Metty Selman, the ultimate clubman
These days, he’s the Shepparton Swans “gopher” - you know what I mean, “go for this, go for that.”
He might as well be because he has been everything else the Shepparton Swans (Lemnos Football Club, that’s its registered name) has wanted him to be for many years.
You name it and Metty Selman has done it for the Swans starting out as a player, rising to president of the club in 2010, ’11 and ‘12 and doing everything in between.
“Getting off the committee changes nothing. You don’t have to be on the committee to be part of the club,“ is Metty’s philosophy which means nothing changes as far as he is concerned because there is still plenty to do and he’ll be doing it.
“Moose”as he is affectionately known by all at Swanieland is the ultimate recruit _ an excellent player who gave his all for the jumper, a tireless worker and fund raiser for 40 years.
From 1976 to 1990, Metty played a club record 267 games including the best and fairest in 1980, chalking up his 200th game in 1986 when he was made a life member of the GVFL and presented with his medal by league general manager, Keith Wellman.
He joined the Albanian backed Lemnos Football Club in 1976 from Shepparton East where he played 65 games, including 40 with the seniors, being awarded the Swans best clubman award in 1982 and ’83 and last year was made a member of the Swans inaugural Hall of Fame along with other outstanding Swans.
He knocked back offers to go to Shepparton to join the Swans with his mate, Peter Shemshedin, for no remuneration.
In 1987 and ’88 he coached the Swans Reserves and during his career played in seven final series chalking up 17 final appearances.
He played in two losing grand finals and missed playing with the GVFL in 1980 when the Purple and Golds defeated Ballarat at Ballarat; however, “Shemie” and Seymour star, Russell Richards, also failed to make the starting line up. Metty felt he was in pretty good company when it came to missing the cut.
All of this pales into insignificance when the events of 1982 are considered.
The 24-year-old orchardist was keen to improve his speed for football and asked me to train him over the summer months which I was more than pleased to help him achieve.
After working all day on the orchard, he would ride his bike from Shepparton East to the Chas Johnson Reserve in Shepparton to do sprint training which resulted in him being super fit with improved speed to start training for football.
During early pre-season training at Princess Park, Metty collapsed from a “blood nose” as he likes to put it but was then termed a cerebral haemorrhage.
“Reg Hudson gave me mouth to mouth and CPR until the ambulance arrived and Shemie pulled the fence apart to get the ambulance onto the ground because the gate was locked,” Metty said.
Rushed to Melbourne for an operation to stop the brain bleeding, Metty was allowed home after three weeks, which was amazing considering the seriousness of the illness.
Metty said the doctors told him he made his miraculous recovery because he was so fit and amazingly he was back playing football decked out in light head gear with 10 games of the season to go.
Each game his confidence grew and at the end of the season he was again a regular best player for Lemnos which was an amazing achievement.
He played in the Swans losing grand final side to Seymour that year and again in 1983 to Tongala, which were among the biggest disappointments of his outstanding career.
His toughest opponent was Mooroopna coach and former VFL star, Chris Smith, who was “too strong, too smart and too big. I couldn’t budge him.”
Metty was born in Werribee on November 10, 1957, and attended Lemnos State School and Shepparton High School before continuing in the family traditional occupation as an orchardist.
Later he was well known as a “crowd control engineer” at night clubs in Shepparton and still does security work to this day for the likes of the GVFL come finals time.
He married Diane Nelson in 1984 and they now have four boys, twins Hakik and Jermaine, Baden and Auri and in August they are heading to Canada for Baden’s wedding.
Writing in the GV Weekender in 1986 Les Cranage said: “He has never shirked the social responsibilities and is the player’s representative on the social committee”and he never will.
Well done Metty.
Last Modified on 28/03/2015 18:30