It’s been a tough week in the Mergard household.

We farewelled two old friends who left our GIANTS family during the AFL Trade Period to continue their football journey elsewhere. Two players whose kindness made us fall in love with the club.

Although it’s a bittersweet feeling, we know this is not the end of our friendship, nor is it the end of our relationship with the GIANTS.

In fact, we’ve never been more excited to be GIANTS members. Let me explain why:

It all started back in 2010 when we decided to move our little family from the inner-west of Sydney, back to the country town I grew up in.

At about the same time, it was announced that a new club, the Greater Western Sydney GIANTS, would be joining the AFL.

“There’s going to be a club based in Western Sydney,” my husband Ian said to me one day.

“They’re going to play some of their games in Canberra too, I think I might sign up as a Foundation Member.”

I remember my response to his comment so vividly: a somewhat dismissive “mmm-hmm, sure – go ahead, hunny”.

Truth is, I’d never been a big fan of footy. Or sport for that matter. Sure, I loved going along to the occasional game and our family had Hawthorn memberships but that was about the extent of it.

As far as I was concerned, Ian could go watch the football games on his own; a way of getting out of the house full of girls and a means of restoring some sanity for him. It could be “his thing” and I was more than happy for it to be that way.

What I didn’t consider was how our daughter and I would grow to love the game, thanks to two amazing players; Tomas Bugg and Adam Treloar

By the time GWS were playing their first games in 2012, our daughter Jemima was a spritely little two-and-a-half year old, chatting the legs off anyone who’d offer their ear and absorbing every little thing around her.

On one particular afternoon, Ian was watching an away match on TV while Jemima fiddled with some toys at his feet. Suddenly, Ian leapt in his seat and shouted “GO TOMMY BUGG!” after the midfielder delivered a beautiful shot between the goal posts.
 
Jemima looked up at the TV, then back at her dad.
 
“That footballer’s name is Tommy Bugg” Ian said to her.

From that moment, whenever she saw a footballer on TV, regardless of who it was, she would point at him and say “that’s Tommy Bugg!”.
 
She even went as far as to create an imaginary friendship with him, calling him on her toy phone, offering painting lessons and inviting him over for cups of tea.

We thought it was the cutest thing ever, this little girl enraptured with a 19-year-old footballer she had never met.

So, in my usual fashion, I started filming some of these moments, thinking it would be cute to show Tom that he has a little fan living out in the country.

I popped the movies onto YouTube and sent Tom the link via Twitter.

“Hahaha – so cute!” came back the reply.

A few weeks later we decided to take Jemima along to her first GIANTS game at ANZ stadium. We loaded up the car and prepared for the 800km round trip ahead of us. But before we hit the road, I hit up social media, to tell the twitterverse of our intentions.

After uploading an image of Jemima outside ANZ stadium to twitter, I noticed a direct message waiting for me.

It was from Tom.

I can’t remember exactly what it said, but it was basically telling me that he appreciated the effort we had made to come watch a game, so he had left change room passes at the membership stand for us, so that we could meet him afterwards.

I could not believe it!

Here we were thinking we would just be taking Jemima along to watch a game of football and we find ourselves with the most coveted wristbands in the stadium! In all the years of watching and being involved in the game, even Ian was amazed.

“This sort of thing just doesn’t happen” he exclaimed.

So, while collecting the passes from the Membership Stand, I signed both Jemima and I up as members.

That night, not only did we meet Tom, but we met his parents as well. A  few weeks later, at a post-match function in Melbourne, we met the rest of his family.

“Oh my gosh, this is Jemima!” his sisters all exclaimed – it appeared that she had become as well-known in the Bugg household as Tom had become in ours.

Over the following years, messages were shared, friend requests on Facebook were accepted and meet ups at many home games took place.

It made us feel like we had gone beyond ‘just fans’ when Tom would go out of his way to greet us at the various events we attended. It was something special. Something that we cherished.

It was a similar story with Adam.

Whilst I can’t pinpoint the exact moment that Jem decided to like him, I do know it was some time during 2012, quite possibly after meeting him at some function.

Adam has a tendency to gravitate to the little ones and has a way of putting their nerves at ease. Jem would often search for him during meet and greet days for this reason.

Because of this, we would often wind up having a chat to him after the games as well and I know that he and Ian had a number of in-depth discussions while I was off chasing after Jem.

Again, just like Tom, a friendship had developed.

Last year, upon learning that Jemima’s birthday was approaching, Adam sent her one of his Canberra guernseys, thanking her for being his #1 little fan. Her face lit up when she received that, as did ours. It was just another little thing that we never expected, and never dreamed would happen.

We are so grateful now that Jemima had the chance to be the Junior mascot for the last home game of 2015, as she was able to run out with her favourite two for the last time.

When it was announced yesterday that both Adam and Tom were officially being traded, we received messages of thanks from both.

Again, we were floored. I expected us to be the ones thanking them, but instead they were thanking US! These two boys have carried themselves with such humility, that we can’t help but admire them.

While these two may have been the reasons why we became fans, they aren’t the sole reason why we remain fans.

They reflect values that we see in a lot of GIANTS players. Which is why this is not a sad story, it’s one of great hope.

After all, there are about 40 other players on the team… and Jem already has her eye on a couple of new players to befriend.

That’s the beauty of this beautiful club. There are always going to be heroes to admire and friends to make.