Ben Paton arrived at Marvel Stadium on the morning of April 14 hoping to further his claims for an AFL recall .
He left the venue that Sunday a lot later than expected, exhausted and elated, and hasn't looked back since.
The 20-year-old has impressed in defence over the last month since he was a last-minute inclusion for that round-four win over Hawthorn.
Paton has been part of two wins and two losses for the Saints, who will start underdogs on Saturday night against reigning premiers West Coast - again at Marvel Stadium.
After making his AFL debut late last season, Paton was left out for the first three rounds and was also set to play in the round-four curtain raiser.
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But captain Jarryn Geary was sick and so Paton was on the bench for the first half of the VFL game, just in case.
Not only did he become a last-minute addition for Geary, but coach Alan Richardson made a point of noting that Paton had done a great job in challenging circumstances.
It followed last season, when Paton was an emergency nine times before making his senior debut.
"I hadn't thought about playing AFL that day and I was prepared to play earlier," Paton said of the Hawthorn game.
"It was hard to prepare for another game, but once I was out on the field I was fine.
"It was a different one ... it was a bit draining by the end of the day, but it was good to have a win as well."
The Saints were on a roll when Paton made his unlikely return to the seniors team as they won four of their opening five games.
But they've lost their last two and Paton said consistency has been a big theme ahead of Saturday night's challenging clash.
"We've been fading in out of games in the last fortnight, especially that first quarter," Paton said.
"We've been going away from what we know works."
Paton started last year on a wing, but has been in defence this season and says that's where he tends to play his best football.
Since being drafted in 2017, it's also helped that he has boarded with teammate Jack Billings.
It was supposed to be short-term when Paton moved to Melbourne, but he has been there since.
"It's been really good - early days, it was just little things like recovery, doing extra things like dietary stuff, how to prepare for training and games," Paton said.
"It's been awesome for me over the last couple of years."
