Frankston captain Shane Hockey will play his 100th Peter Jackson VFL match this Sunday against Coburg at Frankston Oval, on the same day the club celebrates 50 years in the VFA/VFL.
27-year-old Hockey won the Dolphins’ 2013 best-and-fairest award and is in his first season as captain.
The 177cm midfielder from Mornington has been remarkably consistent across his six years at Frankston, missing only six matches since the start of the 2010 season.
Hockey has been involved in only 15 wins and two draws during his 99 games played, but has remained loyal to the club that gave him a chance when Simon Goosey took the reins as coach in 2010.
The Dolphins have further reason to celebrate on Sunday, with the club recognising the 50th anniversary of its entrance into the VFA/VFL in 1966.
Frankston won a second-division premiership in 1978 and finished runner-up in the 1984, 1996 and 1997 seasons.
It boasts three J. J. Liston Trophy winners – Peter Geddes (1984), John Georgiou (1999) and Aaron Edwards (2006) – and two ‘Frosty’ Miller Medallists for most goals kicked in a season – Nicholas Sautner (2001 and 2002) and Aaron Edwards (2006).
Former AFL star David Rhys-Jones coached Frankston between 1996 and 1998, while Brett Lovett was the club’s longest-serving coach, taking charge for six years between 2003 and 2008.
Michael Ablett won a club record four best-and-fairest awards between 2002 and 2005 (two as a joint-winner), and the Dolphins have also produced several high-profile AFL draftees in recent years.
Western Bulldogs champion Matthew Boyd is the most high-profile of these, while Essendon defenders Michael Hibberd and Mark Baguley have gone on to play over 50 games at the top level after spending time at Frankston Oval.
Last Modified on 06/08/2015 00:15
