By Lance Jenkinson
The record button had been pressed and the interview with western suburbs-raised Collingwood forward Will Hoskin-Elliott was about to begin – until a familiar voice piped in before the first question could even be asked.
The man with that distinctive voice was none other than Collingwood president Eddie McGuire, who enthusiastically congratulated Hoskin-Elliott on a fine game in the Magpies stunning preliminary final win over Richmond at the MCG on Friday night.
It was a dream night for Hoskin-Elliott.
The 25-year-old had played a big part in getting his boyhood club Collingwood into the 2018 AFL grand final.
Having McGuire come in to pat him on the back after a job well done, it does not get any better.
Hoskin-Elliott was smiling from ear to ear.
His family, a lot of whom bleed the black and white of Collingwood, would have been immensely proud.
“I’m over the moon, absolutely over the moon,” Hoskin-Elliott said.
“I was a Pies fan growing up, so it’s been even better for me.
“Mum and my two older sisters were pretty full-on Collingwood supporters growing up and I got passed down the jerseys, so I stuck with them and I’m glad I did.”
Hoskin-Elliott will play his 100th AFL game in the grand final.
A wiry medium forward with incredible game sense, a leap that takes you aback and an eye for goal, Hoskin-Elliott has carved out a fine niche for himself in the big league.
Drafted by the GWS Giants in 2011, Hoskin-Elliott played 52 games over five seasons before crossing to Collingwood.
The move to the Magpies has been great for club and player.
Hoskin-Elliott has been a mainstay of the team, playing 22 games in his first year and is already up to 25 this season.
This week, when he takes to the field in the season decider against the West Coast Eagles, it will be special.
“I was there in 2010 for the draw [when Collingwood drew with St Kilda in the grand final] and I went to the grand final parade and that sort of stuff,” he said.
“It’s just going to be amazing to be on the opposite side of it this time.”
Hoskin-Elliott’s game was refined at the Western Jets in the TAC Cup.
The Jets turned him from a talented junior into a top four draft selection.
“I got picked up in the under 15s through the Brad Johnson Squad,” he said.
“I was lucky enough to get drafted at the end of the 18s carnival.
“I had a good time there and still speak to a lot of the players.
“It’s a very good club.”
Home is where the heart is for Hoskin-Elliott.
Getting to represent North Sunshine, a club that has struggled for the most part since his junior days, on the big stage will be a proud moment for him.
Who would have thought a Roadrunners junior, who only got the chance to square off with division 1 juniors when he moved to the Jets, would be gracing the hallowed turf of the MCG on that last Saturday in September?
“I only played for North Sunshine as a junior and we were always down in the C-grade and had one or two good players in our team,” Hoskin-Elliott said.
“I got picked up very early by the Jets and sort of spent most of my time there and didn’t get much of a chance to play North Sunshine footy after that.
“I still get back down to North Sunshine now and watch all the boys.
“They’re struggling a little bit, but they’ve been unreal for me.”
Hoskin-Elliott is ready for the biggest stage of all.
He will not be the only western suburbs nurtured player on the field on Saturday.
Jets alumni Liam Duggan, from Bacchus Marsh, and Daniel Venables, from Keilor, are expected to be selected in the West Coast Eagles team.
