and it just helps me, to release stress and stuff.”

Stack was left out of WA’s first under-18 championship game for disciplinary reasons before returning and earning All-Australian honours as one of the best performers in the carnival.

“Missing that first game was disappointing for me but I just took it on the chin and bounced back and went and played WAFL colts and had a career high of 33 disposals — and after the State champs, I just played as well as I could during the championship and then came back and strived to play league (at Perth) and had three games.

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“I just have a lot of family issues and stuff like that. I just really focused on myself and putting my best foot forward this year.

“A lot of credit to my manager Paul Peos. He helped me on the mental side of things and got my head screwed on and just focused day-in, day-out, week-in, week-out. Not thinking too far ahead.”

Camera Icon Stack broke through for a league run late in the season at Perth. Credit: Trevor Collens

Stack lived with Peos at the start of the year but ended up spending the rest of the year staying with former Western Bulldogs player Brennan Stack, who has also helped him off the field. Brennan and Sydney’s great grandfathers were brothers.

Stack is also a cousin of fellow WA prospect Ian ‘Bobby’ Hill.

The 179cm midfielder played a lot of sports growing up but found football was where he was most at home and has benefited from playing against bigger bodies most of his life.

Stack is nervous and trying to keep busy as he waits to see if he’ll get his chance.

He is close with his four sisters, but would love the chance to move interstate.

“Just a whole new start and just to get away from everything and live my life,” he said.