Round 14 - ROCS - Pembroke Kings

Congratulations on playing your 200th game. 200 is a significant achievement - if you never
miss a game through injury and the team plays 2 finals games every year it takes 10 years to
rack up that many games. 10+ years of training and commitment to the club. It has taken
you longer than that - injuries and some time in Sydney where you played against the Sydney
Swans reserves (stood Tadgh Kennelly) and on the SCG helped that.
Playing 200 games makes you eligible for life membership of the Kings, an honour already richly deserved from your
contribution to the club off the field - financially as a major sponsor and on a committee level as a former treasurer of
the club. An A grade Premiership, a C grade Premiership, Captain of the Club, and an A grade best and fairest, are testament
to your on field prowess. Strong overhead for your size, clean hands and disposal from both sides and very hard at
it. Kept your nose (easier for you than others) over the ball no matter what. A player I have had the pleasure of playing
with and have admired, I was very honoured to be asked to play in your 200th.
You have brought so much more to the club than that. You are one of the more vibrant people I have ever played with.
Capable of lifting those around you with your personality. You and the SPU boys lit up the old clubrooms at 8 Shipsters
Road with your antics, you also lit up the training track with those multicoloured 80's fluoro happy pants you wore to
training in lieu of the dull colourless and boring skins that are the de rigueur of the modern player. You know how to
have a good time and how to work hard when required. One of my fondest memories of you was in match against
Campbelltown-Magill at Campbelltown Oval (where ROCs play now) when you commentated on the game while playing.
The commentary went something like "Crawf crumbs the pack beautifully, goes short to Prides lace out, runs past
for the 1-2 handball and goes bang from 50 for a team lifter" and went the whole game. The myths and legends abound
- the year you won the B&F by a country mile, rumour has it that you did so after playing 18 holes of golf in the Saturday
morning followed by a couple of quiet ones in the 19th and then some pre-match car park action with the girlie to
get you fired up.
Two-time premiership player, Best and Fairest winner, A Grade Captain, Treasurer, Sponsor and now life member -
you have done it all at the Kings.
Welcome to the 200 club.
Cheers,
Charlie
A few facts that some may have not known about the "great man" that I have come to know of him.
1. He has probably missed 50 plus games due to old age and a tragically fragile body
2. He is a Westminster Old Scholar.
3. He was a low single figure golfer in his youth playing as an "A" grade pennant golfer
4. He is a Premiership Player for the "Kings"
5. He hates a "drink" (probably we all know that!!!!!!)
6. His longest known kick is 35 metres (with the wind). That was in 1995 and it is probably 25 metres now.
7. He was Club Captain
8. He was named in the Club's "Team of the Decade" 1990-1999
9. He has been a great financial supporter of this Club for many years.
10. He is a generous man defined by his proposed establishment of an Orphanage in Uganda
11. In summary he is one of the all-time greats of this Club.