West Coast draftee Willem Duursma says he won’t be leaning on his sibling for advice as he enters the AFL system, stating it’s better to discover it for himself. 

The Duursma family are no stranger to the AFL system, with Willem’s two older brothers, Xavier and Zane, on AFL lists, while his older sister Yasmin plays in the AFLW. 

While he too followed their footsteps and got picked by an AFL side, he’s determined to learn the system himself, preferring to discover it himself. 

“I don’t really use them too much to chat, but I think I’ve just watched them throughout the years and understand the stuff that they go through,” he told SportFM.

“I think that’s the beauty of being in the AFL. You find out all this stuff for yourself. It’s probably better that way, so I don’t try and take any shortcuts.”

Duursma’s versatility around the ground made him an enticing prospect for any club, having success in different positions throughout his junior career. 

Many will be speculating where the No.1 pick may land on the field once the season rolls around, with him being tipped for an early debut in round one against the Suns. While Duursma says he plays his best footy through the middle, he’s happy to play it by ear. 

“I haven’t really had too many tests yet where I’m playing at the moment,” he said.

“Obviously, I play my best footy in the middle. We’ll see what happens whether I have to go half-forward, half-back.”

The No.1 pick was among six players to be picked up in this year’s National Draft, with all of them getting stuck in on Monday morning during the first pre-season training session with the entire squad. 

Duursma, along with fellow draftees Cooper Duff-Tytler, Josh Lindsay, Tylah Williams and Fred Rodriguez,  joined the main group, while Sam Allen was on lighter duties while recovering from an ACL injury. 

Also among the new faces were premiership Lion Brandon Starcevich and former Tiger Tylar Young, who were picked up in the trade period, and SSP signings Deven Robertson, Fin Macrae and Harry Schoenberg.  

“The club welcomed all of us draftees really well,” said Duursma. 

“I think that we’re all really excited to get cracking into these next three weeks with pre-season and keep going after that.”

IMAGE: afl.com.au