Burdett shines in milestone
Southern Mallee football export Marcus Burdett, 39, reached a rare milestone on Saturday when he notched up is 500th senior game.
Burdett, a son of prominent Wimmera and southern Mallee football figure Geoff, reached his milestone while playing for Willunga in South Australia’s Great Southern Football League.
He also featured in the top six best players in an A Grade win against Langhorne Creek, his eighth appearance in his club’s best-player lists this season. With Willunga finishing on top of the ladder he will now prepare for finals.
Burdett played his first senior game as a 14-year-old for Hopetoun in 1996, joined Horsham Saints in Wimmera league and North Ballarat Rebels in the AFL Victoria player pathway program.
He represented SA Country and-or Vic Country seven times, won a 2007 Great Southern league best and fairest Mail Medal and is a life-member of Great Southern league.
At his peak he played with Port Adelaide Magpies and Glenelg in the SANFL and returned to the Wimmera-mallee to play with Hopetoun in 2010 and Southern Mallee Giants in 2015 and 2019.
“Football has been a huge part of our family. I have played football from as young as I can remember and also had the opportunity to play with my dad and a couple of seasons with my brother Clint which was pretty exciting,” he said.
“Football has taken up a huge part of my life. I am lucky that I have a wonderful supporting wife that loves to watch each week along with my three girls. Things are slowly changing these days with all the girls starting to get involved in netball and Taryn also coaching.”