In another reality, Callum Brown might just be popping up on the shoulder of Ethan Doherty or Ciaran McFaul to punctuate a searing run by collecting the ball and sending it high into the Croke Park sky this Sunday.
The Limavady man knows what it's like to face Kerry in crucial All-Ireland clash at Headquarters.
Like current senior stars, Conor McCluskey and Padraig McGrogan, he was among the Oak Leaf minors who were given the runaround by David Clifford in the All-Ireland minor final of 2017.
That that was the first of three All-Ireland minor finals reached by Derry over seven season appears to have been something of a footnote to the arrival of the Fossa phenomenon to the big stage. It was always going to be like that.
The promise of a steady conveyor belt of talent is starting to pay off but Sunday's All-Ireland minor final win over Monaghan suggests there is more to come.
Brown was one who held such promise in his teenage years, the Limavady man balancing an underage soccer career with Linfield with his Gaelic football committments, but when a third code came calling, he left both behind to try his hand Aussie Rules.
A switch to AFL club Greater Western Sydney Giants has been something of a slow burn, but sealing a new two-year contract after a recent run of fine form shots a determination by Brown to take things to the next level, and scupper any hope that Derry fans might see him in red and white any time soon - not that those closest to him are pushing for him to do so.
- Read more: Neil Loughran: Kerry, Derry and why Conor McCluskey no longer needs to look to the past
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Reflecting on his 19-game AFL career in three seasons for Greater Western Sydney Giants, Brown never forgets the three words from home that inspire his success.
“Don’t come back,” is the same text that the Limavady man regularly receives from his family and this week was no exception after he penned a two-year contract extension for the Giants.
Brown (22) has been in the form of his life this season. He has established himself as a first-choice senior player for GWS in the past 10 weeks and has also proved his versatility by kicking crucial goals in the forward line after being switched from defence.
The security of a new deal has given Brown the impetus to continue improving, believing that his long-term future is in Sydney.
“The past couple of years, it’s just been one-year deals, one after the other,” Brown said.
“Now I’m playing good footy and want to create more for the team. I want to stay here in Sydney, I don’t want to move anywhere else.
“Everyone is still texting from back home. It’s always the text, ‘Don’t come back … the county is going well but they don’t need you right now. Focus out there, keep your mindset where it is, and you’ll be good’.”
We speak with Callum Brown following his two-year contract extension
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In 2018, Brown became the first Irish recruit in GWS history when he was signed as a Category B rookie. Brown found the athletic transition from Gaelic football to Australian Rules relatively straightforward but by his own admission, he struggled to grasp the mindset required to succeed in the AFL. He was incorrectly perceived as lacking hunger but a “serious kick up the backside” transformed his attitude.
“I think the coaches probably didn’t pick up from the start the kind of person I was, I was very relaxed and laid back,” Brown explained.
“It might look like I didn’t want to be there but really, I loved it.
“I knew I had the attributes, but I probably needed more of a footy sense. Maybe I just didn’t put the effort in that they wanted from me.
“It was a real kick up the ass, there were a couple of them throughout the years. Serious conversations in the meeting rooms with the coaches and Jason McCartney – ‘What are you doing? We know you have it, but you’re not showing it’.
“It clicked in my head. This is exactly what I want in my life, so I need to put more effort into it.”
- Read more: “I have an overwhelming sense of gratitude." Zach Tuohy on breaking Jim Stynes's AFL appearance record
Brown has so far kicked seven goals for the season and has been one of the Giants’ strongest marking targets since his 2023 debut in round seven. The Giants are currently just outside the final spots but having won their past four consecutive matches are in contention to feature at the business end of the season in September.
It may not happen this year, but Brown hopes his family will fly across the other side of the world to see him in action next season, perhaps playing finals.
“My little brother is still at school, my sister is over in London texting me … trying to send hints of me paying for the flights,” Brown said.
“Now that I’ve got two more years, I’ll definitely get them out next year if I don’t get them by the end of the year.
“You can tell by the celebrations how much it means. We spoke about it in meetings, we want to celebrate everything – whether it’s a tackle, spoil or a goal.
“We want to move it quickly. We want to move off the line. And at the minute there’s no frustration between the group. Everyone’s playing their role and you can tell by how we’re winning.
Brown has no hesitation in recommending Australian rules to other young GAA players considering the move Down Under.
“I just want to stay at the club and do the most for the club as well,” he said.
“I don’t really get inspired by other people. I don’t want to say it in a cocky way, but I know I have it in me so why should I look to someone else to play their game, why can’t I make my own type of style of footy.
“That’s always been the same, even with Gaelic, my mindset was I knew I was the best and I’ll stay the best.”
