Half of the AFL's ruckmen may one day hail from America, the league's national and international talent manager Kevin Sheehan believes.
The AFL last week bade farewell to the latest two imports invited to try out for the Australian sport -- Stanislas Heili and Brandon Nazione, who both impressed at the American draft combine in April this year.
Frenchman Heili -- who stands a centimetre short of seven feet at 212.3cm, making him the tallest player ever tested for AFL - played basketball at Lindenwood University in Missouri and Nazione, whose sporting background includes American football, soccer and baseball, played with Eastern Michigan Eagles in college.
The duo was flown to Melbourne to learn more about the "chaotic" Australian game, as Nazione described it, in the hope of potentially joining a club as a category B rookie.
The pair trained under the watchful eye of six clubs while in Australia - Port Adelaide, Melbourne, St Kilda, Richmond, North Melbourne and Essendon.
While neither said they were fully committed to joining a club if offered a contract -- Heili needs to complete the final year of his masters in computer engineering, while Nazione has offers to play professional basketball in Europe -- Sheehan said the AFL was taking a long-term view.
"[These guys] were hand-picked for their size. Australia only has 23 million people, and we can't find enough [tall athletes] to fulfil our needs," Sheehan told ESPN.
"I think half the clubs would need another ruckman every year, so nine or 10 very big guys who have all the attributes of size, athleticism, courage, eye-hand coordination [are needed each year]. That [need] has been identified and the last four or five years we've worked ... to see if we can address that.
"We've got [St Kilda ruckman] Jason Holmes, [Collingwood's] Mason Cox through from the small numbers that have come [to Australia] and Matt Korcheck is doing very well at Carlton in VFL in just his first year, so all the indications are that this can work.
"It's early days. Only a handful have ever come out ... but in 50 years or so half the ruckmen in the AFL might well be Americans - that's probably the vision.
"There's enormous potential in it."
Holmes, Cox opened doors for U.S athletes - Korcheck
Sheehan said he hoped the AFL would soon be viewed as a legitimate option for American athletes who failed to make the top level in their chosen sports.
"We know we're in competition with European basketball, other sports and [professional] careers ... we have to compete in that space," he said.
"With only about 60 making the NBA each year, there's still some wonderful athletes [available] ... if we can win their hearts and minds and give them opportunities, there may be another Mason Cox somewhere."
Nazione and Heili view Cox -- who made a dramatic debut for Collingwood in front of more than 85,000 people at the MCG in April -- and Holmes - who became the first born-and-bred American to play AFL late last season - as trailblazers.
They spent time with Cox, the former Oklahoma State basketballer during their time in Melbourne, picking his brain about his journey, his new sport and living in Australia.
The pair also watched several AFL matches during their time Down Under, both men shocked at the running power and physicality on display.
Nazione said he believed many of his basketball skills would translate to AFL if he did eventually take a chance on the sport.
"The most translatable skills [are] jumping, cutting from basketball, lots of quick movements which can be used on a footy field," the 198cm athlete told ESPN.
"I'm definitely [attracted to] the chaotic nature of the game - I like how open the game is and the skills are awesome too ... but my family isn't keen about it, because it's such a tough sport physically!"
Both said they had plenty to think about during their return flights to America and France respectively.
"I'm up in the air about it," Nazione said. "I'm not completely 100 percent [certain about, hypothetically] if I get an offer today, I'll sign.
"It'll be something I'll have to discuss with my family and, with basketball, I've got opportunities to play professionally - I actually signed with [German second-tier club] Bayer Giants Leverkusen. So, I'll definitely do one of the two but it has to be the right situation either way."
Heili said he was also unsure of his intentions.
"I need one more year for my masters - I can't do it online, I have to be in France," he said. "I also have offers to play basketball in France.
"Australia is opposite side of the world to France, so it would be a big decision for me. It could be a great experience here, but I'm not 100 percent sure."