DOMINIC Gleeson doesn’t expect or want any fuss or fanfare to be made about his match this weekend against Sandringham.
It’s his 175th VFL match and therefore brings with it Life Membership to the VFL and adds yet another layer to what has been a distinguished career.
It’s a career that started back in 2002 when Carlton fielded its own VFL club and progressed through the Blues alignment with Northern Bullants to his time at Chirnside Park with Werribee.
During his time with the VFL Tigers, Gleeson won two best and fairests, captained the club for three seasons and played more than 100 games for the club – at one stage holding the clubs games record.
The next chapter of his football journey has been with Geelong’s VFL club where he played in a premiership and this season saw him gain VFL selection and captained the side against the WAFL.
The 30-year-old has many reasons to look back fondly on a 12-season bond with the VFL.
“To be a Life Member of a competition is pretty humbling,” Gleeson said.
“It’s something that I will look back upon and when my little fella grows up and hopefully starts playing footy, it’s something I can brag to him about.
“But footy is a team sport. I don’t think much will be said about it.”
Gleeson began his VFL career as a top-up player Carlton back in 2002 when the competition had 16 clubs, including Tasmania and the Murray Kangaroos.
As he noted he battled away, shackled by injury, before moving to Werribee in 2004 with just five games in two VFL seasons to his name.
“That’s where it all started,” Gleeson said.
During eight years at Chirnside Park, first under Barry Prendergast and then Simon Atkins, Gleeson forged a career that saw him win two best and fairests as well as captaining the club for three seasons.
At the end of the 2011 season, Gleeson was approached to follow a similar path to an ex-VFL Tiger captain and best and fairest winner James Podsiadly down to Skilled Stadium.
“At the time it was a very tough decision to leave. To tell Mark Penaluna (Werribee’s long-serving General Manager), Robbie Castello, Sam Wormald and Jarrod Mather, guys I was really close mates, was really hard.
“But, I didn’t get any grief from them. All I got was support and that made fairly easy to move on.”
Gleeson can see little value in second-guessing himself about what might have been had he stayed at Werribee.
Under the Geelong coaching staff of Matthew Knights, Max Rooke and Paul Hood, Gleeson achieved a long-cherished personal goal – to play in a premiership.
“I’ve also got to play with some amazing young kids who in 10 years time, I have no doubt will be super stars of the competition,” he said.
“I have just learned so much. Culture is a word that gets thrown around a bit, but it one of the most successful ingredients for a football team.
“The guys I play with, we call ourselves the VFL top ups, buy into the culture and the young guys at AFL level two weeks in know the rules that they have to abide by and do so.
“The success is seen at AFL level and it’s starting to show at VFL level.”
Grab a copy of the AFL Victoria VFL Record this weekend for the full article on Dom Gleeson
Last Modified on 25/07/2013 16:12