It was the Tuesday of Grand Final week and selection was on Billy Frampton’s mind.
He knew he was a chance of jumping into the Pies’ starting 22 given the unfortunate injury to Dan McStay, but the nerves had started settling in.
So, he laid down for a massage, determined to get it off his mind given it was normally a Thursday night decision. But that was until an important member of the coaching staff came up to him.
“It was pretty crazy, I was just in the massage room getting treatment and Fly came in and said, ‘can he come see me’ so I got a little bit nervous,” Frampton said.
“I went in there and he told me I was going to play and gave me a big hug and it was a pretty amazing feeling.
“I think I told Howey straight away because I saw him and Fly told me to keep it under wraps so he wasn’t too happy.
“I went and just texted all my best mates back home and my (girlfriend) and Mum and Dad straight away and just let them know so they could figure out getting over here and everything like that.
“It was a bit of a whirlwind and I tried to let everyone know quite quickly.”
The fact it did come on the Tuesday was crucial to Frampton’s mental state.
The uncertainty around it was sure to play on his mind, but he was put at ease by the coach’s proactivity.
“I was really happy Fly told me early in the week, selection is usually Thursday or maybe even Friday you find out,” Frampton said.
“I was a bit nervous if that was going to be the case so for him to tell me early I was really grateful so I could figure everything out and just accept that I was playing and go about the week how I would want to go about it without rushing to get people over.
“That selection time for people on the fringe is very stressful, you’re just waiting to see what happens and Fly you’re looking at him like ‘is he going to come over?’.”
It made the week far more enjoyable for the self-described footy head.
Embracing each moment, Frampton found himself in awe of what he was about to embark on.
“You watch every Grand Final as a kid growing up and you’re just so envious and you just want to be there,” he says.
“There’s something about the actual game how it looks on TV, the patch on the jersey, the whole thing it’s just different so I just wanted to enjoy that in the lead up.
“I really wanted to make a mental note of what’s going on around me because a lot of people tell you that you don’t get that opportunity again a lot of times, so I just wanted to make sure I took it in and something I’ll remember forever.”
Now, a premiership player, the 26-year-old can’t help but reflect on his journey.
Before arriving at the Club, Frampton had never played on the MCG and had only won 10 matches in total for his two other teams.
He’s now played at the ‘G nine times and won 13 games in this season alone in the ultimate switch of fortune.
“When I look at my journey and what it has taken for me to get here, I’ve just tried to fight so hard just to play games, just to be selected. For nine years that’s all I’ve done,” he said.
“Every training has so much on the line for me because you can train your way in or train your way out.
“It’s definitely one of the most fun years I’ve had. I’ve always tried to make footy fun for me personally and I can do that by just being around my friends every day and it’s a pretty cool environment to come into.
“You’re playing the sport you’ve wanted to play forever as a job in Melbourne. I’ve loved it, it’s so much more intense and I’ve always been a footy fan and that lends itself to me a bit to really be immersed in it.
“A great decision to come here personally and professionally and I’ll walk out of this year definitely feeling a lot better about myself and my football.”
On the Grand Final itself, Frampton played his role to a tee.
Tasked with nullifying Brisbane captain Harris Andrews, the 201cm big man did so with aplomb and set his teammates up all over the ground.
“Essentially, the role was to nullify Harris Andrews as much as possible, I think everyone knows how good of a player he is when he’s running and jumping and dictating to the forwards,” he said.
“I’ve played on him a few times before and I sort of knew how he goes about it and I didn’t expect to go out there kick goals, I didn’t have any of that in my mind frame.
“It was just literally to be on his body and make life hard and bring the ball to ground and hopefully our smalls could do some damage.
“I think that’s what happened in the end, Bobby and Beau really got on top and if I did a job on him, even if my game wasn’t as impactful stat wise or goal wise I think that probably lends itself to us winning more than he does them.”
Billy Frampton’s 2023 stats:
- Made his MCG debut
- Career high 16 games
- Career high 83 one percenters
- Career high 32 hit outs
