By DAVID NAGEL
FAST forward to 2025 and imagine 10-year interleague veterans captain Dylan Quirk and his deputy Troy Toussaint sitting at SEFNL training as they prepare to challenge Geelong for its 14-year title as the best in the state.
“Why have we been doing this for so long,” Quirk asks his great mate.
“It’s easy Quirky … remember Collo.”
Make no mistake, Narre Warren champion Michael Collins – respected, admired, valued by all – will become a revered figure around these parts.
A patriarch-type figure that, alongside his contemporaries Marc Holt, Nathan Brown, Brandon Osborne, and their coach Jock Holland, injected a soul into a fledgling football league.
This golden generation will leave a legacy … and Collo … well he’s the best we’ve ever had!
A six-foot-three, 100-plus kilo battering ram that controls stoppages and centre squares for fun, a man who was deeply insulted when his league was ranked 17 when ratings began back in 2012.
“To be honest, that was a disgrace, a bit of a kick in the nuts considering we had eight or nine players in the state titles the year before,” he said bluntly, after claiming the VCFL Medal for his best-on-ground display against Sunraysia at Casey Fields.
“It’s a great achievement to be in the top-10, but we’re not finished yet. Hopefully the younger guys will grab this and take it further.”
So is this it, gone from interleague footy for good?
“Yeah, it probably is,” he said.
“I’ve just got to start taking care of the body. Even on Tuesdays and Wednesdays now, the body’s not great, this is my eighth or ninth interleague so it might be time to give the body a break, I think.”
Yeah, good luck with that Collo, it may be your body … but you’re playing with our heart!
