Tom will run out with his father Stephen and girlfriend watching on from the stands . . . and his mother looking down from above. Amanda Bell lost her life to bowel cancer when Tom was but a boy of 13, but the young fella knows she’ll be out there with him “and let’s just hope she can bring me a bit of luck”.
The club will arrange for Tom’s father to jet in from Queensland on Friday in the hours before the match, while tom’s girlfriend Shanna will also be here.
Levi’s father Leigh and mother Jodie will be there too, having jetted in from Launceston to see their son break the banner. At the time of writing, Levi hadn’t had the chance to talk to either of them “as I sent them a message but my phone went flat”.
As the current keeper of the No.28 guernsey, Tom also goes in with the good wishes of a former wearer, the four-time premiership ruckman Peter “Percy” Jones, whom he recently met in nearby Lygon Street.
“I went out to with Dylan Buckley to get a feed and Dylan’s father Jimmy introduced me to Percy,” Tom said. “I was rapt to meet him, he’s obviously a legend at Carlton and I’m privileged to wear his number.”
Tom turned 21 barely a month ago, but as far as he’s concerned you can keep the key to the door. “This is better than any birthday present I could have been given. I’ll take the Carlton guernsey over the key to the door any day.”
For Levi, the welcome phonecall came from Brett Ratten as he was out walking his dog this afternoon. “The coach rang me when I was in the park to congratulate me on being named for my first game,” Levi said.
“It’s a great feeling. I’ve been back playing for a few weeks now and I thought I was around the mark.”
Incredibly, Levi has been named first ruck on debut, with Will Minson posing the obvious challenge. But that’s fine by the Hobart-born kid from Beaconsfield, who cut his teeth as a follower throughout his junior football career.
As he suggested when asked of his own modus opperandi: “I’m more a forward/ruckman, but I guess this week I’ll be a ruckman/forward”.
