The success of groundbreaking Americans Mason Cox and Jason Holmes has added extra motivation for Carlton's fast-improving US big man Matthew Korcheck.
Korcheck, a 208cm, 105kg ruckman, joined the Blues in September 2015 as a category B international rookie after impressing at a Florida screening camp five months before.
The 24-year-old played basketball at division one college Arizona and, as with Cox and Holmes, has had to learn the sport from scratch.
He has worked closely with Carlton's development and ruck coach, Matthew Capuano, and Northern Blues mentor Josh Fraser, and has steadily improved at Victorian Football League level this year.
He realises he's still a long way from forcing his way into Carlton's senior team, but the powerful and aggressive ruckman says he's been thrilled at the progress of his fellow Americans -- and is using their success as motivation.
"It's wonderful to see [Cox and Holmes play AFL]. They don't know it but the two of them -- and Eric Wallace [who was de-listed by North Melbourne late last season] -- they really have motivated me tremendously, and they've really opened the door for a lot of other U.S athletes to come over and try the game," Korcheck told ESPN.
"They're the first generation of guys who have done it. Right after I signed, Jason and Mason started playing really well and getting a shot at senior games, so it's extremely motivating for me. It's great to see them come over and accomplish what they were trying to accomplish."
The physicality of AFL drew Korcheck to the sport, but he has had to quickly learn the game's skills, rules and nuances, and develop the required running power.
"Physically, the endurance aspect is the hardest," he said.
"Coming from a basketball background you don't run nearly as much as you do in footy, so that's the main physical challenge.
"And kicking, of course; basketball is all hands, so switching to using your feet when you've never done it before [is difficult].
"But I love it. The VFL has been great, [I'm] really enjoying it. The game certainly moves pretty quickly and sometimes I still find myself getting a little lost, and I have to talk myself through structures and where to be on the field, doing the right things at the right time.
"I love how physical the game is. It blows my mind that there's a sport out there that you can just run over people and not worry about anything. I've copped a couple [of big hits] and you just have to get your breath back and fight back; it kind of wakes you up and gets you motivated ... I love it."
Fraser, the former No.1 draft pick who played 218 AFL games for Collingwood and Gold Coast, crossed to the Blues at the end of last season after coaching the Suns' reserves in the North East Australian Football League.
Korcheck was dropped to the VFL's development league last weekend,due to an influx of Carlton-listed talent, but he had previously played every match in the Northern Blues' senior team.
Fraser said the American had a lot of exciting attributes but still had a lot to learn before pushing for an AFL debut.
"He's played nearly every game, and in all of those he's shown glimpses of improvement -- which is pleasing given where he's come from. It can be a really difficult task at VFL senior level," Fraser told ESPN.
"He has done a lot of work with Matt Capuano and he's just getting better and better.
"His game sense and his ability to position himself in the right spots around the ground is something that will take a little longer to develop but ... he's probably tracking at the level that we thought he would be - and he's got enormous upside.
"He's got a good leap, he's great athlete, and he's a really big body who loves to tackle and can win clearances himself; it's a good blend of attributes.
"The next stage of development [will be] learning his craft as a forward, understanding the leading patterns, which will be a big challenge but it'll add another string to his bow.
"We're really excited about his potential ... if he can keep developing and has a few big spikes of improvement, I wouldn't rule him out from one day playing AFL footy."
Korcheck -- who studied human science and behaviours at the University of Arizona -- hopes more U.S athletes will become aware of the opportunities in the AFL and try their luck.
"I loved the idea of trying something new, and trying something challenging," he said.
"I was amazed at the physicality and endurance that these athletes have - and the fact I had an opportunity to train with some of the best athletes in the world was extremely motivating for me.
"It may take some time [before more U.S athletes enter the AFL system]; it's still a pretty new deal for the AFL recruiting American athletes, but from what I understand over the past couple of years it's becoming a lot bigger and if they continue to do it, our media will continue to pick up on it and I truly hope more guys come over here and play because it's been wonderful."