The excitement would have proved too much for most.
Tom Papley was settling in for another day on the tools as an apprentice plumber when a phone call from Sydney delivered news he’d not only been wanting to hear all week but hoping to hear his entire life.
The Swans had just selected the 19-year-old with Pick 14 in Friday’s Rookie Draft, extending the Papley-Swans link as both of Tom’s grandfathers played with South Melbourne in the 1960s.
It would have been tools down for most, the anticipation of an AFL career proving too much of a distraction to keep plugging away.
Not Papley; the new draftee stuck around to finish off the work week.
“I didn’t want to leave the boss hanging,” he told sydneyswans.com.au on Friday. “I’ll finish the day then work out what the plan is.”
Papley will leave his life as a tradesman and arrive in Sydney sometime over the weekend before gearing up for his first AFL preseason.
He joins the very club he grew up loving and the same club his mum’s dad, the late Jeff Bray, and dad’s dad, Max Papley, played 34 and 59 games respectively during the 1960s.
Max, 1966 Club Champion, is Tom’s biggest supporter and was (from all reports) more excited than him about the news.
“Grandad drove me to all my Gippsland Power games. He always gives me tips and is always encouraging,” Papley said.
“Sometimes he even makes it up in the coaches’ box.”
Hailing from Bunyip, 85km south-east of Melbourne, Papley’s talents took him to Gippsland Power in the TAC Cup where the dynamic small forward kicked 57 goals over two seasons.
He was rewarded with three games for Melbourne’s VFL-affiliate Casey Scorpions in 2015, booting three goals on debut.
Sydney Swans Recruiting and List Strategy Manager Kinnear Beatson said Papley was targeted for his goal sense, footy smarts and strong hands.
“He started the season as a midfielder and couldn’t quite cut it so the Gippsland Power coaching staff threw him forward,” Beatson said.
“He had over 70 shots on goal and finished with over 40 goals for the season.”
Papley will join his fellow draftees for preseason training on Monday.
