Liam Stocker came close to pulling the pin last September. He had just been delisted by Carlton, four years after being selected in the first round of the draft, and didn't think he wanted to go through the anguish of life under the microscope again. It took a week of introspection interstate and a phone call from Ross Lyon for him to reconsider his future.

Stocker played 28 games across four seasons at Princes Park but was frequently forensically examined due to the way he arrived at the club. Carlton famously swapped future first-round picks with Adelaide to secure the Morrish medallist at pick No.19 in the 2018 draft. At one point in 2019, it looked like the Crows would end up with pick No.1, but it ultimately landed at No.4, with Carlton finishing with No.9. 

Being the first player attached to a live trade during draft night is part of Stocker's story, but it is only one chapter in a story that is still being written. 

Now seven months on from Carlton's brutal list management decision, Stocker is being rewarded for not taking the easy option. The 23-year-old has played the first six games in a side marching towards September, seamlessly slotting into St Kilda's back six to resuscitate a career that looked almost over late last year. 

Stocker was invited to start training with St Kilda on December 5 and was added to the rookie list at RSEA Park on January 20, weeks before the pre-season supplemental selection period deadline. 

After rising from a speculative addition to play every game thus far in 2023, Stocker faced the team that didn't want him any longer on Sunday, producing another dependable performance across half-back for the side that wanted to give him the chance to prove he can still make it in the AFL. 

"I think you have to (contemplate that it might be over after being delisted). I consider myself a bit of a realist and sort of came out of four years I probably hadn't enjoyed. I had the mental health break in 2020 and there were fluctuations with that. It is pretty easy to make a rash decision. I went away for a week with my partner and my family and tried to figure out exactly what I wanted to do," Stocker told AFL.com.au after St Kilda beat Carlton by 22 points at Marvel Stadium.  

"Initially I was in shock a little bit. I had to take my medicine and chill out a bit. My first reaction was just anger. I thought they'd cut me short pretty early and thought I deserved more of an opportunity given the roles I'd played and how much support I'd given the team. 

"Coming out of it I had to make the decision whether I was willing to put myself through it again. I think I got a lot of confidence from Ross in our first phone call when he said, 'There is no apprehension around me. If you've got the appetite to go again, then let's go again. But if you don't, we fully respect that.' 

"I was quite close to fully pulling the pin. I thought I had the ability to come back, it was more whether I had the drive and whether I was prepared to put myself through it again. I'm glad I did."

Lyon made plenty of important calls during the off-season. He brought high performance expert David Misson back to Moorabbin, along with highly regarded sports psychologist Dr Sean Richardson. Robert Harvey and Brendon Goddard returned and Stephen Silvagni – who recruited Stocker at Carlton – was appointed as list manager, alongside Graeme Allan.

But it was a call just before the draft in November that convinced Stocker to try his luck with the Saints over the pre-season.

"Ross didn't really give me any hard truths, he just told me what he thought my strengths were and they can get the other stuff up, but that's going to show if you can get the appetite up," Stocker said. 

"That phone call, for me, was a real eye opener where I spoke to a coach from another club who told me what my strengths were. It wasn't about my physicality or anything like that, it was what I could bring in a fast-paced defensive system. It got the ball rolling and I was really excited to work with Ross. He has been great for me."

St Kilda wasn't the only club that discussed a summer audition with Stocker. Everyone loves a bargain. And the Haileybury College product loomed as a low-cost, high-return investment. 

Stocker committed to trialling with the Saints and it didn't take long for Lyon and the football department inside RSEA Park to realise they had someone who was determined to make the most of a second chance.

"I had a lot of trust in my ability, but last off-season gave me a lot of trust that I am fit enough. There was a lot of hullabaloo around if I was fit enough to play AFL football, but I knew I was. It was more making sure I got a clean run at it," he said.

"One or two weeks in I showed that I had the appetite to be here. I fitted in, did a bit of midfield time, did a bit of half-back time. Ross was really satisfied with the appetite and also my ability to fit into our system. 

"I probably didn't see myself playing this well straight away. Sometimes it can take a bit of time to perform around the boys and settle in. I'm really enjoying that role. There is not heap of expectation in terms of disposals and D50 exits or anything like that, it is more how can you help within a game? Those two practice matches were where I earned a lot of trust. It's only sprouted from there."

Facing your old side is different when it wasn't your decision to leave. It is even more personal, especially when you factor in all the histrionics attached with Stocker and the draft night trade. 

But whether you're returning to face the club you walked out on, or Stocker trying to prove a point, not much is more satisfying than beating your old mob like St Kilda did at Marvel Stadium to maintain top spot.

"I was pretty nervous coming into the week, I didn't know what it was going to be like. It was pretty gentle. I've got a lot of respect from the boys over there. I guess at the end of the day, I just focused on us and that made it easier," he said. 

"For whatever reason, players playing against their old teams can be really physical and jump into it, but I got some good advice from some of the boys who had played against their old teams to just go out there and play your role, don't go outside the box. That's what I did and it worked out really well."

Stocker is not out of the woods when it comes to his mental health. He still deals with some challenges, but nowhere near as often as in 2020. He is open and is committed to being a leader in that space for Outside the Locker Room and Beyond Blue. 

Football is important to him, but it's not the only thing that is important to him. After staring his football immortality in the eye last September, a happier, more-rounded Stocker is making the most of his second chance.