WHERE ARE THEY NOW

PLAYING almost 250 games with his beloved St Joseph’s, midfielder Luke Shannon also ventured north where he tasted premiership success at Broadbeach. He would return to Drew Reserve to win two reserves flags and a league best and fairest before hanging up the boots.

AO: It’s been a long time since you strapped on the boots for Joeys. You still take a keen interest in them?

LS: Yeah, I do. I still go and watch most of the home games. They’ve been really good for the last few years under Heath Jamieson. They haven’t set the world on fire in the last couple of weeks, but there’s certainly enough quality there to challenge again in September.

AO: I know you had stints in Queensland and at Thomson, but how long did you play at St Joseph’s?

LS: I played all my junior footy there and then we won an under-18s flag. I started seniors in ’91 when Jock Evans was coach. I played there until about 2006 but I had two years at Broadbeach in ’96 and ’97 and a year at Thomson in ’99.

AO: What took you up north?

LS: It was to get away from the cold weather. Myself and a mate of mine went up there for two years and we won a flag in ’96 in the Gold Coast league and the year after we got promoted to the QAFL, so we had a year there as well.

AO: How did you go? I know you had team success, but did you perform well?

LS: I was OK, I just chipped away. I didn’t win any awards or anything like that, but it was an enjoyable two years.

AO: After that it was straight back to Joeys, wasn’t it?

LS: It was. Ben Ingleton was coaching. We made the finals and we were bundled out in the elimination final from memory. Then I went and had a year at Thomson.

AO: What drew you to the Tigers?

LS: I had a couple of mates playing over there. I was good mates with Christian Hyland and that’s the main reason I went over there. It was just the one year at Thomson and back to Joeys after that. I played about 240 games for Joeys, 40 games at Broadbeach and 18 or so at Thomson.

AO: And just the one senior flag over the journey?

LS: That’s right. I played two reserves premierships with Joeys at the end. I played in the twos for the last three or four years and I won a league best and fairest. I can’t remember what year that was, but Mick Atkins came second. He would’ve won it, but surprisingly enough he had too much to say to the umpires.

AO: To change tack, who were some of the better players you played with and against?

LS: From opposition clubs, probably Frank Fopiani, Brad Nicholls and Shaun Ballans, who I played against up in Queensland. He was a star. At St Joeys, we had some really good players, particularly when I started . . . Brad Firman, Ricky O’Toole, Chris Humphrey. All the Smiths were stars. Nathan Murray came across for one year and he was one of the best kicks of a football. I had some great coaches. Jock Evans to start with, then Brad Firman, Brett Hungerford, Ben Ingleton, Mick Atkins and then Aaron Greaves.

AO: That’s a fair group of coaches. So what are you up to now?

LS: I’m a project manager for Programmed Property Services. We built in Mount Duneed about three years ago. My youngest daughter, Holly, played girls footy for a Grovedale in the under-12s and my eldest daughter, Emily, plays for Grovedale in the under13s, so I follow her around every week.