WHEN Simon Goodwin came up to first-year Demon Bayley Fritsch, towards the end of training at Gosch’s Paddock on Thursday, the 21-year-old wasn’t sure what the coach was going to say.

Much speculation had been around Fritsch making his AFL debut against Geelong at the MCG on Sunday, but for the draftee from Coldstream via Casey Demons, he wasn’t sure which way it was going to go.

“We were doing a little bit of craft at the end of training and I was doing some goalkicking and Goody made his way over to me. He said ‘how’s your week going?’ I froze a little bit and didn’t know what was coming – whether he was telling me I was or wasn’t playing,” Fritsch told Melbourne Media.

“He gave me the good news and I’m stoked – I still really can’t believe it, but I can’t wait for Sunday.

“Once he told me, I kicked one more goal at training and then went off the track, so it was good to head back to the changerooms. I then rang my parents and girlfriend, and they were all over the moon.”

But initially Fritsch flicked out a group text, so he didn’t have to decide who to tell first. 

“I sent a message out to everyone and then I let them call me, because I didn’t want to ring someone first and them say ‘why didn’t you ring me first?’ So, I sent out a group message and then everyone called me one-by-one,” he said.

“I spoke to them all individually, so they were all stoked.”

Still, the classy forward said he genuinely didn’t know, if he would start the season in the AFL.

“To be honest, I didn’t really know if I’d play this week,” he said.

“I played in the JLT [Community Series], but that was with 24 blokes and we had a couple of guys coming back as well. I was just trying to do everything I could and hope that my name was going to get read out at selection.

“I was lucky enough that Goody told me.”

Still, he dared to dream earlier in the week, when he considered what it would be like to play his first game for Melbourne in the red and blue’s season-opener.

“I was actually thinking about it last night, if it was to happen,” he said.

“I was wondering this time last year, whether [former Casey Demons coach and now Melbourne assistant coach] Justin Plapp was going to pick me in the round one VFL team, which he did.

“So, to be even considered for round one this year in the AFL – I thought that was an achievement in itself, but for that to come true, I can’t describe in words what it means, to be honest.”

Fritsch said he was a “pretty relaxed” person by nature, but acknowledged that “it might take a while to get to sleep on Saturday”.

“Once Sunday comes around, I’m tipping I’ll be relatively nervous,” he said.

“Hopefully it’ll all fall into place, once I get onto the ground.”