Milestone Games – Saturday 3 August 2024

Congratulations to Nicholas James (150 games) and Madeleine Wyatt (50 games) on their milestones this weekend!!

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Nicholas James

It is a privilege to write today in honour of Nicholas “Roughy” James ahead of his 150th game for Marcellin Old Collegians Football Club. A club stalwart, sharp-shooter, and my eldest brother; I will endeavour to capture some of the accolades and stories across his 15-year career with MOCFC.

Nick began his career at Marcellin in the U/19s Premier division in 2010, playing just the 8 games as he battled back injuries throughout this season, against what I assume were some of the best young talents in the VAFA. I assume this, as little is actually known or accessible on the VAFA website for this season. One can only assume, true to form, that Nick played his role in a key position post, in a season that pre-dated air fryers, Uber and the iPad.

He found continuity in the following years, playing all bar 1 game over the next 2 seasons and demonstrating some strong form. He did have a sabbatical in playing after this, where it was feared he may be lost to the game, as he enjoyed the finer things in life on his Saturdays. Thankfully, he was coaxed into returning in the latter part of 2014, returning a more robust figure than he had left the game in 2012. It was for the next couple of seasons where Nick was in his “Plugga Era,” terrifying full backs with his girth, strong hands, and deceptive forward craft, highlighted by an extraordinary month where he booted 18 goals in 4 weeks for the Reserves.

In a move no doubt to assist in the prolonging of his career, Nick knuckled down with his fitness in the following seasons and became one of the fittest players at the club. Moving more around and up the ground, he demonstrated a versatility in being a more than handy ruckman and defender when required, but it has been the forward line which has remained his home on the football field to this day. Watching Nick taking strong marks on the lead and guiding the ball home right-to-left on the John Bray Oval has always been a sight to behold.

Being a mainstay of the 2s in the seasons post COVID, Nick has not lost an ounce of his competitive edge. Sometimes his temper can flare (being held off the ball is a trigger for him) and he will “give it back” to vocal opponents on occasion. After a resounding win, Nick famously banged on the changeroom sheds and yelled at Parkdale players to “play the song again” in response to their obnoxiously loud pre-game song. While Nick received a “Person Warning” from Coach Thomas Black for this, it remains an unforgettable moment for all those lucky enough to witness it.

Nick is also a lover of footy statistics, in particularly his own statistical output when playing. Just recently when we were playing together, I was told (unprompted) at half time that he had “5 marks, on track for 10”. In 2022, the Reserves coaching committee shared his keen interest on player statistics, recording tackles, groundball gets, and handball receives for each player weekly. Those who know Nick’s game style well would be aware that these statistics were not his bread and butter, however. After a couple of weeks of recording 0 in the groundball gets column, Nick was undoubtedly feeling the pressure to get this monkey off his back. The statistics committee as usual took their duties seriously and Nick had returned 0 groundball gets for the first half. When informed, Nick was enraged and demanded an opportunity to plead his case to the statisticians. This culminated in him debating with and convincing injured captain Daniel Lunn to register a groundball get for an alleged gather on the forward flank in the second quarter. Nick has since apologised for this indiscretion.

Nick is a great teammate to have alongside you on the field. He is a great celebrator of teammates’ goals and achievements and is a vocal leader around the ground. For a key forward, he has always been very unselfish around goals and never places his interest above that of the team’s. He provides terrific value at club functions and is a friend to all at the club. I am proud as his brother and teammate of the career he has put together for MOCFC. Go well on Saturday mate, kick a bag, and bring home the 4 points.

Timothy James

Roughages Brother,

On behalf of the Marcellin community, congratulations on playing your 150th game this weekend for MOCFC.

Our football journey began back in 2010 as spritely Under 19 boys, and I never would have imagined that our final season together would be me coaching you, but alas, the world works in mysterious ways. Although our football journey has come to an end, it is with great pride that the club and I congratulate you on playing 150 games. It was an absolute pleasure to have had the opportunity to have played with you, to have coached you and more importantly to have you has a friend.

Throughout Nick’s 15 or so years at the club, he’s definitely made an impact both on and off the field during this time. It would be remiss of me not to share with you some of these impacts:
Looking back at Nick’s time at the club, I think you’d be hard pressed to find someone at MOCFC who Nick has not had a confrontation or dispute with over very trivial things. That ranging from nearly throwing hands with Lucas Bosio at training for getting in each other’s way for a mark or getting stuck into Tim Montagna for being a ‘Harry McKay hater”.

Anytime you ask Rough how one of his teammates played in a game, his view on their performance is very much determined by whether they hit him up in the forward 50. Someone could have an absolute blinder, however if any one of their possessions did not include a goal assist to him, they had a shocker.
Nick is ridiculously competitive. He’s incredibly quick to smell blood in the water, especially if he thinks he’s on top and the boys are starting to run over the opposition. He’ll happily start sledging the opposition, headhunting blokes when he knows he’s got the security of the team doing well. But if the shoe is on other foot, Rough is as a quiet as a church mouse.

Known to some as ‘Rain Main’ which is both a reference to the 1988 American road comedy-drama staring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise as well as Nick’s obsession with the bureau of meteorology. Without fail, Nick will know what the weather forecast is for Saturday by Tuesday night’s training as this will have a major impact on his football performance. If it’s blue skies and sunny, he knows he’s on but if it’s projected rain and wind, he’s already put the cue in the rack before the first bounce.

