SATURDAY was filled with celebrations at Parrot Park as Patrick Ireland booted 12 goals in Sean Westaway’s 250th Senior game and 300th for the club, helping Leongatha to a big win over Bairnsdale, festivities spilling over to the netball court, near which a marquee was set up for Ladies Day.
While Westaway has long settled in at the Parrots, and Ireland only joined Leongatha ahead of this season and has aspirations to play footy at a higher level, being listed with VFL side Casey, both remarked on the friendly and welcoming environment at Leongatha.
Westaway was quick to sum up what it means to have played so many games for the Parrots.
“It probably just means I’m getting old,” he said, the backman loving seeing the progress of young teammates, but a little disappointed to have missed a rare shot for goal in the final term.
He can’t recollect anyone kicking as many goals in a game for Leongatha as Ireland since his first season in about 2008 or the following year.
“It’s just such a tight knit family and I really love it,” ‘Westy’ said of the club, that explaining why he continues to travel from his Melbourne home to represent the Parrots.
While he hopes to kick on for a couple more seasons, Westaway said he’s probably had more injuries this year than any other.
“Everyone says you keep playing until you can’t,” he said philosophically, determined to get everything he can out of his career.
When the time comes, he is unlikely to have many regrets, grateful to have played a part in such a successful club,
He reckons he’s had about six Senior coaches.
“We’ve been very lucky,” he said, reflecting on having played eight consecutive Senior Grand Finals.
“You’ve got to keep those standards up if you want to keep doing it every year,” Westaway said, acknowledging current coach Trent McMicking is always working to get the best out of all his players and ensuring they drive each other to higher standards.
That applies to everyone, whether they are seasoned players or just starting out at Senior level.
“It pushes me to keep trying to get a little bit better every day,” Westaway said, adding he just has to hope his body holds up.
Parrots fans are no doubt crossing their fingers that they see Westy in the green and yellow for a couple more seasons, and probably also wish he would get a move on and kick a goal.
It’s so long since his last, he can no longer recall which season it came in.
Ireland, by contrast is at home up forward, thrilling Leongatha fans on Saturday with his leads, marks and finishing.
“Everyone gets around me for kicking the goals but I’ve got the easy part of just taking a chest mark and kicking it straight,” he said after the game, praising Leongatha’s midfielders for their impressive delivery.
“All our midfielders were really good today, just being able to win it out of the guts,” Ireland said.
While hopeful of adding to his one game for Casey this season, he’s happy to keep mounting his case, saying his focus is on what he can control.
“They’ve got a full list with no injuries,” he said of the Demons side he hopes to break into.
Whether he is picked or not, Ireland couldn’t be doing much more, having booted a total of 21 goals for the Parrots in his last two games, his Gippsland League season tally now at 38 majors from 10 matches.
That follows his prolific Ellinbank & District season for Buln Buln in which he kicked 111 goals from 20 games, including bags of 14, 13 and 12.
Those in charge at the Parrots will be delighted for Ireland if he establishes himself in the Casey side, but love having him around in the meantime, and he elaborated on why he’s happy to be in a Leongatha jumper.
“It’s such a family club; everybody here knows each other, and they brought me in with open arms,” he said, appreciating the support he gets from the club and the flexibility it offers him in regard to his other footy commitments.
