Earlier this week, Craig and Deb Ginnivan were watching TV in their family home in Castlemaine when it sank in that their son, Jack, was about to play in the biggest football game in the country.
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"We looked at each other in disbelief,'' Craig Ginnivan said.
"It was a bit hard to believe because Jack has grown up quickly. It doesn't seem long ago that he was running around for the Bendigo Pioneers.
"(In 2019) he played in the reserves grand final for Strathfieldsaye and, prior to Collingwood, he basically hadn't played any senior footy.
"Who would have thought?"
Jack Ginnivan, 20, will be one of the youngest players on the ground when Collingwood takes on Brisbane in Saturday's grand final at the MCG.
It will be the 42nd game of his AFL career and the first time this finals series that the clever half-forward won't be the Magpies' substitute player.
"We were nervous waiting to see what the side was going to be,'' Craig admitted.
"We were thinking if Taylor Adams was right to go they had to drop someone and Jack was probably the scapegoat because he's young. We were probably thinking of the negatives rather than the positives.
"He's been sub the last three weeks, so we were nervous for him and it's been stressful.
"As much as Jack hates being the sub, he's the ideal sub because he brings energy and spark and his team-mates love his character.
"It is hard to watch at times when he's the sub, so it will be nice to see him get more game time."
Ginnivan has averaged one-and-a-half goals per game in his first three years at the Pies.
He's created headlines good and bad - he won the 2022 Anzac Day Medal, split the footy world with the high tackle debate and was suspended for two games at the start of this year after admitting to illicit substance use.
Through it all he's stayed true to himself.
"Jack has been maligned with all the stuff that went on in his first year and then he had to get back from what happened at the start of this year,'' Craig said.
"He's worked his butt off to get back. It hasn't been easy because there's strong competition for his spot. He showed good character and great resilience this year to earn his spot in this team.
"People on the outside probably don't realise that Jack has always worked really hard on his footy. It was his attitude from under-12s all the way through to now.
"Yes, he's a bit of a larrikin, but that's Jack. He's always had that charisma in him. He works hard, he has some fun and enjoys his footy."
Jack has a huge following in Castlemaine and Bendigo. It's something that Craig and his family are still coming to terms with.
"People come up to me and say they hate Collingwood, but they like to watch the games because they know my wife and I and they want to watch Jack,'' Craig said.
"It's quite humbling to have people say they like to watch your son play footy.
"Yesterday, my Grade 5 teacher from Castlemaine South school, who is now 82, is a Collingwood supporter and he rang me to wish the family and Jack all the best.
"I'm 60 now, so that shows you how long ago I was in Grade 5. The teacher lives up near Swan Hill now and he's never met Jack, but he's watched him on TV and he said he's exactly like me - cheeky, a larrikin, but a good kid.
"It was so nice of him to call out of the blue like that. I didn't like too many teachers when I went to school, but he was my favourite."
On preliminary final night last Friday, Craig and his daughters Brooke and Meg were invited onto the ground pre-game to form a guard of honour for the players as they entered the playing surface.
Craig said the atmosphere generated by the bumper crowd was something he'll never forget.
"When the Giants came out the booing was pretty loud, but when the Pies ran out and the song started playing I've never been in a place that was so loud,'' Craig said.
"You couldn't hear yourself. It was an amazing experience for us."
READ MORE: Ginnivan selected to make AFL debut
Craig said the invitation to be part of a guard of honour was one of a plethora of examples where the Magpies include families.
"Collingwood is amazing how they embrace the families,'' Craig said.
"The way they treat you it's like being at your normal country footy club.
"Everyone talks to you and everyone embraces the families. I couldn't speak more highly of the club.
"It's an elite organisation, but they know that without the families and the fans you don't have a good football team.
"The club asked me if we'd like to have my grandchildren, Piper and Delaney, ride with Jack in the grand final parade.
"That's so special for us. It's the little things like that that mean so much."
Craig said Jack's selection to play in the AFL grand final was a fitting time to think back on the people that played a key role in his son's journey.
"I've got to give a lot of credit to guys like Danny O'Bree at the Bendigo Pioneers,'' Craig said.
"He was fantastic to Jack when he was in the program. (The late) David Meade was really good to Jack and helped him a lot.
"The support the Pioneers' program gave Jack was fantastic. That's why Jack likes to get back and train with them when he can to give a little bit back to the club."
Should the Magpies win the flag on Saturday, Ginnivan will become the 11th Bendigo Pioneers' product to win an AFL premiership medal.
"It's going to be a special day for Jack and the family,'' Craig said.
"Hopefully, we're celebrating a premiership on Saturday night."
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