Nightcliff stalwart sets himself to play for a few more years to come
JOHN BONSON swears he will never kick a tree stump ever again, no matter how tempting it will be to lay the boot into dead wood.
A gardening mishap two weeks ago saw the Nightcliff utility injure his foot just days after his 199th game for the Tigers. The last fortnight Bonson's been through a fair bit, not least pressure to get his foot right for today's match against a hot-and-cold Palmerston side in Round 7 of the NTFL.
Family from Darwin and Katherine will be at Palmerston today to watch Bonson join only a handful of players to have played triple figures in games for the Tigers.
"Yes, the 200th, finally got here," Bonson said yesterday after passing a fitness test at Nightcliff Oval, his foot elevated with ice wrapped around it as a last minute precaution.
"It's kinda snuck up on me, I didn't realise how many games I had played."
But he nearly never made it.
"I kicked a tree," Bonson said, explaining the delay.
"I was chopping down a golden cane and kicked the stump the wrong way: a toe-punt, and I've missed two weeks of footy. But I've been under the pump because the media says I'm playing, and family are coming up for the game ... so I'm playing!"
Bonson, a youth worker with the Department of Justice, is a lifelong Tiger, bar one season with Wanderers when he joined good mate Shannon Motlop as a teenager in the under-18s. His dad and uncle are Nightcliff legends who were part of the last Tigers premiership side of 1964/65.
Bonson is happy to carry the Bonson name at the club alongside brother, Jason, who now coaches the reserves side.
Fair effort to reach the milestone
TWO-hundred senior matches is a fair effort for Bonson who, at 30, says he has several years left to play at the top level in Darwin.
"In footy terms, you're a veteran at 30," he said.
"I can go another four years and when I get there we'll see what happens after that."
His coach, Mark Motlop, will no doubt be pleased to hear that.
"I've seen him over the years, and as a young kid break into senior footy," Motlop said yesterday.
"He has natural skill and he's a wonderful leader at the club and a great mentor for all young people and even some of the older guys around the club.
"As a player he can turn a game; he will do a full-on tackle, kick telling goals ... he's got it all and he has that toughness and mentality to be a game-breaker."
Motlop remembers the time when he was coach at Wanderers a few years ago when then Tigers coach Michael Mclean lined Bonson up at full-forward. It threw Motlop because he had no-one to counter him. But not for long because McLean had to shift his 'Mr Fixit' to the backline.
"I clapped my hands when Michael did that," Motlop recalled.
"He's a great leader with great hands and a deadly kick. He was killing everybody but then he was moved from the forward line. He's just a hard match-up as a forward and that was bloody hard."
The only regret Motlop has for Bonson the footballer was that he didn't take his footy south.
There were a few nibbles from clubs in South Australia and Western Australia, even John Northey at Richmond was reportedly interested, but family, work and the Territory lifestyle suited Bonson just fine.
"In a way, it was a waste of talent not to have someone of his calibre go because he would have been a great player in the SANFL or WAFL," Motlop said.
"But I'm not sure if he wanted to go away; he's a family man, very family-orientated from a well-known family. I guess he never had the drive to go south. I'd say he would have made a impact for sure."
Bonson had one taste of AFL-level football, however.
Solid form in the 2004/05 NTFL season opened the way for him to play with the AFL Indigenous All-Stars against the Western Bulldogs when Brisbane's Ash McGrath pulled out at the last minute.
Bonson did OK for the almost two quarters he played in defence with all his disposals hitting targets.
"I didn't set the house on fire but I was happy to get almost two full quarters," Bonson said.
"I was actually lucky Ash couldn't make it. 'Majo' and the committee had a dilemma: they needed someone quick and who was playing alright. I got the call that Friday afternoon, I went to training that night, to the team meeting, got the team photos done ... for that 48 hours I almost felt like a superstar! It was an awesome experience.
"I wasn't actually nervous, I just soaked it all up.
"Only time I felt pressure was in the second quarter when I came on. Daniel Wells was in the back pocket and he made the switch over to me.
"I knew the ball was coming and it was then I felt I was being watched. The ball seemed like forever to get to me but I took the mark and gave off a pass to Chris Johnson. After that, I was right."
Football baptism of fire
THE start of Bonson's career was a baptism of fire of sorts.
As a young buck, he was asked to stand childhood idols like the tough-as-nails Michael Williams from the Buffaloes, a player well-known at the tribunal, and NT legend Dennis Dunn, who has kicked about a million goals for St Mary's in a long and celebrated career.
"Dennis Dunn was an absolute champion," Bonson said.
"When I was a young fella they put me at full-back on him and he kicked about seven goals and they smashed us. But I can say I played on Dennis Dunn.
"And Michael Williams was a tough guy who everyone feared, he was old-school. I grew up barracking for him, and then when I played on him I think I wanted to flog him because if you didn't get him first ... but I respected him."
Now he is at the tail-end of his career, youngsters on the way up will one day soon say they stood John Bonson at Nightcliff Oval, such is his standing in the game in the Northern Territory.
Only thing now to make Bonson complete is a Tigers premiership. He's never won a senior flag.
"Yep, still chasing one; if you're a footballer that's what you want," he said.
"We go there in the 2001/02 Grand Final (against Palmerston) and there was a big turnout (of Tigers fans) but most of us got stage-fright.
"But (if it doesn't happen) it's been a privilege to play in the number 16 jumper; dad's number."
DARREN MONCRIEFF
AboriginalFootball@westnet.com.au
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Last Modified on 25/11/2008 11:44