Tourism websites promote Richmond debutant Sam Cumming's home town, Wentworth, as a charming town flowing with history and experiences.
Those in the town, across the Murray River from Mildura in far south-western New South Wales, will tell you the footy club is the beating heart of the community, with townsfolk vacating houses and shopfronts to watch their side in the Sunraysia Football Netball League.
The 2022 grand final year was a high point capped with heartbreak, as the Wentworth 'Roos went down to Irymple in the decider by a kick.
A 15-year-old Cumming was named his side's second best player. For those who watched, it proved that he was destined for something bigger than the town of around 8000 people.
“His team didn't start well at all, it was hot early and at quarter time, he was best on,” Wentworth coach and former Western Bulldogs and Essendon player, Mark Alvey, told Zero Hanger.
“He showed up their senior leaders and that said to me straight away that he loves the big moment, he wasn't fazed by pressure, he wasn't fazed by big bodies, he's got a great mix of being really tough and defensive which is why I think going forward he will crave the big stage and crowds.
“He's got the game and body to impact already so I think he'll thrive on the big stage.”
The following year, Cumming accepted an offer to finish his studies at prestigious Adelaide school Prince Alfred College and play his footy for North Adelaide.
There he developed into a powerful midfielder-forward in the mould of Isaac Heeney that had clubs clamouring for his services on the first night of last year's AFL Draft.
Having made his senior debut aged just 14, that grand final proved to be his last game representing his home town; their lasting memory of the driven kid ready for the bright lights.
“Playing AFL is something that has been his dream for a long time. Like every young boy who is playing footy, he is really keen to get his opportunity and he just can't wait now,” Cummings' father, Glen, told Zero Hanger.
“Especially being in that environment in the rooms beforehand and understanding how the older guys go about it.
“Knowing how hard he has been working, it will be great to see him fulfil his dream and tick that massive goal he's had for so long and watching the other guys from around the footy club and watching on TV.
“For us as parents, it will be a very proud and exciting moment and we can't wait to watch him do what he loves.”
Alvey played in premierships with Cumming's father, Glen, in 2009 and 2012 and remembers a very young Sam always hovering around with a footy in his hand, lapping up the tribal emotion of country footy.
Cumming has always been someone whose actions - and particularly footy - spoke louder than his words.
Gaining independence with guidance from parents Glen and Kyra, and by moving away allowed him to mature into a character who impressed AFL clubs in the interview process last year.
“He was such a shy, quiet kid when he went to Adelaide,” Alvey recalled.
“He would barely speak so for him to end up as vice captain of the state squad shows that he came out of his shell and his parents have to take a lot of credit for that for encouraging him and putting him in situations where he had to introduce himself to people.
“I remember saying to Glen and Kyra that he became a different person, because you'd get so much more out of him. His growth as a person has been just as significant as him as a footballer.”
Despite being a small town, Wentworth has had a series of former AFL footballers flow through the club in recent years: Alvey, Jack Ough, Ben McGlynn, Jarrod Brander and Kobe Mutch.
All have contributed to Sam's journey in some way, with Ough and Cumming growing up together and Alvey the most prominent of his mentors, having played in two local premierships with Sam's father.
Now counted as a strength of Cumming's, his kicking was an area of his game that took time to hone, with the Tiger waking up before sunset for years to perfect it under Alvey's tutelage.
“He struggled with his kicking early days so we set up a lot of drills and scenarios to improve his ball drop, hip (positioning) and other things but it was him doing the work,” Alvey noted.
“He'd get out of bed at 5.30am and doing the work on his own before school and would have put in countless hours to get that to a really good level.
“He has just had such a driven personality to get better and he's one of the most coachable kids I‘ve ever dealt with - he gets information and acts on it quickly.”
Glen and Kyra have ridden the highs and lows to get to this point, rarely missing a game which means 13-14 hour round trips to support Sam.
They'll bring a bigger crew than usual down on Friday from Wentworth as the village gets behind the kid.
“He's always been a very driven and focussed kid,” Dad, Glen, said.
“He's always wanted to get the best out of himself - whether basketball, tennis or waterskiing - because he's very competitive and he's got a nice bunch of tight knit close mates.
“People are always speaking to us about Sam around the community. The interest around Sunraysia in him has been great. They have really embraced the kids who have been drafted and all the younger kids are keeping an eye on him too, so everyone is a big supporter.
In November last year, he followed Mark Lee, Matthew Knights and Dale Weightman as Richmond players from the Sunraysia region, the Tigers pouncing with pick No.7 after a dominant season for South Australia and North Adelaide.
“Sam has great speed and power and is a strong overhead mark. He is a team-first player and was a highly valued teammate across all teams he represented,” recruiting manager, Rhy Gieschen, said at the time.
Viewed as a player who could impact in his first season, Cumming was sidelined by a shoulder subluxation across the early rounds, having suffered the same injury late last year.
He returned on limited minutes against St Kilda, where his midfield class shone through.
Unleashed fully a fortnight later in Richmond VFL's practice match against the AFL Academy side, he was named best on ground, finishing with 25 disposals and an AFL debut seemed inevitable.
“Sammy was exceptional on the weekend,” VFL coach Jack Madgen said of his game.
“He finished off a really nice team goal. His contest, his ability to get the ball from inside to out and his fast feet around stoppages really stand out when you watch him.”
Cumming, who lives with teammates Kane McAuliffe and Zane Peucker, travelled with the squad to Perth for the Fremantle clash to get a sense of an AFL game-day ahead of his debut.
Four years after that fabled grand final day at Mildura, the teenager from the desert has left Wentworth, 550km from Melbourne, in his dust and is ready for the big stage of the MCG.
