Kelly Hamilton's phone was "red hot" the moment word crept out about his teenage son realising an AFL dream in his hometown.
"I think we've put in for about 70 or 80 tickets," Kelly said.
Because it's not every day your child realises a dream of playing at the highest level. Unless of course, you're part of this family.
Nineteen-year-old forward Riley Hamilton will make his AFL debut for the GWS Giants against the league-leading Fremantle Dockers at Manuka Oval on Saturday.
In doing so, the former Ainslie Tricolours star who was overlooked during his draft year after suffering a major knee injury, follows two older sisters into the elite level.
Cynthia Hamilton is a vice-captain of the Sydney Swans' AFLW side, where she plays alongside sister Alexia Hamilton. If that wasn't enough, plenty figure it's only a matter of time before younger sister Billie Hamilton reaches the top tier, while Jayde Hamilton has claimed a league best and fairest medal in AFL Canberra.
"It's a bit humbling, actually," Kelly said.
"Someone asked me the other day about the kids and, and they always go: 'What what what did you do?'
"I don't think it's anything special to do with us. I just think we've just been lucky that we've got kids that have athletic traits ... [but] being athletically gifted isn't enough now.
"Now you have to you have to be a good person as well. And that, I think, is why the kids are successful. They're nice kids. All the feedback we got out of the Giants is how well Riley's liked and how well he's integrated in the system.
"That, to me, is more important than his footy."
The overwhelming emotion when Riley called his parents with the news of his impending debut was relief.
He had played a starring role for the Giants' VFL side, and as the club grapples with a mounting injury toll, the Canberra export finally gets a chance to impress on home turf against the premiership favourites.
To explain how Riley Hamilton rose to the AFL after an anterior cruciate ligament tear wiped out one of the most crucial years of his development, it pays to rewind a little.
Riley was about to take the front seat of the minivan heading from the Gold Coast to Canberra before his sister Cynthia stopped him and said: "No, losers sit in the back. The front seat is reserved for winners."
Never mind the fact Riley had just claimed a silver medal at the judo national championships. He was still getting punted to the back by his older sister.
"The kids have a strong rivalry, but they are also are their biggest supporters," Kelly said.
"It's a funny story, the kids don't necessarily have this great desire to win. They just have a desire to not lose. They've got a doggedness that they don't want to lose.
"Winning is the byproduct of not losing. They they don't overly get excited about the win. They're happy they won because they didn't lose. I think that's a trait they have that makes them push each other and push to be better.
"You need luck. Riley's had some luck now. Unfortunately for some boys, they've had some injuries and it's just that Riley's had some luck. He's got to make the most of his opportunities and take that chance."
Canberra product Riley Hamilton was overlooked in his draft year after suffering a major knee injury. Now he is on the cusp of a fairytale AFL debut in his hometown after being given the nod by the GWS Giants.
Hamilton has been named to make his debut for the Giants against the league-leading Fremantle Dockers at Manuka Oval on Sunday.
The 19-year-old has forced his way into an injury-hit Giants line-up after booting 26 goals in 12 VFL appearances this year.
A debut in his hometown caps off a stellar rise after initially being overlooked in his draft year due to an anterior cruciate ligament tear.
"It's a dream come true so I'm through the roof with excitement and I'm just proud of myself," Hamilton said.
"I've been in the VFL putting my head down and working hard and hopefully I can play a good game and make the team proud.
"I feel I've taken another step forward this year which is built off confidence and the coaches."
Hamilton follows his older sisters Lexie and Cynthia - who both play for the Sydney Swans' AFLW side - into the top level.
The Ainslie export was cleared to play for the Giants' academy side and for the Allies as an overage player, before he was picked up by GWS as a category B rookie in last year's rookie draft.
"I'm super grateful for all the boys around me who wanted me to get better, I just can't wait for this weekend," Hamilton said.
"I love Canberra. I've played on Manuka a few times so it'll be good to get back there. I've got lots of family there, mum and dad, my sisters still live there. Grandma and pop and all of that. It'll be super to get back and play a game there."
Logan Smith wondered if he was ever going to play a game again as infections, a blood clot and then knee issues meant he "couldn't even get up to train" and threatened to derail his AFL ambitions.
So while GWS look to defy the odds and beat the high-flying Fremantle Dockers - who are riding a 14-game winning streak - at Manuka Oval on Saturday, one of the Giants' rising stars has already triumphed over adversity.
Smith, the Queanbeyan Tigers' premiership-winning ruckman, was taken with the final pick of the 2024 AFL Draft - but the dream soon turned into a nightmare.
A case of COVID-19 caused a severe bacterial infection in Smith's lymph nodes and left him bedridden. The lump caused a blood clot and put him on a steady diet of blood thinners.
Smith forced his way back into the VFL and finished the season with the Giants' reserves. But just when he thought he could finally make some inroads into an AFL career during pre-season, he was pushed off track again.
Patellar tendinopathy - an overuse injury causing pain in the tendon which connects the kneecap to the shinbone - flared up in January, and Smith was sidelined again, with the prospect of an AFL debut reduced to a dot on the horizon.
"It definitely has a massive impact on your mental health, because you get in the hope and the mindset that you're about to play your first game of the year," Smith said.
"Then you have all these little setbacks, it just keeps pushing it back and then you start to think to yourself, 'am I ever going to be alright to play a game? Will I play at all this year? How long am I going to be out for?'
"Little things like that, you're just constantly thinking about and running through your mind. Those were some pretty tough times but I'm back playing now."
Which brings us to Box Hill, where Smith made his long-awaited return to football for the Giants' VFL side last weekend.
Smith admits there were moments he "felt lost", given he'd been out for so long. But he got through the game - against a former Queanbeyan teammate in Will Keller - and now turns his attention to a date with the Coburg Lions in Narrandera on Sunday.
The sight of the 204cm ruckman on the park has been a welcome sight for GWS coaches, who have already shown faith in Smith by extending his deal until the end of 2028 as he chases a senior debut.
"I think in the big picture, you want to be playing AFL, so that is always across everyone's mind. They want to stay on the list. They want to be playing AFL. They want to be at that elite level," Smith said.
"For me, what I can think of week in, week out, is just staying on the track and then building from here and putting in some good performances.
"The main thing is just staying on the track for me at the moment, and then once I start finding my feet, building a bit of momentum into the back end of the season. If I can start putting in some good performances, that'll definitely help me just with confidence and mindset."
Smith knows the Giants face a "really tough" task in trying to beat the ladder-leading Dockers, who have emerged as premiership favourites as they chase their first flag in club history.
But the Giants prospect - who "went to every single game" in Canberra before he was drafted - is confident GWS are "building towards a very strong back end of the year" in search of a finals berth.
