Tom Green has certainly come a long way from his days as a water boy for the Tamworth Swans.
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Last month the gun young midfielder made his AFL debut for the GWS Giants in what has due to coronavirus transpired to be the only round of the season played.
Tamworth Swans president Josh McKenzie was among those watching on with interest, albeit from afar, having remembered a young Tom running water for them when his father Richard played with the club.
An army pilot, he had moved to Tamworth in 2008 to work at BAE at the basic flight training school.
"He was in the twilight of his football career but played a few games with us and particularly in 2009 was a key part of our premiership team," McKenzie recalled.
"Tom at that stage was only a young fella but he ran water for the grand final."
It is for Tom still a fond memory. In his pocket profile on the Giants' website, he names running the water for the Swans when they won the 2009 premiership as his best childhood memory.
He also played a bit of Auskick during his days in Tamworth.
"His grandfather was a very good footballer - won four grand finals with Richmond and won a Norm Smith medal and is in their Hall of Fame," McKenzie said.
"And Richard was a good footballer in his own right but probably his army career became a priority for him."
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McKenzie said even though he was only with them for a couple of years, he (Richard) had a big impact on the club in terms of his approach to football and some of the structure he gave them.
He said had crowds not been restricted from attending, he would have been doing his best to get down to watch the now 19-year old realise his childhood dream.
"I was surprised that he got a start because it's a pretty hard team to crack into and it's unusual in a team that has got that sort of midfield that a player in his very first year would debut in round one but he's obviously done the right things down there," he said.
