By David Nagel
Andrew Proctor, coach Lachie Gillespie and captain Jordan Kelly already shared a special bond well before Tooradin-Dalmore claimed the 2022 premiership.
SEPTEMBER, 2022
Tooradin-Dalmore soared to its first premiership in 25 years against Phillip Island on Saturday on the back of a magnificent team performance.
But the Seagulls also soared to victory on the wings of angels, with the pain and suffering of tragedy bringing the club closer together through some unimaginably tough times.
Andrew Proctor, coach Lachie Gillespie and captain Jordan Kelly have experienced those lows, but have been lifted by the community spirit of their football club.
The three will now forever have a special bond as premiership players and coach in the 2022 season.
But all three share another common bond, having lost relatives that were also involved in the club to a silent killer.
Earlier this year, Andrew Proctor lost his brother Ben, while Greg Kelly, the father of Jordan, was taken way too early ahead of the 2019 season.
And Gillepsie suffered through the loss of his brother Tam several years earlier.
Andrew Proctor is one tough nut.
He plays his football hard, and has an appetite for the contest that sets him apart from the rest.
But this year…well he’s been tested like never before, losing his brother Ben and then sustaining a serious knee injury that looked certain to cruel his chances of playing in this year’s finals series.
It was cruel, because it’s football, and the club he calls home at Tooradin, that kept him going.
“To be honest this is all I’ve strived for, this has been all this club has ever wanted, it means so much to us as a group and to me personally…it’s what kept me afloat to be honest,” Proctor explained from outside a buzzing Seagulls change rooms.
“What happened to my brother was really hard, then I did my knee, and I was really down, but the boys around the club are so great and they got around me.
“This was end goal and it’s what got me going again.
“To actually win, it means so much to me.”
Proctor said the significance of the achievement would take time to sink in, but the reality had more than lived up to the dream.
“Yeah, and some, it still hasn’t kicked in about what we’ve achieved today and how many people we’ve made happy….it still feels like I should be out there playing and trying to win the game.
“There’s some really good talent in our side, but they’re even better blokes, and that’s really what this football club is all about.
“Such good people coming together to make something like this happen.
“It’s just such a good club and I’m proud to call it my home.”
Proctor said his feelings were mixed, but his brother Ben was certainly at the forefront of mind.
“I’m thinking about him a lot, everyone knows that and keeps coming up and saying it feels like he’s here and I really feel that too,” he said with glazing eyes.
“He’s here with us, and he’d be so proud of me and the boys today.”
Greg Kelly was a prominent figure at Tooradin-Dalmore, holding the highest office as president for several years.
Despite losing his lower leg in a car accident in 2016, his mission was always to see the Seagulls soar higher than the rest.
And for his son Jordan to be a part of it.
“I think he would be very proud, he would be a very happy man at the moment,” Kelly said after the match.
“Unfortunately he’s not here, the same with Benny (Proctor), suicide is a silent killer and it’s just shocking.
“Lach’s been affected in his family as well, but that’s what makes this place so special.
“It’s a place where people can come and feel really comfortable, and when adversity hits everyone rallies around them and that’s what makes today so sweet.
“We’ve a rough run, with a lot of tragedy, with Beau (Miller), Benny this year, and a few others, but this group just makes everyone feel so welcome and we all have a deep care for each other.
“When I walked in the first thing I noticed is you can’t tell a ones player from a twos player.
“Everyone is equal and whole club mentality is something we’re all very proud of.”
Lachie Gillespie is now a bonafide Tooradin legend, after breaking a lengthy premiership drought.
But his thoughts were also with people like Tam Gillespie, Beau Miller, Ben Proctor and Greg Kelly and the impact they continue to have at the club.
“I think about those blokes and what they did to help create the fabric of our club,” he said.
“Half of these guys, when I had cancer, I spoke to these guys and cried telling them at training, they’re like family, and that’s what we are, a tight-knit family of many people.
“I think that’s what I’m most proud of, you can win and lose, but it’s the way you do it.
“I had a guy come in before the game and say he’s not affiliated with anyone, but he likes to watch footy, and he told me we’re the nicest club he’s ever met.
“He said ‘you come up and introduce yourselves and make me feel welcome.
“To me that’s special that we embraced someone that’s not even part of our club.”
For Gillespie, relationships mean everything.
“I think that’s the key, its local footy, and even at higher levels, or in business, I think it’s really important to understand people and create connections,” he said.
“People will do their best when they feel comfortable.
“When you’ve built that trust, then you can test them a little bit, but until you’ve got that trust it doesn’t’ work.
“I’m probably more of a player’s coach, rather than I am a structural coach, I’ve got my deficiencies…but that’s probably my strength.”
Gillespie said having a connection with the town of Tooradin is what makes the premiership win so special.
“I stand up at the end of a game and see a sea of people, every week, you cannot stand, and that’s everywhere we go,” he said.
“We’re very blessed, very lucky, that we have such a great support base and that the town of Tooradin is right behind us.
“It’s a special place…it’s as plain and simple as that.”
