Aidan came to the Old Boys as an 18-year-old bulky rugby player with long curly hair. He quickly established himself as the centre half back in Simon Abraham’s formidable under 19s side. In paying homage to the Wu Tang Clan, Aidan would often say “Protect the Nest” before home games. This slogan would later be hijacked by Simon Abrahams as a mantra for the entire club. The highlight of his season came late in the year when during a warmup, a rogue football hit him in the temple. He decided he was fit to play but after costing us the first goal of the game, he took himself off the ground and was deemed to be concussed.
During his earlier seasons in the senior football system, Aidan transformed his game to become a leaner onballer but still managed to maintain his impressive muscle mass. Although grit and determination are staples within Aidan’s game, goal kick is not. Over the course of one season, Aidan kicked approximately 9 behinds without a goal. He would finally break this goal kicking drought in Darwin, far away from many Marcellin eyes.
Today, Aidan is an emerging leader within the development squad and a hallmark onballer for the team. Aidan plays the reserve style of football very well which includes getting in and under and knowing exactly when to just get the ball moving forward. Aidan is both a pleasure to play with and a pleasure to be around at club social functions (Oscar Flugge can back me up here).
Congratulations on 50 games.
– Luca Zanella
