When President David Kyle thought about “Hall of Fame” nominees his mind immediately drifts to the personalities we have around the league and this person ticks all the boxes.
This person was not blessed with significant football talent, he had a medical condition was never really enabled him to play football with his mates despite his love of the game and the people which surrounded it.
Notwithstanding this, he stayed involved by running the boundary on game day where his payment was probably a pie and can of drink if he was lucky. He subsequently entrenched himself into footy once his son started playing which I am told was at a very young age by assisting in the background and helping out wherever required.
Over time he got more and more interested in player care, treatment and training where he subsequently pursued many external courses to enhance his skills and knowledge within this critical segment of our game.
He has formed many friendships over the journey but none stronger than that with his fellow trainer and long term friend John Wyatt whom he considered his mentor for many years. This partnership has sustained the distance and been binding for well over 25 years
The life of a club trainer is not an easy path to follow, Friday nights packing and checking gear for game day, up early Saturday, to get on the road before 8, several hours of taping, strapping, rubbing, caring, repairing, icing, mending and sometimes the odd stitch or two. On a normal day, 10 hours of love and devotion.
But it does not end there, whilst most of us would be home on Sundays there is always washing to be done, rooms to tidy, the checking of supplies for next week and let’s not forget the demands of Tuesday and Thursday nights.
There is no doubt this person’s commitment to his club is outstanding, to say the least but from my perspective, it is what he does for others that is truly the mark of this man. I have seen him first hand assist players from other clubs when injured, or in need, not because he is asked too but because he wants too.
He is a quietly spoken man, a gentleman and gentleman of the game with a dry sense of humour. He has seen the highs and lows of football, he has seen the tears of joy and the tears of pain
NGFNL Board and that of many other new he was an ideal inductee into the League hall of fame.
