HE is the son of a South-East lobster fisherman and became an elite athlete by pounding the pavement on the outskirts of Millicent while his dad Joel followed him in his car with a stopwatch.

Now Mason Redman’s insatiable work ethic and burning desire to become an AFL footballer is poised to pay big dividends with the Glenelg utility emerging as one of this year’s draft bolters.

Defying the pathway program of most of this year’s heralded draft crop, Redman was a little-known country footballer a year ago.

But on Tuesday he is almost certain to find an AFL home and should be considered as a top-20 pick, according to 2006 Magarey Medallist Brett Backwell.

Backwell, who coached Redman in Glenelg’s reserves this year, describes the 18-year-old as “an absolute ripper and one of the best kids you’ll ever come across’’.

“Mason knows what he wants and he’s set about getting it, doing everything in his power to win a spot on an AFL list’’ said Backwell, a former Carlton, West Adelaide, Glenelg and North Adelaide rover.

“There’s talent and then there’s attitude and I would take attitude over talent every day of the week and Mason’s got that in bucketloads. Attitude-wise he’s as good a kid as I’ve ever seen.

“That’s not to say he’s not extremely talented because he is. He’s athletic, he can run and carry, he kicks the ball well and he makes good decisions but it’s his attitude that sets him apart from most others.’’

media_camera Redman with his dad Joel at Southend where the family cray boats are based. Photo: Tait Schmaal

Redman, a linebreaking 187cm, 77kg wingman who is equally at home on a half-back or half-forward flank, enjoyed a meteoric rise this year after leaving the “comfort zone’’ of his Millicent home — 400km southeast of Adelaide.

After being included in Glenelg’s southeast talent squads at age 14 and playing his first senior game for Millicent at 15, Redman, somewhat reluctantly — “I didn’t want to leave the family but I knew I had to get to Adelaide and have a crack at it if I wanted to achieve my dream of playing AFL,’’ he said — packed his bags in January to move to the city.

He shifted in with his aunty at Highgate and joined Concordia College so school football wouldn’t interfere with his Glenelg commitments.

Redman started the season in the under-18s, represented SA at the national under-18 championships, returned to play reserves football and played two league games, which were watched by about 30 family members and friends.

He then put himself on display for the 18 AFL clubs at last month’s draft combine in Melbourne.

Redman, a North Melbourne supporter, said every club except GWS and Carlton has interviewed him.

media_camera Redman on the run with his dad in tow. Photo: Tait Schmaal.

“It’s been an amazing year and hopefully there’s another chapter to be written yet,’’ he said.

Redman has dreamt of playing AFL since he joined his first Auskick clinic at age five.

“It’s all I’ve ever really wanted to do,’’ he said.

“I used to watch the AFL on television and tell all my friends that I wanted to be an AFL player.

“My mates used to laugh at me and say ‘yeah, right’, but that only made me want it more and spurred me on to try to prove them wrong.’’

Redman, who models his game on his lookalike, Essendon utility Brendon Goddard, said he “wanted it that badly’’ that two years ago he asked a retired personal trainer to design a pre-season program for him.

His fitness regimen included running 1km bursts on roads near Millicent while his dad Joel followed behind in his car timing him. Redman just ran and ran, stopping locals by doing his best Forrest Gump impersonation.

‘’I’ve never considered myself super-talented and felt that I’d have to work really hard to make it,” Redman said.

“Luckily I’m starting to reap the rewards of the work I’ve put in.’’