LESS than a week after joining his childhood hero as the VFL/AFL games record-holder, Adelaide's Andrew McLeod will now overtake him.
McLeod will play his 301st match when the Crows clash with Essendon tomorrow and will surpass former Bomber and Port Adelaide champion Gavin Wanganeen's year-old record.
Wanganeen, football's first Indigenous Brownlow medalist (Essendon 1993), virtually fell over the line for his 300th and retired soon after, such is the unforgiving nature of football.
By contrast, though not without his own injury concerns of late, McLeod is likely to add a considerable amount of games to his career tally but the key to that will be how manages his battered knee.
Wanganeen was this week more than happy for McLeod to overtake him.
"Macca's going to take over the record this week and I'm more than happy to hand it over," Wanganeen said.
"He has been a great player for the Adelaide Football Club and hopefully there'll be more Indigenous guys to reach the 300-game milestone in years to come because let's face it, it's a pretty hard achievement."
McLeod had said he hoped his and Wanganeen's records would inspire youngsters to follow suit.
"To be the first two Indigenous people to do it is pretty special and, hopefully, that will just go on and inspire other players to be able to do it," McLeod said.
"It might inspire some young, Aboriginal boy in the sticks to play AFL footy and be like Gavin Wanganeen and Andrew McLeod and play 300 games.
“You’d like to think you’ve paved the way or opened the doors for it to happen again and for someone to go on and beat it. The record is there and I’m pretty proud that my name is going to be next to Gavin’s. It’s a huge thing that I’m going to overtake him."
DARREN MONCRIEFF
AboriginalFootball@westnet.com.au
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Last Modified on 16/08/2008 00:11