350 games, but I’m just winging it
NORTH Shore veteran Brad McDougall never had any intention to play so many games. It just happened. The 38-year-old will hit another major milestone against Lara today, running out for his 350th club game. It puts McDougall in rare company, with just club president Dale Purcell playing more times in Seagulls colours.
“It’s a decent personal milestone. I’ve limped to the line, I guess I’m semi-retired now,” McDougall said.
“Playing so many games has never been a driving force for me. I’ve just kept reasonably healthy.”
But he said time was catching up with him.
“There’s a couple of little things, I haven’t really been playing much this year, just filling in when we’re short,” he said. “I’m about 20 games off the games record for the club and I think Purce might pull on the boots again if I get close.”
McDougall reckons “about 70” of those 350 games have come in the seniors, with the rest played at reserves level where he also won two club best-and-fairests.
“I played two years of under-18s, I didn’t play juniors at North Shore,” he said.
“My first year in the seniors was 1998, which back then our senior team was pretty strong.
“It sort of flowed on from there, I’ve played most years with the exception of missing a year and a bit in 2006 because I did my knee.”
McDougall has played in six losing grand finals with the Seagulls, but the 2003 reserves loss to St Mary’s is the one that stands out most in his mind.
“St Mary’s was eliminated the week before in the preliminary final. St Joseph’s beat St Mary’s but they had played an unregistered player,” he said.
“St Mary’s was on its Silly Sunday or Mad Monday and got the call that it was in the grand final. They ended up beating us by six points.
“I got knocked out at the start of the fourth quarter and ended up getting a trip to the hospital. It wasn’t a memorable one.”
McDougall, who is on the club’s committee, was rewarded for his commitment to the Seagulls with life membership about four years ago.
“I’ve made some pretty good friends over the years,” he said. “It’s never been a concept of mine to move clubs.”