CLAYE Beams can thank older brother Dayne for his shot at the AFL, but hopes 2012 is the year he breaks free from big brother's shadow.

Just three years ago Claye was playing first grade cricket on the Gold Coast, but the lure of pursuing a childhood dream - and a gentle nudge from Dayne - led him to switch back to the oval ball.

The following six months was a whirlwind as he played reserves and then seniors for AFLQ club Labrador and was ultimately taken at No.76 in the 2009 NAB AFL rookie draft by the Brisbane Lions.

Claye, now 20, had starred as a junior in both sports, but seeing Dayne succeed for Collingwood in the AFL helped make up his mind.

"I wanted to play AFL, it's a dream I had since I was a little kid," Beams said.

"I had to choose between the two and I chose cricket first and had a year-and-a-half off footy. Watching Dayne play footy again reignited my bug and I started playing again and was lucky enough to play here."

While Claye was playing first grade for Mudgeeraba Cricket Club, Dayne passed up a contract with the fledging Gold Coast club and was forging his career with the Magpies.

He went on to win the 2010 premiership with Collingwood.

"He told me to get off my arse and do something," Claye said. "He was supportive and one of the main reasons I got back out there.

"I'd sat out half the (2009) season already and thought I might have left my run a bit late, but I thought 'Stuff it, I've got nothing to lose', so I gave it a crack and was lucky enough."

After a season on the Lions' rookie list in 2010, Beams was elevated to the seniors last year where he played five of the first six matches.

However, things turned sour for the creative utility, who sat out the rest of the season with a stress reaction in his foot.

Rather than sulking about it, Beams hit the gym and worked on some much-needed strength and has hit the ground running in 2012.

He drew praise from coach Michael Voss for his first-up performance in Saturday night's NAB Cup opener against Melbourne and is hopeful of playing every pre-season match to press his claims for a regular senior berth.

"I've never had any major injuries and to sit the whole season out last year after I just got a game was a bit of a downer," he said.

"It was pretty frustrating but I had to cop it on the chin and I tried to turn it into a positive as much as I could."

And as for the comparisons with his 22-year-old brother, it's like water off a duck's back.

"It doesn’t bother me," Claye said.

"You're always going to get that when you've got an older brother in the system who has played 50-odd more games, and you're always going to get compared to him, but if you get mixed up in what people are saying about you, you're never going to get anywhere.

"Me and Dayne are best mates; we get along really well, so it doesn't affect me."

Michael Whiting covers Brisbane Lions news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_mikewhiting