AFL hard man Tom Papley is 80 minutes away from grand final glory with the Sydney Swans – but he almost gave it all away over his dad’s mental health battle

Tom Papley stands just one game away from grand final glory with the Swans – but he almost quit the sport in 2019 after getting some shattering news about his dad’s mental health.

Famed for getting under the skin of his AFL opponents, the forward agitated for a release from the Bloods to be closer to his family in 2019, only for the club to stand firm.

At the time, he had just realised his father David was battling bipolar disorder after the pair had a confrontation – and after that, the star was prepared to move back to where it all began, the Gippsland town of Bunyip, about 90km east of Melbourne.

Papley requested a trade to Carlton in a bid to be closer to his loved ones, but remained coy on the reason why.

‘He (Tom) just felt useless. And he wanted to be there for his mum. He said, ‘If they don’t clear me I will come and play twos [reserves] at Bunyip’. He was adamant. He got it into his head that he wanted to come home, and that was it,’ David Papley told News Corp.

‘In the end he stayed and it was obviously the best thing he did. He went through a patch and we were proud of the reason why [he wanted to come home].’

These days Papley and his father as very close – but Dave still shakes his head at the relentless niggle in his son’s game.

Papley is famed for getting under the skin of his AFL opponents (pictured, clashing with Willie Rioli from Port Adelaide in last Friday’s preliminary final)

With his father David battling bipolar disorder, footy was the furthest thing from  Papley’s mind. He was prepared to move back home to Victoria (pictured playing for the Bunyips as a youngster)

‘The way he carries on, sometimes it just f**king cringe-worthy. He is a bloody idiot,’ he said.

‘But it gets under their skin. It stirs them up and gets them off their game. As “Horse” [coach John Longmire] said to him, it works.’

Papley has already featured in one decider at the MCG for Sydney – but it was a horror show.

Geelong romped to an 81-point victory in the 2022 Grand Final, and fans in red and white will be hoping history doesn’t repeat itself against the Brisbane Lions this Saturday.

This weekend’s clash will feature two non-Victorian teams for the first time since 2006 – when West Coast beat Sydney by a point.

It will be Longmire’s fifth Grand Final at the Swans, with the 2012 premiership coach desperate to change his current 1-3 record in the big dance.

Chris Fagan’s Lions are looking to bury the demons of last year after being beaten by Collingwood and also snare their first flag in 21 years.