Cooper Duff-Tytler is the toast of Woodend after being selected at pick four by West Coast in the AFL national draft on Wednesday night.
The anticipation was high at Gilbert Gordon Oval, the home of the Woodend-Hesket and Woodend Junior football clubs, as they waited for Duff-Tytler’s name to be called out.
Family members were among the big crowd at the oval, with plenty of children there to support their new hero.
Speeches were read by people who knew Duff-Tytler well and there was a little measure from the man himself for the next generation.
The Calder Cannons star was expected to head to the Eagles early in the draft, but had to wait as the Eagles put bids in for Zeke Uwland and Harry Dean.
When those bids were matched, the Eagles quickly snapped up the 200 centimetre ruck-forward.
The news delighted a big crowd at Woodend.
Speaking before the draft, his auntie Kristy Lee said it was pretty special for the whole family.
“It’s very exciting for Coop and the whole family,” she said.
“Just because he has worked really hard and deserves all of this. We’re excited for him.
“We would have been happy for him to get drafted but with all the media that he was going as a top pick there was a lot less pressure, because we know that he will go somewhere.”
Many of the family were at Marvel Stadium on Wednesday night while others were watching nearby before they joined the celebrations.
Lee headed in to join the rest of the family to celebrate all together.
She said the family had really enjoyed sharing in the draft process.
“We had a big lunch today [Wednesday] at Docklands all together to see him before all the hype and meeting up again afterwards and celebrating with him.”
Lee said seeing so many children at the club was special.
Duff-Tytler had grown up at the club like many of them were doing now.
“The family has been around a lot,” he said.
“He’s always giving kids in the community some time and hopefully really aspires a lot of them to know a small country club can still produce some of the best of the football.”
Duff-Tytler joins a rare club of footballers from Woodend-Hesket to be headed to the AFL.
While the club isn’t 100 per cent sure how many have come before Duff-Tytler, there’s at least four others who have played for the club that have gone on to play AFL.
Woodend president Paul Podbury, like many others in the room on Wednesday night, was pretty proud.
“It’s very exciting, the greater Lee-Duff-Tytler family have been involved at the club for 50 years,” he said.
“The family is a massive part of the local community and Woodend-Hesket Football Club.
“For a small community it’s a really big deal. For Cooper, it’s his achievement.
“For us it has been great that he has allowed us to be part of it.”
Podbury said it had been nearly 20 years since they’d had a player drafted from the club.
He said to see a player come through all the ranks was pretty special.
“It’s fantastic,” he said. “He got to play with his older brother [Tobi] who has been a big part of the club last year.
“Everyone who came that day saw so much talent that Cooper has got. He was best on ground against Riddell in a game we lost by a kick.
“Sixteen-year-old against the best team in our comp. Very impressive on that day.”
Podbury said the last 18 months since focusing on football, Duff-Tytler was done at the club most weeks with many seeing how far he had come.
For more on the draft, turn to sport.
