A STALWART of the Murrabit Football Club will take to the field tomorrow in a milestone game.
Simon Morton will play his 400th senior game – a career that has spanned 10 clubs at some of the highest competitions in Victoria and New South Wales.
It will be the utility’s 215th game with the Blues, adding to 185 with teams in the Australian Football League, Victorian Football League and other competitions.
“The milestone is something that does not mean too much now, but when I finish playing it will be an achievement I can look back proudly on,” Morton said.
“I’ve been lucky that I’ve only missed five games during that time; two for weddings and three through injury.
“There were some games I should not have played due to injury that I did.”
The 38-year-old played his first senior game in 1992 for the Blues, debuting at the age of 14 in the side’s match against Ultima.
Two years later Morton was selected to play for the Bendigo Pioneers, taking to the field on 32 occasions and leading to representative games with New South Wales in 1994 and Victoria Country in 1995.
Former Fremantle coach, Damian Drum coached the New South Wales side in 1994, and was an assistant coach under Ron Barassi at AFL side, Sydney at the same time.
Drum’s association with the State side led to Morton joining the Swans’ top-up list in 1995, playing two reserves games when the club’s team was short of players due to injury.
Morton spent the 1996 pre-season training with Fitzroy in what would be the club’s final year in the AFL, but was unsuccessful in making the Lions’ squad.
“I managed to play one pre-season game for Fitzroy against the Bulldogs,” he said.
Morton stayed in Melbourne during 1996, playing 14 games with VFL side, Box Hill, before returning to Bendigo the next year to play with Golden Square.
“My idea was to go back to Bendigo and get onto the Bendigo Diggers’ VFL squad, which I did in 1998,” he said.
Morton played seven games in the Diggers’ inaugural season, as well as games with Golden Square before his attention turned to coaching.
Kerang recruited Morton for its 1999 season, where he played 20 games and was a specialist coach for the club.
Morton created history in 2000, becoming the youngest person to coach a Bendigo Football Netball League side at the age of 22.
Morton joined Lockington Bamawm United in the club’s final season in the Bendigo league, where he played 17 games, before coaching Swan Hill and playing 16 games with the Swans in 2001.
A three-year stint at Leitchville/Gunbower as an assistant coach followed, which saw Morton play 54 games before returning to the Blues for the first time in 12 seasons.
Morton was instrumental in Murrabit’s 2005 premiership season, with the utility winning the VCFL Medal for being best on ground in the Blues’ grand final win against Wandella.
A second premiership occurred two years later, when Murrabit was too strong for the Bombers in the grand final.
The “coaching bug” returned in 2009, with Morton moving to Tyntynder for the season, resulting in 20 games with the Bulldogs, before returning to the Blues in 2010.
Morton has played 109 games since returning to the club, and co-coached the Blues alongside current leader, Nathan Henry in 2013.
“The biggest thing I can take out of playing football is the number of mates I have made,” he said.
“I can go to most places and I will know someone I have either played with or played against.”
Captain’s 250th game
TOMORROW’S match at Murrabit will also be a special occasion for the club’s best on ground player in its 2007 premiership.
Defender and club captain, Nick Hein will play his 250th senior game, with Murrabit the only club the 34-year-old has played with throughout his career.
Hein debuted for the seniors in 1999 – the same year he won his second consecutive Golden Rivers Football League under 17 best and fairest – taking to the field with the main side on four occasions before cementing a spot in the senior side in 2000.
“I’ve been pretty lucky to play 250 games at the one and only club,” he said.
“There was a period of 10 years that I travelled to Bendigo, that’s how much I love the place.”
Hein played in the Blues’ 2005 and 2007 Golden Rivers Football League senior premiership wins against Wandella, winning the Victorian Country Football League Medal for being best on ground in the 2007 decider.
“My two greatest achievements have been winning the Brendan Hope Memorial (for most valuable player) and captaining the side for the past four to five seasons,” the 2014 Murrabit senior best and fairest said.
