By Brad Kingsbury
“SELECTION number 63, Collingwood… Tyson Goldsack.”
That statement, delivered by the Magpies’ head recruiting officer Derek Hine just after 10.30 on Saturday morning, signalled the start of an AFL dream for the 18yearold Pakenham and Gippsland Power midfielder.
He could not have been more excited.
“It’s awesome,” he said on Sunday. “Mum wouldn’t stop screaming when they read out my name. To be picked up by Collingwood is unbelievable.”
The Goldsacks – parents Wendy and Peter, Tyson, his sister Alana and brother Jared – chose the annual Toogood Court Christmas breakfast in preference to a trip to the Telstra Dome on Saturday morning.
But there was one ear trained on the car radio when names started to be called.
The closeknit family knew that Tyson was a rough chance to be selected after Collingwood, Hawthorn and Fremantle had spoken to him at the state screening camp several weeks ago, but had not dared to dream the reality until his name was called.
“There were over 1700 players nominated so we didn’t want to get our hopes up too much,” said Wendy. “If he didn’t picked up we were hoping he might be rookie listed, but then it just happened.”
The Goldsacks are Pakenham through and through.
Peter played almost 160 senior games for the Lions, including two premierships, and has also been involved as a junior coach and senior assistant and runner.
Wendy contributes a lot offfield, Alana plays A grade netball and Jared returned from a stint at VFL club Frankston this season as a senior vicecaptain.
Tyson was the next Lion star in wings but Saturday’s events have forced his local sporting aspirations onto the backburner as he embarks on an AFL journey.
His Gippsland Power teammate Lachlan Hansen was also selected in the draft by the Kangaroos, bringing the total of 2005 Power premiership players to be drafted to seven over two years.
Tyson joins two of those players, Dale Thomas and Scott Pendlebury, at the Magpies.
The reality of suddenly becoming an AFL footballer had barely sunk in when Tyson’s phone started to ring.
After speaking to Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse, he received calls from captain Nathan Buckley and vicecaptain James Clement, but didn’t believe it when president Eddie McGuire rang.
“It was about half an hour after I got drafted,” he chuckled.
“I didn’t believe it at first, I thought it was Dad’s mate Ian Cherry. He loves a prank and he’s always calling saying he’s someone else. I went along with it and was about to let him know, then I listened a bit and I thought ‘gee I’m pretty sure this is Eddie’.”
Tyson started training on Monday and will live at home until after Christmas, when he will join other young players and move to a house owned by Collingwood in Williamstown.
Tyson intends to complete a Diploma of Sport and Recreation next year but has dedicated himself to doing all he can to make the AFL grade in the knowledge that it will not be easy.
“It will be hard, especially the training but it will also be great and I’m looking forward to the whole experience,” he said.