As soon as Callan Ward could walk, his Dad made sure he carried a footy wherever he went.

More than two decades on, the GIANTS co-captain now preaches the same advice to young footballers wanting to follow in his footsteps.

“My dad told me from a young age to always carry around a footy so I could be a AFL player one day, so I always did,” Ward said.

“Every time I go to schools or different clinics I always tell kids the same thing.

“I think it just gets you used to holding a footy so out on the field everything becomes more natural.”

Ward, who won the inaugural Kevin Sheedy Medal for the GIANTS’ Best and Fairest in 2012, said he had fond memories of growing up in the western suburbs of Melbourne.

“I was a goody, goody two shoes back in the day,” he said.

“My mum taught at my primary school as a librarian so anything naughty I did she would always find out, hence why I behaved most of the time.

“I played my junior footy at Spotswood Football Club and I still have some great mates who play in the seniors down there.”

Ward, pictured above as a two-year-old, said he planned to one-day pass on his first ‘Spotty’ jumper to a youngster of his own.

“I still have that guernsey in my wardrobe at home and it has the number eight on the back as well believe it or not.

 “I don’t have any children yet but I definitely want to keep the jumper in the family so my kids can wear it around the house like I did.

“It brings back a lot of good memories.”

‘Before they were GIANTS’ is a series of stories that showcase the lives of GIANTS players before they became professional footballers.