Will just wanted a chance to say thank you.

The junior football fan, who has autism and an intellectual disability, had a chat with Macrae after a goal kicking skills station in a special Auskick clinic late last week.

Will’s parents said Macrae must have made a good impact because his autograph was the only one Will had wanted to collect on his Essendon jumper, and they had a photo together.

When leaving the clinic, Will wanted to say thank you, but the crowd near Macrae was too big.

“Will can be a little bit anxious around crowds sometimes,” Will’s dad Trent Robinson said. “He’s had that conversation with Macrae and felt special.”

Number 11 Jack Macrae is now Will’s absolute favourite player. Mr Robinson said it was unlikely Macrae realised the positive impact he had made.

Will went to the clinic as an Essendon supporter, days before the Bombers were to take on the Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium.

The big question for Will when The Courier visited was which team did he support now?

Will pulled out his iPad, opened the AFL app and pointed to the Bulldogs’ club logo – but kept it hidden from his dad, an Essendon supporter.

Mr Robinson did not mind too much because the Bulldogs were his second favourite team. He remembered meeting Bulldog Scott Wynd when younger and having his photo, on a step, next to the towering ruckman.

Will is being home schooled this semester. Mr Robinson said Auskick sessions in Lucas were a key chance for his son to be about children his own age, even if Will did not interact with his peers a lot.

For Will, football was fun.

Western Bulldogs are increasingly spending more time in Ballarat as they prepare to bring AFL matches, playing for premiership points, to the city.

The Bulldogs have partnered with the City of Ballarat to host home games at Eureka Stadium for five years, starting in 2017. The club has also set up a base in Mair Street to build community programs, like Sons of the West for men’s health and the Whitten Project for youth leadership.