LAST weekend cost the Sellwood family a small fortune. But it was a money-can't-buy experience well worth the airfares to and from Perth and accommodation in Brisbane to watch their son and brother live his dream. 

Michael is one of Richard and Genelle Sellwood's 10 kids. He has four older brothers – Josh (28), Austin (26), Tom (25) and Joe (23) – and three younger brothers – Lucas (17), Xavier (11) and Lewis (nine). Then there are his two sisters Grace (15) and Rose (10). 

Sellwood was selected with pick No.5 in last year’s Mid-Season Rookie Draft and knocked on the door of a senior game across the final three months of the season, before playing out the year at Footscray where he added a VFL premiership to the WAFL flag he won at Peel Thunder in 2024.   

The 22-year-old made his debut for the Western Bulldogs in the Opening Round epic against the reigning premiers at the Gabba, and the 22-year-old didn’t look out of place after finally getting his shot, laying a game-high seven tackles.

Under the collective bargaining agreement, clubs are required to cover flights and accommodation for two people per family of a debutant, which counts against the soft cap. That doesn’t stretch far when you have nine siblings. All but the three youngest Sellwood kids made the 4.5-hour flight across the country for an unforgettable night, but Xavier, Lewis and Rose were on FaceTime to share the moment in the rooms after the final siren.

"For years, I didn't really know whether it [AFL debut] was ever going to happen. Then to debut in round zero, especially against the reigning premiers, was a little bit intimidating," Sellwood told AFL.com.au at Mission Whitten Oval on Monday. 

"You go from sitting there watching them on the biggest stage, back-to-back premiers, then you're sort of lining up against then. But they're only human as well, so you give them a bit of a push and shove, and then they give you a push and shove back. It was pretty cool to play against them.

"Post-game was unbelievable. I was able to sort of get around everyone and see them all afterwards. Dad got really emotional, was tearing up after the game and he never gets emotional; that was really cool to see. All my brothers were there and they never really tell me how proud they are of me, but they all said how proud they are, which makes me get emotional thinking about it now. 

"It was a really good experience and you see how much people ride the journey along with you and those that have supported you throughout the journey, how it means so much to them as well."

Sellwood grew up on a six-acre property in Baldivis, 50km south of Perth, where he was homeschooled with his siblings until he started studying at Aquinas College in Year 8. 

"I never felt like I was isolated or sheltered in that sense," Sellwood said. "I had friends that were homeschooled and then friends from footy or through soccer or various stuff like that. I don't think I turned out too weird, but I know it's a common stereotype because it's different. I think we all turned out pretty well."

Sellwood met one of his best mates Jesse Motlop at Aquinas, who he now lives with in Moonee Ponds with his Carlton teammate Ashton Moir, while Corey Warner was in the same year level and Logan McDonald was the year above.

"I remember the first day that I was at Aquinas there was a big food fight at lunchtime and I was sort of getting involved, and I just remember thinking: how good is this? It was harmless but just so much fun. I was always a loud and boisterous sort of person, so I didn't struggle to sort of fit in and make friends," he added.

"Then when footy came around it was a lot easier too. My fondest memories of footy were at Aquinas, especially year 11 and 12 for the first XVIII, where you're just playing with your best mates. That was easily my favourite time playing footy."

Sellwood was still living at home when the Western Bulldogs plucked him out of the WAFL midway through last year. One day the defender was on a teaching placement in Perth, the next he was on a flight to Melbourne. The kids had read enough online to know he was a chance to be out of there, hours before it actually happened. 

"Before the end of the day, people were getting my signatures and I was just like, oh this is so funny," he recalled. "The next day I wasn't there. It just sort of all happened really quickly."

It did and didn’t happen quickly.

Sellwood wasn’t picked for Western Australia as a junior and wasn’t on the radar of AFL recruiters until after Peel won the flag in 2024. The alignment with Fremantle resulted in him doing that pre-season with the Dockers, where list boss David Walls met with him, but the club was stacked with defenders. West Coast showed interest. Brisbane sat down with him. Port Adelaide and Essendon also rated him. 

But the Western Bulldogs selected him under the guidance of GM Sam Power and new player acquisition and strategy manager Michael Regan. It didn't take long for Luke Beveridge to become enamoured with the hardnosed, team-focused backman from out west.

"I'm a big surfer and so is his dad, so we've sort of connected with him the first time we met him; him and dad were just talking for hours that night; he really gets around my family and loves that side of things, which is great," he said.

"He's a different sort of a coach to what I've usually had. He really is a caring sort of person; when you're having conversations with him, he's really listening. Him backing me in and playing me, which I can't thank him enough for, makes you feel a lot more confident. For him to back me in, especially in Opening Round against the reigning premiers, was massive. I can't thank him enough for what he's done so far."

Sellwood arrived in Victoria on a six-month contract, which was essentially four months: June, July, August and September. He did enough to land another deal for this year, but now believes he can make a career out of playing at this level. 

"100 per cent I think I can," he said. "I think the way I play sort of stands up at the next level, the competitive side of things and the physicality; it's always going to be there at whatever level you play. So I think that's stands up in my game. I thought I held my own against the reigning premiers, so I don't think there's any reason that I can't have a (long-term) future."

New head of development Luke Power ran an exercise on the club’s pre-season training camp in Noosa where every player had to present three photos: one on family, one on footy and another of personal choice. Sellwood captivated the room when he ran through every sibling and told the 60 people present a quick snapshot of their life story. It summed up his values. 

They were all there in person and in spirit at the Gabba on Saturday night. Genelle was a nervous wreck before the game, knowing just how important the moment was for her son. Richard spoke on behalf of the family in the rooms when his son was presented with his first guernsey. It had been a long journey to that point, but there will be more long flights to come for the Sellwood family. Marvel Stadium awaits this weekend.