Aspiring draftee Liam Jeffs hopes spending time at North Melbourne will help him pursue his “lifelong dream” of playing at the elite level.

The 17-year-old, who is eligible for this year’s National Draft, forms part of the AFL’s level two Academy squad and is undertaking a week-long placement with the Roos.

The 193cm midfielder has been given an eye-opening experience into the life of an AFL footballer, going so far as to living with Mason Wood, Joel Tippett and Kieran Harper during his time at the club.

“I’ve just found if I look like I’m lost, they’ll come up to me and say, ‘Are you right, mate?’ I find it really good when they do that,” Jeffs told NMFC.com.au.

The youngster says training at Arden Street has helped him understand what’s required of a professional athlete.

“You learn the things that are required for the game, such as you’ve got to be able to listen, the recovery and diet (aspects) and all those things you don’t understand until you experience it yourself,” he said.

Some words of advice from a North veteran helping Jeffs along the way.

“‘Wellsy’ (Daniel Wells) said, ‘Go hard, play how you play and bring your strengths.’ That’s what I got out of Wellsy,” he said.

But it’s the late afternoon weight sessions that have proved most strenuous for the lightly-framed teenager.

“Obviously I don’t lift as much as them, like Majak (Daw) and people like that. I’ve got my little 60kg on the bench and they’ve got 100-plus,” he said with a laugh.

“It’s about 5:30pm (after training is complete) and you’re stuffed, so you go home.”

Jeffs’ football journey began at the Croydon Football Club before his mates quickly convinced him to join East Ringwood at under-10 level.

He later teamed up with the Eastern Ranges’ under-15 squad and last year featured in every game of the TAC Cup competition as a bottom-aged player.

His involvement with the Ranges gave him the opportunity to play alongside North recruit Daniel Nielson (pick No. 25 in last year’s draft) and Melbourne draftee Christian Petracca (No. 2).

“I’m pretty good friends with Christian so we’ll hang out outside of footy. I’d rotate in the middle with him and learn heaps from him because he’d be getting tagged every week.”

Jeffs, who turns 18 in March, models his game on Fremantle midfielders David Mundy and Nat Fyfe.

Being able to fulfil multiple positions is an important factor for the teen, who envisages playing in the midfield with stints up forward.

“Because I’m quite tall, I try to match it (my game) around them with their inside ball and ability to be versatile within positions," he said.

“I found out that Mundy was picked All Australian full-back at under-18 level.”

Jeffs is especially animated when he talks about the prospect of being drafted by an AFL club.

“It sends tingles down your spine,” he said.

“It’s just a lifelong dream really, since you were little you watch players, even Boomer Harvey that’s here and Drew Petrie, and it’d be unreal to get a chance at that.”

As part of the academy program, Jeffs featured in the Australian under-17’s curtain raiser against the Allies on Grand Final day and trained with Melbourne in December.

The level two squad members, who have this week been undertaking their second round of placements at AFL clubs, will board a plane to Tampa in Florida on Saturday morning.

“The first seven to eight days is just training at the IMG Academy and doing all sorts of tests,” Jeffs said.

“One of them is a VO2 max test. I’ve never done that before so it will be really interesting to see what it’s like.

“At the end, (we’ll attend) an NBA game and a college game.”