The phonecall came at around midnight Wednesday Cork time - and as the shrill sounds broke the silence, Liz Sheehan, for a fleeting moment, adopted the time-honoured “let it ring”  stance made famous by the former Carlton footballer Jim Buckley. 

Jimmy’s view was that any call was bad news, so much so that he even named his racehorse “Let it ring”. 

Thankfully, Liz finally lifted the receiver, for it was her boy Ciaran conveying the joyous tidings from Melbourne that he’d be turning out with the Carlton senior team.

“The phone was right by my bed, but the funny thing was that when it rang I actually debated ‘Will I answer or will I bother?’,” Liz said in the winner’s circle following the Carlton-Gold Coast match at Etihad Stadium.

“I was in a deep sleep at that stage, but I was so glad I picked it up. Ciaran said to me, ‘You better get over here, I’m playing seniors’ and after I hung up I just stayed in bed thinking ‘Oh there’s no-one here that I can say it to’.”


Ciaran Sheehan receives the traditional Gatorade shower. (Photo: Carlton Football Club)

On the strength of the phonecall, Liz was mobilised into action, making the 24-hour flight in time to see her boy run out with just five months and 14 games at VFL level to his name.

“This is fantastic, absolutely fantastic, and it is Ciaran’s dream,”  said Liz, who jets out to the land of the Blarney on Monday. “It obviously wasn’t Aussie Rules he wanted to play when he was small, he wanted to be a soccer star . . . but this is as near as it gets.

“I’m so very, very proud.”