“We think he’s a once-in-an-eight- or ten-year player. We just couldn’t not go with him.”  - Gold Coast SUNS List and Strategy Manager, Scott Clayton.

There’s no secret the list management team at Metricon Stadium was over the moon to secure Victorian power forward Peter Wright with selection eight in last November’s National Draft. To describe an 18-year-old as a once-in-a-decade footballer is not something that is mentioned in passing, especially when the words tumble out of the mouth of talent identification guru, Scott Clayton.

But, if you think comments such as these will have a detrimental effect on Wright or pile extra pressure on the teenager, think again. Long before a ball was bounced in 2014, Wright was touted as a high draft pick. Many even suggested he might be the first name read out.

The Calder Cannons product ascended the draft calculations ladder in a traditional manner. He was selected in representative teams from the age of 11 and crafted an exceptional underage career that put him on a pathway to the AFL from an early age.

Wright’s strong hands overhead and accurate goal kicking from beyond the 50-metre arc had football aficionados salivating at the thought of the kid from Moonee Valley wearing their colours.

An up and down 2014 campaign (by his lofty standards) swayed some recruiters to question certain areas of his game. But, given the fact Wright had been on football clubs’ radar’s for such a long time, recruiters were forensically picking apart his game to find reasons not to take him with a selection at the pointy end.

Wright admits being flaunted as one of the best young players in the draft did affect him at certain times in 2014. Newspaper columns were written about him, talkback callers rang in to discuss his prospects and draft forums were saturated with Wright hype.  

“It was a bit of pressure, I definitely felt it at different times throughout the year. I think early on it was something I hadn’t been exposed to before so it took me some time to get used to,” Wright told goldcoastfc.com.au.

“I didn’t really deal with it too well. It got the better of me at times I think. I read a bit too much into what people were saying about me and everyone sort of has their point of view on your footy.

VIDEO: See what Peter had to say after being drafted by the Gold Coast SUNS

“I had to deal with that and learn to deal with that a lot better than what I was. I just tried to zone out of all that and not focus on all that and listen to the coaches and the people that knew my footy better than anyone else.”

Being mentioned in the same conversation as the best young talent in the land essentially meant that Wright would be selected by the end of the first round at the very latest. For the duration of last season, draft experts predicted the tall red head with the vice-like hands would not fall out of the top ten.

The positive of being burdened with the pressure placed on potential high draft picks is they have sufficient time to contemplate the reality that by the end of November they may have to pack up their bags and move to another side of the country without the comfort of their family and friends.

“I had a bit of time to prepare. It was always something that could have happened (being drafted and having to move interstate) this year. Half the clubs are in Victoria but there’s always that 50 per cent chance that you’re going to go away,” Wright said.

“I had time to prepare for it I think but it’s something I’ve never experienced before. I’ve never been away from home for more than three weeks before so it’s taking some getting used to.

“You miss aspects of being home but I certainly haven’t been homesick yet. You get stuck into your training and that takes your mind off things.”

VIDEO: Watch Dion Prestia interview Peter on Draft night

The days and weeks following the draft are a whirlwind for any young man who has had the initial stage of a lifelong dream realised. Whilst the day-to-day grind of pre-season can become monotonous for seasoned veterans who are itching for the season to come around, new draftees enter football clubs wide-eyed and full of apprehension.

The Gold Coast SUNS added Wright, along with Jarrod Garlett (pick No. 15) and Touk Miller (pick No. 29) to their playing list on November 27. With less than a month before the Christmas interval, all three arrived at Metricon Stadium to experience a taste of what could be the next decade or more of their lives.

Wright believes the extended break over Christmas following his first three weeks at the SUNS was beneficial, but now the ‘honeymoon’ phase is over and his life is now on the Gold Coast - a long way away from the inner western suburbs of Melbourne.

“Before Christmas was a bit of a honeymoon period where you’ve got three weeks of work to get stuck into and then you’d always have the two- or three-week break after that. So it really is work now.

“(I’m) still getting used to the heat; it’s still pretty warm up here but slowly getting used to it. The humidity gets you.”

The climate in southern Queensland is without doubt a massive shock to the system for anyone arriving from the southern states. For a fair-skinned Melburnian, the energy-sapping humidity, with its ability to evaporate litres of water from your body each session, will take some getting used to.

In his first week at the club, Wright’s bright red neck and shoulders suggested that he needed to rethink his sunscreen approach if he was going to battle through a long summer on the Gold Coast. A glance at his shoulders during this interview suggested his skin had begun to adapt to the brutal northern sun, and whilst he won’t rival David Swallow’s tan anytime soon, he won’t continue to sizzle under the Gold Coast sunshine.

The 199-cm key forward identified the heat and humidity as his biggest challenges thus far, along with the increased training volume compared to his underage days.

“The heat and humidity side of things it is tough to get used to and there has been some pretty hot days the last couple of days, as well as just backing up day-to-day,” Wright said.

“Three big sessions a week as well as your Tuesday, Saturday half-days. It’s more training than I’ve ever been exposed to, I think. You were always working training around school times. So I think the accumulation of training and the pure volume (have been the biggest challenges so far).”

After lodging with Charlie Dixon during his first couple of weeks after the draft, Wright is now settled with a host family in Ashmore. He shares the top floor with fellow draftees Miller and Garlett, and despite the upstairs section of the house being equipped with a kitchen, the prized recruits enjoy the hospitality of Mark and Maryanne whose home cooked meals have attracted rave reviews.

Now settled on the Gold Coast in the wake of a chaotic 2014, Wright is humming on the track at Metricon Stadium.  Regardless of the tags put on him on draft night and throughout his junior career, this summer is he just one of many blossoming young stars who have their eyes firmly set on making an impact this season.