West Coast co-captain Liam Duggan was among the most excited to see Richmond No.1 pick Sam Lalor impress in last week's practice match between the Tigers and Eagles, with the premiership defender - like all Bacchus Marsh locals - rapt to see new faces in the AFL representing the Victorian country town.
Having gone toe-to-toe in the pre-season clash, Duggan was filled with pride as Lalor started his journey as the draft dux.
The Tigers' prized pick wasn't the only Bacchus Marsh Cobra to be drafted to the top flight last November either, with Pick 48 selection Lucca Grego joining Duggan at West Coast.
With Duggan's parents keeping him in the loop on the emerging footy stars coming out of the tight-knit town, the journeys of both Lalor and Greggo will be closely watched, and supported, by the Eagles skipper.
Speaking to Zero Hanger, Duggan said it's "great for the town" of Bacchus Marsh to have more locals make a name for themselves at the elite level.
"Sammy going Pick 1, it's great to see. I lined up on him a couple of times. It's good to just touch base. We keep in contact over the phone," Duggan said of the young Tigers star.
"Lucca Grego joined us, who's a Bacchus Marsh boy too, which is great having him there. I've got 10 years on those boys, but you hear about the names as they're coming through from Mum and Dad who are still in Bacchus Marsh.
"It's always nice to see the town doing well. You're always proud of where you come from and the town are really proud of the boys that make it out into the AFL and have a good crack.
"So to have Lucca with me has been awesome, and to see Sam play quite well against us on Monday before he, unfortunately, went down with the jaw... it's great for the town. I'm excited to see what the boys can do."
The draft pair - who played on opposite sides at both the Talent League and National Championships levels last year - brought the total count of Bacchus Marsh juniors to reach the AFL this century to five.
Former Fremantle midfielder Nick Suban was the first, with the Claremont and Peel Thunder premiership player playing a mentoring role for Duggan after he was drafted to the Eagles back in 2014.
Duggan reflected on the country-town connection he was buoyed by at the start of his own AFL career, with Suban - as well as West Coast teammates Matt Rosa and Mitch Brown - looking out for the then-young Eagle.
The West Coast veteran now hopes he'll do the same for Grego and Lalor, as well as any incoming Cobras who follow their footsteps.
"It's always nice just to have that connection in the AFL. I think a lot of (older players) probably have blokes from the same area that come through years after them, and it's just nice to have someone that's been through it before and share a bit of knowledge when they need, but I'm sure their teammates look after them too. It's nice to keep connected," Duggan said.
"Nick Suban was sort of finishing up by the time I got there, he was still at Freo, so bumping into him (was nice), and I knew his family being from St Pat's Ballarat as well.
"We were quite blessed there. There's a lot of connection through the school. When I moved to West Coast a couple of the boys from St Pat's in Matt Rosa and Mitch Brown were there, so I had those boys to take me in and look after me so that was pretty cool too."
The Bacchus Marsh and Maddingley area has also produced famous names in the form of Carlton great Harry Vallence and Geelong premiership player Fred Wooller.
