Sean Darcy realised a childhood dream on Sunday afternoon when he ran onto Simmonds Stadium to play in his debut game for Freo.
The 19-year-old grew up in the Geelong region and was able to share his AFL dream with family and friends watching on proudly from the stands.
“It was a really great experience to get out there for the first time, and then great to be able to share it with my family and friends in the changerooms after the game was something I wont forget,” Darcy said.
“Mum and dad were really pleased with the way I went about things, and the way I competed so that’s good, they were just really happy.
“To play AFL has been a dream of mine since I was little, so it was great to be able to tick it off and I look forward to my next game.”
The ruckman also got some praise from Ross Lyon after his debut game where he finished with 40 hitouts.
“I thought he performed, had a lot of hitouts and played against competence,” Lyon said.
“He was a shining light for us really, he gave us a really good opportunity and that’s what you want your ruckman to do.”
Although he was prepared as he could be, the debutant said there was nothing that could prepare you for the pace of playing at the top level.
“It’s a bit quicker than you expect, so the pace of the game was a good learning curve and I got my hands on the ball a bit so that was good,” Darcy said.
Despite the loss Darcy said the game had plenty of positives and there was a lot to learn from and move forward.
“Ross was extremely proud of the effort we showed today, they are a good team and we took it up to them,” Darcy said.
