Pirate passion. From left: Sean Millane, Andrew McArthur, Danny Casset and Gary Connolly have all returned to their football heritage at Parkmore Football Club – each playing a part in its rags-to-riches story.
By Glen Atwell
NOT long ago, Parkmore Football Club was at the crossroads.
The proud Pirates were winless in 2005 and at the season’s end, had to make a tough decision.
Give success one more chance in 2006 or bite the bullet and sink its ship forever.
The choice to play on in third division of the Southern Football League was daring, but the 34-year-old club was confident that with the help of some fresh faces, its long-time dream of winning a senior premiership could be fulfilled.
Its forefather, the Parkmore Junior Football Club formed in 1973, and backed by a small committee and a dedicated group of parents, entered two sides in the Dandenong and District Junior Football League (DDJFL).
Despite a lack of on-field success, the club flourished and fielded 21 teams in 1980.
With a membership of more than 450 children, it was believed to be one of the largest and most successful football clubs in Australia at the time.
Parkmore’s first DDJFL premiership was won by the under-14s in 1976 and two more flags followed in 1978.
To date, the club has won more than 50 league premierships and produced an array of VFL and AFL stars.
But the glory days of junior football soon faded into distant memories and a recent foray into senior football proved to be the club’s greatest challenge yet.
The Pirates fielded only a division-three reserves team in 2004 and finished the season with five wins and 13 losses.
It went from bad to worse last year, when the Pirates were promoted to the senior ranks of third division and were beaten from pillar to post each and every week.
A harrowing 314-point belting, courtesy of the Dandenong Demons on 4 June, proved to be both a lowlight and a turning point for the club.
The 50-goal defeat sparked a wave of media interest and prompted a handful of locals to pull on a Parkmore jumper and ensure the club survived for the remainder of the season.
Club president Paul Dowling and manager Mike Smyth spearheaded an end-of-season effort to keep the Pirates afloat and after discussions with Fintrack Mortgages’ chief executive Richard Houston, the club had found a new senior coach and more importantly, its financial saviour.
Embarking on an intense recruitment campaign, the club contacted a number of former junior players.
The impressive list included goal-kicking talent Danny Casset, Sean Millane (brother of the late Collingwood star Darren), Andrew McArthur and Gary Connolly.
All four agreed to help the Pirates turn its dream of senior football success into a swashbuckling reality.
And as the word spread, the talented list soon grew.
Ex-Hampton Park full-back Terry McKinley agreed to play and former Melbourne AFL player Anthony McDonald’s signature boosted the Parkmore midfield.
Experienced coach Connolly exited the Dandenong Demons and signed on as the Pirates’ assistant coach.
Millane, a former Collingwood reserves footballer, first played for Parkmore in 1984 and was thrilled to once again rejoin his junior heritage.
“It’s great to come back and play for Parkmore again,” he said.
“I played a lot of junior football here, Darren won an under-16s premiership at Parkmore, so the history dates back a long way.”
Millane said he knew the Pirates were in trouble and first considered returning after receiving a phone call from Casset.
“I’d kept track of things in the local papers, they were in a lot of strife,” he said.
McArthur said he first wore a Pirate jumper in 1974.
“I played all my junior football with Parkmore, from a midget through to the under-16s.
“It’s great to be back and the success we’re having is a bonus,” he said.
McArthur had planned to hang up his boots at the end of this season, but admitted it would be hard to do so.
“If we can manage to make the grand final, or even win the flag, it would be hard to say goodbye to the club where it all started,” he said.
Casset, who moved from Casey-Cardinia powerhouse Doveton Football Club, has booted 77 goals in just 11 matches and said he didn’t expect Parkmore to be on top of the ladder at the halfway mark of the season.
“Everything has exceeded my expectations, we’ve got a good mixture of experience and youth in the side. I’m enjoying my football,” he said.
On Saturday, the Pirates thrashed South Mornington by 189 points at Wachter Reserve and remain one game clear of North Kew at the top of the division-three ladder.
Connolly, a senior coach since 1993, first played for Parkmore in 1975 and said when the season began he simply aimed to win one game.
“We got that out of the way in round one, then after a couple more wins we reassessed and aimed for finals, now we find ourselves holding down a top-two position,” he said.
“I doubt there’s another football club where so many past players started as juniors, went on their football journeys and all wound up together again,” he said.
From rags to riches in one season, the Parkmore Pirates have proven that the collective character of a football club always outshines the individual within.
The glory days are here again.
