The first time it came up in a football sense remains his first footy memory. Having recently arrived in Adelaide from Queensland, aged five or six, his mother took him along to Edwardstown and asked if he could have a run. All mongrel: Caleb Daniel tackles Collingwood's Alex Fasolo in a round 17 match at Etihad Stadium. Credit:Getty Images "They looked at me and asked, 'Are we taking toddlers now?' That was the first time I was told I was too small." There have been many others, always stoking a determination to prove them wrong. Invariably the doubts have been swiftly swept aside, as soon as Daniel showcases the clean hands, neat skills and sharpness of mind that make his overall package grow. "His decision-making stood out, his ball-handling," Bulldogs recruiter Simon Dalrymple says, adding that endurance in the top bracket for any draftee in any draft was another big plus. "He can keep on running. And he's got fantastic agility, and when you've got that lateral movement it buys you a bit more time."

Daniel thinks quickly on the ground, and deeply off it. "Probably my composure," he says when asked his biggest asset. "And clean skills. They're things I've had to develop right from the get-go." He has a warm smile and it surfaces when he admits he "wasn't really done too many favours in the height department". His father is "about five foot eight" (173cm), mother and older sister barely five foot (152cm) in the old. "They're not vertically massive, no." His parents are separated but Daniel reckons they're closer than when they were together. He's grateful they've only ever told him he can, not can't. "My family's always been supportive, my mates have been amazingly supportive." His philosophy is if someone's filling your head with negativity, get rid of them. He loved Chris Judd and the West Coast midfield in its mid-2000s prime. Looking back he's not sure Ben Cousins and Daniel Kerr were the best all-round role models, "but they were pretty good on the footy field". He's never really barracked for a team. "I just liked players, how they went about it."

Daniel consistently captained underage and representative teams, remembers being dominant at times and perhaps not getting the rewards he might have. It taught him to be even better the next time. Giving his all is second nature. Dalrymple's research unwrapped a young man who was never going to be the best student, but who went to school and tried, earning the respect of his teachers. "That's probably true," Daniel says. "I turned up and gave it a crack." He played senior football at South Adelaide at 16 and will always love the club for that opportunity. "If any kid wants to try and play senior footy, I'd highly recommend it." Dalrymple says watching him play against men in the SANFL last year was invaluable. Of course, recruiters had to first get past the obvious. Dalrymple saw him play for South against Adelaide, standing next to Brent Reilly at a stoppage and thought, "Jeez, he looks small!" Then he asked himself, "But what impact does it have on his game?" At every turn - Does it cost him possessions? Does it stop him sticking tackles? - the answer was no. Broadly he's seen as more of an uncontested possession player, because his running and vision get him into smart spots and his skills ensure the team keeps the ball when he gets it. His endurance in games is something of a contradiction; Daniel's time trial testing was underwhelming.

"I'm a shocking time trialer," he says, stumped as to why his "tank" is so much better in games. "I take about 100 more steps every hundred metres, but I suppose I can't blame that." Brent Harvey is listed as the same height, but Daniel reckons "he's got me covered by a centimetre or two". He wishes he had "Boomer's" blistering pace; Dalrymple says it was important from the outset not to line him up against others. The game has changed so much since Harvey was drafted in 1995, Daniel is truly unique in the modern AFL. And of course there's the helmet, the only one he's ever had, which his Mum made him wear from age. "It's been in the family for a while now," he says, admitting it's been challenging at times, like when mates appeared in action photos looking good without headgear. "I've left it at home a couple of times on purpose." He's come around to it being part of the footballer he is; there's no questioning the size of his attitude. "I'm pretty comfortable with who I am, I don't try and change for anyone." Close to a dozen clubs spoke to Daniel before last year's draft, and all asked him why someone so short should be given a chance. He resolved to talk big, listing his attributes rather than comparing himself to others.

Dalrymple says the Dogs valued pick 46, and when they committed to using it on whoever they thought had most chance of being a successful AFL player - rather than targeting a role player - Daniel was the obvious choice. His five games since breaking into the team in round 14 haven't changed that belief. Daniel thinks you get picked for a reason, which has given him the confidence to take the elevation in his stride. He doesn't feel small, although admits it's a bit daunting standing next to someone who's 200cm and 105kg. "But I don't feel tiny. I feel like I can hold my own."