In the footy heartland of Melbourne's west, a three minute drive up the road from Williamstown you'll find Khaled El Souki kicking bags of goals for fun in Newport. The starring teenager is easy to spot, but not because he invariably has the ball in his hands. His family and friends would create a procession of spectators, trailing him from one set of goals to the other by the dozen as he put the El Souki name up in lights.
"I'd always have a bunch coming end to end when I'm playing forward line... they'd follow me knowing I kick goals so they come to the end my team's kicking at. Even at my VFL game, I had so many people there," El Souki tells ESPN with a smile.
"There'd be easily 30, 40-plus family and friends and just locals from the community."
Follow the crowd and you'd find the reason they were there. El Souki is a dazzling mix of power and balance in a short, stocky frame, making the small forward a nightmare to latch onto for defenders. He hits the ball at pace, ducks and weaves through contact and thrives in space with a beautiful left leg that's equally adept at setting sail for home or lacing out leading forwards.
El Souki, who credits fellow Lebanese footballers Adam Sweid and Hussien El Achkar for their guidance, plays with an intoxicating blend of tempo and poise in direct contrast to one another.
He puts speed on everything he does, playing with high cadence to outwork opponents and create separation. But there's precision and composure in each disposal, slowing on his final step inside 50 and taking a little off his kicks to leading forwards as he guides them to space.
That ball use has come to the fore in 2026 and his fitness base to get through all four quarters each week has been massive for his elevation into the first-round frame of the AFL Draft.
"I knew my endurance stuff last year was a bit of an issue. I got to work in the off-season and this year I just put my best foot forward every game," El Souki says.
"I was doing so many extra sessions, boxing with my coach. He would push me in everything I was doing, making sure I was going 100% in everything I do.
"Not making the MCG (Rising Stars) game last year, to what I've come to now. It's been big for me so I'm pretty proud of where I am."
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El Souki's resilient character was on full display for clubs again mid-year with a nasty ankle fracture on the eve of Vic Metro's national championships.
Doctors told the small forward he'd be out of action for eight to 10 weeks.
He was back within six weeks and played in Metro's final game of an undefeated campaign.
It topped off a season in which El Souki kicked 40 goals from 14 games at the Western Jets and made his Footscary VFL debut, leading their goalkicking with three majors in a team boasting 12 AFL-listed players.
El Souki's rise may create some headaches for the Western Bulldogs, who have first dibs on the Lebanese first-round prospect under Next Generation Academy rules.
It's a program the Newport product has been extremely grateful for through his formative years.
"Since I was around 13 years old they've taught me so much," he says.
"It gives opportunities to everyone from all places, everyone from all around the world. It brings more multicultural kids to the game so they're doing so much for the community."
The talent Whitten Oval has helped craft may land elsewhere though, with new bid matching rules in 2026 coupled with Zak Butters's desire to land at the Kennel forcing a points squeeze.
List manager Sam Power's team has picks 12, 30 and 48 to work wtith, and will be desperate to hold onto that first round selection knowing El Souki's star has risen into the top 20 frame. The small forward is every chance to be bid on in the first round and is exactly what's required forward of the ball at senior level.
That Dogs conundrum may hinge on Port Adelaide accepting a compensation pick for Butters or matching the offer sheet and forcing a trade - not that it bothers El Souki where he lands on draft night.
"My dream since I was a kid was to get drafted, so wherever I go I'd be happy."