It was a good idea. "When we left him up there he was a quiet, reserved little fella and in the last two years he's completely blossomed, he's come out of his shell and really grown in confidence," said Christine. "He had to work hard to build relationships and get to know new people and get out of his comfort zone. He took a risk, but it's worked out for him."

Hugh McCluggage in action for Vic Country. Credit:Pat Scala

McCluggage felt more settled by the week and his confidence grew through his football, too. He was held up by a back injury over summer and still keeps a pilates band in his room at the boarding house, but made plans when his season started to do the same things every week, play the same way no matter which level he was at, become a better balanced inside-outside player and, away from the ground, be something more than the quiet, respectful, contemplative kid wanting simply to take everything in.

"That changed a bit this year," he said. "I had to change it a bit. I'm still not the loudest person but I tried to contribute a lot more and be part of it, involve myself a lot more and not just drift through. I just asked more questions, got more help off people, got to know people a lot better, I think, especially the coaches and my teammates and all the people around the club. That's something I'm going to try and take with me wherever I go from here."

Other things, McCluggage had to get used to on the run. His form built and built through the year. He was one of the best players for Vic Country and took that form back to North Ballarat where he won the Morrish medal. He was clever and crafty. He kept getting the ball, he played with poise and he kicked a lot of goals. He also felt by the end of the year that he had done and what he had set out to do, in terms of winning the ball when it was in tougher spots.