GEELONG captain Tom Harley and Melbourne co-captain James McDonald joined Melbourne Grammar School and Scotch College football captains today to launch the AFL’s Tom Wills Round.
The schools, which played each other in the first recorded game of Australian football on August 7, 1858, will meet in the curtain raiser to Friday night’s round 19 MCG clash marking the game’s 150th anniversary.
Harley said the tradition surrounding the Melbourne-Geelong match wasn’t lost on the players. He urged Melbourne Grammar football captain Jack Macciolli and Scotch football captain Jack Bull to appreciate the honour of playing school football.
“I was lucky enough to play in a school in Adelaide, St Peters College had a similar rivalry with Prince Alfred College,” Harley said.
“They were as memorable games as most of the AFL games I’ve played as well. It’s a fantastic thing to be a part of and, especially for these young fellows, to look back on. If their football doesn’t progress any further it’ll certainly be a memorable event.”
Bull, an avid Geelong fan, said meeting Harley encouraged him to fully embrace the opportunity of playing an MCG curtain raiser.
“You sort of see them (AFL players) on the telly all the time but you don’t really see how they operate,” Bull said. “It was good to see how Tom really goes about it and as a Geelong supporter it’s definitely pumped up the game a bit.”
Bull said the nerves had started to build among the Scotch players but as captain he would try to have a calming influence.
“You’ve just got to sort of tell them to soak in the experience and it’s obviously a great experience and one that won’t ever come along again, probably,” Bull said.
“But, amongst all of it there’s a game of footy to be played as well, so concentrate on that.”
Macciolli said despite feeling anxious, he was looking forward to leading his side onto the hallowed turf.
“It’s a massive event playing at the MCG for all our boys. This will most likely be the first and last time to do this, so I’m really looking forward to it and just trying to embrace everything and every opportunity I get,” Macciolli said.
His leadership style on Friday would contain a simple message.
“First of all, play the way we’ve been playing. I know it’s sort of a cliché, you know, play the way you’ve been playing all season and you’ll do alright,” he said.
“But just embrace it and enjoy it as much as you can as well as try and play good football.”
The Melbourne Grammar School and Scotch College match begins at 3.50pm on Friday at the MCG.
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Round 19 is Tom Wills Round, celebrating 150 years of Australian Football. One of the inventors of the sport, Wills played in the first recorded game and umpired one of the earliest matches between Scotch College and Melbourne Grammar School on August 7, 1858.
Click here for more Tom Wills Round coverage.
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