Several times in recent seasons Nick Carnell has fielded offers from clubs keen to lure him away from Piranha Park.
For some it would have been easy to walk, especially given that Coburg have not played finals since 2008 and have won a collective 31 games in the past six seasons.
But, Carnell has resisted such enticements. For the 27-year-old leaving Coburg would be like deserting a family member at a time of need.
"There have definitely been times when other clubs have approached me, but I’ve got some really good friends here, guys who are genuinely good mates," Carnell said.
"You can’t leave guys like that. There is that sense of family and really good mates and that’s purely the main reason.
"The club has been really supportive of me and I didn’t really want to move on from Coburg. Being at the one club has been rewarding and I enjoy the environment and the people around the club.
"You never want to leave a club in a worse position than when you arrived.
"It’s a really good, genuine family club and now we have to push for sustained success and that’s the only way we’re going to develop the club.
"I’ve made a lot of life long mates along the way. I think that’s the most important thing you can take out of footy along with premierships."
Carnell, this weekend plays his 150th game for Coburg, another significant achievement to compliment his status as the club’s longest serving captain in its 89-year history.
Now in his sixth season as captain, Carnell has moved past club legends Mick Erwin (1969-73) and Brad Nimmo (1987-1991) to be the longest serving captain.
Such an achievement is something that Carnell describes as "a really big honour" and one that is reinforced when he constantly sees Nimmo, a dual premiership captain, around the club.
"Brad Nimmo is the ultimate club champion at Coburg. He is at every game he can be and is still a really big supporter of the club," Carnell said.
"I would never compare myself to someone like his stature. That I’ve captained the club for such a period of time is something I’m very proud about.
"At the moment I’m really enjoying leading a bunch of really keen young kids."
Retention of players is something that Coburg Football Club has struggled with over the past decade as evidenced by the fact that Carnell is the only club centurion since Anthony Alessio, the Lions captain and best and fairest winner in the late 1990s.
Aside from Carnell, the next longest serving player is Ben Clifton with 90 games, followed by Daniel Venditti who has played 44 games and then Ozgur Uysal with 28.
It is something that Carnell, enticed to Coburg by former coach Andy Collins after he graduated from the Northern Knights program, is acutely aware about. "It’s the message I’ve been trying to preach for a while," he said.
"If you can retain players for three, four and five years that is when you start seeing the rewards."
Read the full article in the VFL Record this weekend.
Last Modified on 24/07/2014 09:43