DARREN MONCRIEFF
Friday, August 12, 2011
ANOTHER chapter to the storied football career of Toby McGrath can be written this weekend.
The 30-year-old McGrath (pictured) laces up for the 250th time when his beloved South Fremantle host Peel Thunder at Fremantle Oval tomorrow evening.
The match will be McGrath's 217th for the Bulldogs and will add to his 27 games in the VFL and six games for Western Australia to take him to 250 career games at league level.
The one-time West Coast and Essendon rookie, who hadn't played for those clubs at AFL level and had also trained with Fremantle, had retired from the WAFL in 2004 to join the army but he returned once his training had ended. Bulldogs fans can be grateful that he did.
McGrath led Souths to premiership glory as captain in 2005 and 2009.
In fact, 2005 was McGrath's best season to date; he won the Sandover Medal and was also judged best-on-ground in the grand final.
That went some way to erase grand final heartache he experienced in 1999 and 2001 when the Bulldogs lost to West Perth and East Perth.
McGrath, who made his league debut in 1998, won Souths fairest-and-best on two occasions.
His modesty will prevent him from agreeing to it, but when the time comes for South Fremantle, McGrath will be rightly considered a club great.
AboriginalFootball@westnet.com.au
Last Modified on 12/08/2011 22:38