FAMILY, footy and work.
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Those are the three key areas Echuca’s Damian Dalziel has based his life around for the past three decades.
But soon, he will be without one.
Footy.
That’s because Damian knows the time will eventually come to hang up the boots.
And there’s every possibility it comes after the 2021 season.
“This year will be my last, I’m 100 per cent sure about that. It’s going to be all family and work life,” Damian said.
“2020 was going to be it but since that didn’t happen, I’ve been given another reprieve to give it another shot.
“People have asked me before when I’m going to retire, and I’ve always believed I would do it when I could no longer have an impact on a game.
“I don’t know whether I do now, but I’ll find out.
“As a 6’5 bloke, regardless of age, I know we’re pretty hard to come by. I’m happy to sit at full-forward. It’s a good place to be.
“Girgarre have given me another great opportunity to play again.”
This isn’t the first time Damian has thought about giving away the game he loves.
In the past, a knee reconstruction and serious Achilles injury had him thinking whether having a kick at 2pm on a Saturday was really all worth it.
“I thought I don’t have too much else away from family and work apart from footy,” Damian said.
“It’s what I’ve been doing for the past 27 years.
“I don’t like playing cricket or any other sport so what else would I do if I didn’t play or wasn’t involved in some capacity.
“I’ve got myself right and it’s always been an opportunity to keep playing.”
Perhaps one of the reasons Damian has been able to continue playing every year is the fact he didn’t first pull on the boots until he was 20.
“Everyone back home in Ballarat kept telling me they would love to have me on their side and would pay me whatever I wanted,” Damian recalled.
“I thought a little bit of extra cash wouldn’t go astray. One of my mates eventually got me to come down to training and in the first season I played I actually won the best and fairest.
“I had followed Richmond my whole life but didn’t actually know the skills of the game.
“I went to the library and got a book to work out all the positions on the field.
“Once I went to training everything just clicked.
“I ended up winning a best and fairest in my first season.”
Since his first best and fairest trophy, Damian has gone onto win several more but there is still one that stands out above all else.
“Winning one at (Echuca) United was probably one of my best because my wife Teena had given birth to Jordan and she was still in the hospital at the time,” he recalled.
“I think it was about three in the morning and I tapped on the window saying, ‘look at what I won'.
“I remember the curtains being opened by one of the nurses and asked Teena if she knew who I was.
“She pretty quickly told me to come back later. I came in later in the day with a screaming hangover and Teena told me they were coming home.”
Jordan would eventually grow up to follow in his father’s footsteps to play the game he loves.
And Damian still remembers their first game together like it was yesterday, playing reserves for Echuca United against Cobram.
“I was pretty worried; I was looking around for him,” Damian said.
“I told him if something happened, I would be there.
“We were probably lucky because we played Cobram and they were short on numbers so there were a few young guys on their side as well.
“Ever since then, I still keep an eye out for him. He’s your son you’re always going to be looking out for him.
“But there will be a time where he has to stand on his own two feet.”
And in 2019, the pair had the opportunity play a senior Kyabram District Football League game for Girgarre together.
“That was a day I’ll never forget,” Damian said.
“Not too many dads get to say they played a senior game with their son. When Jord played his first senior game a few weeks earlier I remember we played Longwood at Girgarre and it was an average day.
“He was still lying in bed and I told him it was time to get ready and he turned around and said, ‘I suppose if I’ve got to come and watch you before I play I will’.
“I thought it was quite funny.”
Along the way, Damian has played for a handful of clubs including United, Mathoura and Girgarre.
But the lure of a premiership is still something he desires until today.
“Playing in a grand final was a great experience but I’ve never been on the winning side unfortunately and hopefully we can change that this year,” he said.
“As the saying goes, you’d trade all of your individual achievements for a premiership medal.
“When I played in an interleague game one year, we were presented medals on a platform and it made me feel like that’s what winning a grand final would be all about.”
In recent seasons, Damian has taken on more responsibility off the field as an assistant coach for Echuca’s women’s team.
But when Mick McInnes made the decision to step down, he just knew he had to put his hand up.
“Mick was awesome in giving me an opportunity to take drills at training and speak on game day,” Damian said.
“The transition was pretty easy at the start. I’m looking forward to this year. I’ve learnt a lot off (Girgarre coach) Billy Barnes and other guys who I’ve played under in terms of the concepts.
“I tend to use the stuff from Girgarre at women’s training. I try and keep it simple.”
While the curtains will slowly be closing on his career in 2021, Damian isn’t afraid to dream big.
“A premiership to finish is obviously the dream,” he said.
“I want to get a full season under belt and do everything I can to help Gig play finals footy again for the first time in a number of years.
“It would be fantastic to be part of that.
“I want to go out with a bang.”
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