By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
Old football players never die, they just join the local super rules team – well, at least that’s what club secretary Graeme Boyd hopes.
Punning unashamedly, Graeme said the super rules competition was the best way for over-35s to still get a kick out of life.
“We find that unless a bloke is in a men’s shed or something similar they can fall between the cracks,” Graeme said.
“It’s a great outlet for blokes. It’s better than sitting at home alone on the couch.
“We have players who have been hit by losing jobs – we’ve all been through life’s travails. It’s more of a men’s club because everyone needs an outlet.”
Graeme said the Geelong super rules club was like a big social network that played footy.
Training was glorified kick to kick, he explained, “because that’s what most of us like to do”.
Quite a few shunned games but attended training just to be one of the boys, Graeme said.
“It’s not a booze culture, although some like to have a beer afterwards. It’s more about looking after your teammate after the game.
“A few of the dads bring their kids to training, so we have a few youngsters training with us and that keeps us on our toes,” Graeme chuckled.
“Of course we want to win but there’s no premiership quarter, no four points and no finals. It gets a bit serious once you cross the white line but we all know we have to go to work the next day.”
Games are played every second Sunday, with training at Newcomb’s Grinter Reserve 5pm Thursdays.
The club had over-35 and over-47 sides but was keen for new players so it could create more teams, Graeme said.
“Older blokes are staying at local footy clubs these days to play in their seconds. There many of them in their late 30s and 40s playing seconds footy.
“They’re filling in for the kids who don’t hang around to play seconds if they’re not good enough for firsts.
“The country clubs are full of older blokes who should be playing with us. We should be able to get 300 blokes available for super rules out of the local population.
“We’d like to have three or four super rules teams, including down the coast and at Lara.
“Because we play against other regional teams and in Melbourne, we travel to games but if we had more local teams it would lessen the travel.
“Its social footy, we have modified rules, but it’s the same as AFL footy but at a slower pace.”
Graeme said the club was planning a past-players night and hoped to reconnect with former members.
“We’ve been a bit nomadic, so we don’t have a lot in the way of records. We’re hoping a few of our past players will get in touch with us.”
Graeme said a super rules double-header against Gippsland at Newcomb’s Grinters Reserve on Sunday, 16 June, would be an ideal opportunity for prospective players to check out the game.
More information was available at geelongsuperrules.com.au, he said, or by phoning him on 0421 909 709.
