JULIAN RACKS UP 400
CYGNET stalwart Julian Direen will hit a milestone most players don’t even dream about — the magic 400 mark — when The Port plays Brighton.
POWERHOUSE Cygnet will have double the reason to celebrate if it accounts for Brighton in the SFL Round 7 match at Cygnet Oval on Saturday with triple premiership captain Julian Direen to play his 400th game for The Port.
“Jules”, pictured, was captain for Cygnet’s premiership three-peat in 2002-04.
Direen will be feted at the ground where it all started for the 41-year-old father of five as an under-18 player in 1994.
“I am very proud of myself and I am pleased I can share it with the club as well,” he said.
“I’ve been there a long, long time, and it’s really pleasing that it’s something we can share together.
“The club is putting some stuff on for me. They haven’t told me much about it, but I know there’s a function.
“I’ve got five kids at home and they are all keen for the day.”
Direen plies his trade in the reserves these days.
“I was in the seniors pretty much after my first year in the under-18s, up until a few years ago,” he said.
“There were a couple of years when I didn’t play, for no particular reason.
“I’ve played most of my footy in the backline and a lot of it in the middle as well, either as a tagger or a bit of a grunt player trying to get the ball out tot running players.”
Direen has no idea has much longer his 400-game legs will let him keep going.
“I didn’t expect to still be playing now — it’s sort of crept up on me,” he said.
“I still feel like I can play and, if they need me, I probably will keep playing.”
The Port’s reserves are having a tough season.
“We’ve only won one game and probably should have won a couple of others,” Direen said.
“We’ve got a couple of winnable ones coming up.
“We are good enough to play in the finals but we are probably just going to miss.”
In other games, Hobart is at home to Dodges Ferry, Claremont hosts Huonville Lions at Abbotsfield Park while Lindisfarne takes on New Norfolk at Anzac Park.