Think again.

The laid-back striker only crossed to the code when he was 15, but it didn't take him long to find his strength - scoring plenty of goals.

Rees, 27, was among several AWFA exports to make the step up to NPL 2 with Murray United this season.

In his younger years, he played cricket and enjoyed a bit of indoor soccer on the side, before heading to Albury United for his first crack at the outdoor equivalent.

Rees worked his way up the grades in a dominant era for the Greens, coming off the bench for the seniors in his late teens, before becoming a regular starter.

After a brief stint with rivals Albury City in 2012, he returned to United where played up until last year.

Rees is widely known as 'Chopsy', a nickname coined by previous Albury United coach Scott Kidd.

"I don't actually know how it started," he laughed.

"He (Kidd) came out with it one day and it's been there ever since, I think that was when I was in third grade, so it was a fair while ago."

He played alongside his now head coach Elliot Jones and it's him he thanks for providing him the opportunity to test himself at the highest level he's faced.

But it's not a completely unfamiliar environment with Jones' brother, Mitch, and former Albury United senior coach Matt Campbell forming the senior panel.

"He (Elliot) asked me to come down and give it a go," Rees said.

"He’s one of the better coaches I’ve ever had on the higher end, he’s more professional, but you’d expect that at this level.

"I wasn’t sure whether I was going to keep playing and Elliot rang me up and asked me to come down to training and I enjoyed it.

"I sort of got a bit of a spark back for soccer and I've been there ever since.

"The quality makes it a bit more fun.

"There was nothing in particular, I'd been playing for a fair while and was maybe going to take a year off and take a step back from it, but I'm happy I've stayed on with Murray.

"It’s a big step up, it has taken a little bit to settle in, but the guys are welcoming and have made it easier."

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Rees has led the goal-scoring on a number of occasions at Albury United and hasn't had to change too much since making the switch to Murray.

"There's different things, it's a bit more technical wise and it's a lot more structured than I've been used to," he said.

"I've had to adapt to that and I seem to be going OK with it.

"I'm certainly feeling a lot fitter than I usually am at this time of the year.

"It's going to be a long season, but it's more about condition, looking after your body and getting the recovery in, which I've never really done before."

Rees has been used off the bench in Murray United's opening two defeats against Eastern Lions and Melbourne City, but hopes to nail down a spot in the starting lineup.

But Murray has no shortage of scoring options, with the likes of Zac Walker, Tom Youngs, Ryan Luty and Melkie Woldemichael in the final third.

"It's good to be able to work with quality like those guys," Rees said.

"There hasn't been anyone in particular, they're all good to learn from.

"They have all been teaching me along the way and giving me heads up on what I need to do.

"That professionalism in the club has been good to be around at the moment."

Murray will be desperate to kick-start its season with victory against Langwarrin at La Trobe on Saturday.

"We're still confident we can take a lot of points away from the season," Rees added.

"We've leaked a few goals late, but it's something we can work on."

Kick-off is 5pm, with the under-20s at 3pm.