Milestone man loyal
IT speaks to the type of person Adam Marsland is that he wants his 200-game milestone to be all about the team.
Marsland, 31, has been one of Geelong City’s most devoted servants since joining as a teenager, refusing to entertain the idea of leaving to ply his trade elsewhere.
Even when the Sharks moved down to GCA2, the opening bowler and all-round nice guy stayed loyal, which in turn brought his only senior premiership to date, in 2011-12.
But Marsland would not have it any other way.
When he arrived at Geelong City he worked closely with Travis and Kent Agg, and bowled in combination with that duo and another Sharks great Alex Crellin when he started playing senior cricket.
He says a sense of duty to those men is what keeps him at the Sharks.
“Milestones are fantastic, but it will probably mean more when I am done,” Marsland said.
“I look at the games board every time I walk into the place, so you know who is around you and who is in front of you, and you sort of don’t feel you belong there. But I am obviously stoked to get here and, to do it at one place, it means a lot.
“I went there when I was about 14 because St Albans couldn’t get an under-15s side up, and Dad knew the Aggs . . . and once I went over there they invested time in me straight away.
“So I wanted to repay that faith and I haven’t really thought about going anywhere else.”
Seven years on from the premiership win against St AlbansBreakwater, Marsland is still driven by the lure of a GCA1 flag.
His only grand final at the top level was in 2004-05 — his second season — when East Belmont claimed victory by six runs.
But while he knows the Sharks will need everything to go right to make it to the big dance this season, he can see Geelong City is close to being the team it wants to be.
“When you see the type of young fellas we have got coming up through the ranks you feel like the next couple of years we are going to have a look at it,” Marsland said.
“This year we have a long way to go, but the carrot is there if we play well enough.
“That is the only thing that drives you on. You want to play finals, and we have played one and lost before, and that was 2005 but it still stings, so it is a long time between drinks, but you want to get back there, for sure.”
With two young children at home and a baby due later this year, Marsland says he is unsure how much cricket he has left in him.
The only thing he is certain of is he will not be chasing 300 games.
“I’m not sure, but with the family now, I have two kids and one on the way, so life goals start changing,” he said.
“You have to take into account the time and effort it takes to get up every Saturday. So I will probably sit down with the better half at the end of the year and suss out what is best for us and whether I can still do it.”
Geelong City will look to defend a target of 213 on Saturday when it meets Lara on day two of its Round 11 clash at Bisinella Oval.