Mature-age draftee Willie Rioli says a move to Adelaide in 2015 was the catalyst for his drafting to the West Coast Eagles.

In an effort to reignite his AFL dream, the Tiwi Island-raised Rioli left Darwin to take up a spot on Glenelg Football Club’s list to test his skills against the SANFL’s top talent.

Rioli booted 12 goals from 13 league games in 2015 before embarking on an extraordinary transformation in which he dropped 16kg during 2016's pre-season.

The 21-year-old reaped the rewards of his hard work, bagging 23 goals from 16 appearances for Glenelg this year and another four majors during the SANFL’s win over the VFL in May.

“Moving to Adelaide is when everything started ticking over,” Rioli revealed.

“I really wanted to go there and just play good footy in the league side.

“After my first year they said if you have a good pre-season you might end up on a list somewhere. I’m grateful that I pushed hard that next pre-season. To be here now is unreal.”

A graduate of Perth’s Clontarf Aboriginal College, Rioli said he felt at home in Western Australia and was excited about the opportunity West Coast had afforded him.

“I’m looking forward to all the challenges,” he said.