THE TERM "fairytale" is thrown around a lot in the world of sport. Most of the time, it's a bit of hyperbole.
However, what happened at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday night was nothing short of "magic" for 97-year-old Neville Sparks, and Topics defies anyone to say otherwise.
As Valentine-Eleebana junior, Grant Anderson, ran to the sideline after his stunning NRL debut for the Melbourne Storm and embraced his "surrogate Pop", no one could deny the raw emotion from both men.
"That was the icing on the cake. When I grabbed hold of him I told him he's my boy. He's made it," Mr Sparks said.
"I told him I love him and we were proud of him and then I just hugged him and started to cry.
"You can't explain the feeling you get.
"You swell up inside to see somebody that has worked his inside out, trained like a bloody Trojan, have everything he wished for and worked for to come to fruition."
Mr Sparks, a lifelong Swansea local, formed an immediate bond with the Anderson family when they moved in across the road almost 30 years ago.
The Andersons have since had three boys Cameron (25), Grant (22) and Kain (20).
"After my wife died I was invited in for everything. I was part of the family. They took me to football to calm me down and I couldn't have wished for anything better," Mr Sparks said.
"The boys used to come over and get me to play league.
"I thought it was only touch footy but as soon as you got a football in your hand you were prey.
"I had to go get some of my glasses fixed after one afternoon.
"But I wouldn't have changed it for the world."
So, when Grant debuted for the Melbourne Storm on Saturday, Mr Sparks said it felt like "something you dream about that never usually eventuates. This time it did".
It was the first time Mr Sparks had watched a game in Sydney since Balmain Tigers beat South Sydney Rabbitohs in the 1969 grand final.
Grant's father Heath said there were around 60 of his son's family and friends in Sydney for the game.
"He's a loved kid and so well respected. The number of people that came down for the game was just incredible," Heath Anderson said.
Grant, who has played his whole career as a centre, fullback or five-eighth, got his first grade call-up to play on the wing following the injury of Xavier Coates during State of Origin.
"[Craig] Bellamy rang Grant on Thursday and said 'what are you doing Saturday night'," Heath said. "None of us were really expecting it so Grant said 'probably watching you blokes play'."
A former Newcastle Knights under-18s and under 20s player, Grant ended up scoring two tries on Saturday night to help seal Melbourne's 26-18 victory over the Sydney Roosters.
When asked about his "Pop" by the ABC on Sunday, Grant said "I love him to death".
"He would come over every day. He does the bins, he does the washing for us," Grant said.
While Mr Sparks hasn't always been a Melbourne fan, his allegiance now lies wherever Grant's career takes him.
"Wherever he is that's where I am. There is only one team now that he has started."
Mr Sparks is a former coal miner from Belmont's John Darling Colliery. He has two sons and, since his wife passed away in 2014, said the Andersons have kept him on his toes.He described Grant as "colossal but quiet" as a child.
"He was hard working and always made me really welcome," he said. "Not long after Heath's father died he came to me and said 'don't you die on us Nev, you're the last one we have left'."
It must be said, between his morning walk and time spent in the garden, the Herald was hard-pressed to catch up with Mr Sparks for a chat on Monday.
"I take the paper out and I walk out to Caves Beach. I walk everywhere around the town," he said. "I walk about six kilometres every day."