Many of you may not know this but Nick only shops once a year, and that is when the boxing day sales hit the stores. They say that ‘anyone can buy fashion, but style is what you do with it’, and unfortunately, Nick and style do not go together. This results in his pre-match kit always being something to behold. He’s well known to regularly rock up in either fluoro blue tracksuit pants or skin tight jeans accompanied with a pair of suede Nike’s which I assume were found strewn over a power line out west. I enjoyed nothing more than lining him up with a ‘What are those?!??!’

One of the most bizarre things you’ll ever see on the footy field is Rough’s habit of celebrating a goal before actually kicking said goal. He regularly will take a hard-fought mark, and prior to kicking the goal, (God only knows why) undertakes a Brian Taylor-esque celebration, and then without doubt, subsequently misses the goal.

Another thing that goes unnoticed about Rough is his ability to play through injury that would keep most out. He regularly will play with broken fingers and ribs, regardless of the further damage that could be done. This is a testament to not only him wanting to keep his spot in the side, but his want and desire to help the team wherever he can.

All jokes aside, Nick is such a great person to have around the club, he makes time for all MOCFC people, regardless of what team they’re in and treats everyone the same. He comes from a great family, parents Greg and Janes and Siblings, Tim, Mel and Josh, who you’ll regularly see around the club helping out and supporting.

Your commitment to the club is nothing short of admirable. Being the last person from our ’08 school year to be putting on the boots for the old boys, you should be very proud of your body of work that you’ve compiled for your career. Hoping you can save the celebrations post kicking a coupla snags this week brother.

150th Game Once, 150th Game Well.

All the best,
Thomas Black

Ps. For those playing at home, Nick is still contesting a fine he received for parking in DDA car parking spot many moons ago.

Thomas Black

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Madeleine Wyatt

This week we’re celebrating Maddie’s 50th game. A significant milestone for someone who has embodied commitment, competitiveness, and toughness in every game she’s played for our club.

I’ve known Maddie pretty much since I was born. During our early years we spent a lot of time together. But as time passed by and we grew up, I wasn’t sure if our paths would ever cross again. But fate had its way when Maddie joined the club after spotting a former Sheagle in Europe by chance. Playing with Maddie now has helped us to reconnect and develop the friendship we’ve always had. Sharing this footy journey with you has been an absolute privilege and I can’t express enough how much of a joy it has been playing with you.

Reaching this milestone is an incredible achievement that really highlights Maddie’s dedication to the team. Her resilience, toughness and relentless pressure has played a key role the success of our team. From our undefeated reserves side during her debut season in 2021 to our premiership success last year, Maddie’s contribution over her 50 games has been crucial. Her natural ability to kick on her opposite foot under pressure like it’s nothing, along with her elite tackling pressure, impressed from the very early on at her time at Marcellin. Her huge intercept marks off half-back, crucial run-down tackles, and impressive footy IQ that allows her to read the play like no other are skills we all really value.

This season Maddie has taken her game to another level. Probably because of her commitment to constantly improve and eagerness to learn and grow. Shown by her actively asking for feedback from coaches and working hard at training to refine her game. This drive to continually better herself is a testament to her passion and love for footy and is something which we all admire.

Over the years, Maddie has displayed a love/hate relationship with playing in the back line. We often joke about how nice and easy it would be to go forward and kick some goals (although neither of us have had much success when we do get our chances). And how being too good at our roles down back is holding us back from doing this. But despite this, I know deep down Maddie loves being a back and absolutely thrives there.

However, Maddie’s versatility is also one of her greatest assets. She can play anywhere on the field with little fuss, always putting the team first. She just seems to have a hunger to play and make an impact no matter where she is on the field. Her adaptability and willingness to play different roles really makes her the ultimate utility and teammate.

So, congratulations Maddie on this incredible achievement. Good luck this weekend, I hope we can get the win for you and maybe even get you your first goal!

Tania Carpinteri

When I think about Maddie and her journey toward 50 games at Marcellin, the words determination, consistency, dependability, and relentlessness all come to mind.

We all know that one of, if not the, most common instructions you’ll hear from the coaches to defenders is to have your arm on your opponent. This is ingrained in Maddie as far as I can tell, because she appears to superglue herself to her opponent each week, not letting them get any separation from her in pursuit of the Sherrin. I can’t think of any scenario where Maddie has been left chasing after her opponent, instead you will regularly see her punching the ball away or tackling the opposition, forcing either a stoppage or a turnover.

Off the field, Mads isnt too dissimilar from her on-field persona – not much gets past her. She always has your back, and is one of the first to check in and make sure you’re alright if you cop a knock or injury, or if you’re just not feeling right.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the events of the latter part of 2023 and how lucky we are to have Mads here with us today. You see, we very nearly lost her in November of last year.
We have all had moments where our coordination has been challenged after some over-indulgence in the liquor department, but no one more so than Maddie Wyatt. When it was decided by the girls on the Footy Trip 2023 that a late night stroll to the beach was in order, Mads eagerly came along and boy did we all get more than we bargained for. In the 5-minute walk to the beach she stacked it more times than an infant in their first week of walking. These weren’t your run-of-the-mill stumbles either, there were scrapes and bruises to show for her trouble. Once we arrived at the beach she decided she wasn’t done yet, and decided to attempt walking along the bluestone walls supporting the dunes. The thud that came from her toppling off this wall and onto the surface below was one that I thought had surely ended her life. Thankfully however she not only lived to tell the tale but was adamant that she would’ve also passed a concussion test.

A win this weekend will require a team that is ruthless from the outset, determined to take no prisoners and demonstrate nothing but our best efforts from the first to final siren. And so it’s fitting that such a challenge occurs for Mads’ 50th, because if we all go out there with a little bit of Maddie Wyatt energy, I have no doubt we can get the job done.

Jennae Wakefield