By JARROD POTTER
SOME records were made to stand the test of time.
Football records seem to tumble every year as players notch more and more possessions and careers stretch longer and longer.
There remains one record from the 1960s that has great local significance and will likely never to be touched.
As an under-14s player at Noble Park Football Club, Doug Ensor, now 61 and living in Coronet Bay, had the goal umpires working feverishly on at Dunblane Reserve as he slotted 60 goals and eight behinds.
That’s not a typing error – the young Ensor booted 60 goals as part of Noble Park’s 69.15 (429) to 0.0 (0) thumping of Dandenong South and finished the year on a high with 208 majors, which were expertly noted in one of his many scrapbooks and diaries he kept throughout the years.
“What I remember is not a lot really as you can tell by the date of it, 1967 which is 47 years ago, it’s a long time ago,” Ensor said.
“Little bit sketchy about the game itself, but what I do remember basically is I was full forward and we played against a full strength side in Dandenong South.
“Heard all the jokes about playing against the blind school or a half-strength side, but they were full strength that day.”
Ensor had the ball-on-a-string that day as Bobby Bell and Micky Plant set him up time after time to notch his way towards the 60 goal haul.
After doing the media rounds, with an appearance on World of Sport and being interviewed by one of his heroes Lou Richards, Ensor settled back into his routine and in the last game of the year he kicked 40 to surpass 200 goals in the regular season.
Ensor claimed every position applicable at the senior club once he switched across – becoming captain and a 250 game legend of the club, coach and president of the club in 1986/87 and senior premiers in those two years.
Ensor still attends regular metropolitan football, but admits he doesn’t see his beloved Bulls as much as he’d like as he’s always out supporting his son Mark, who is close to notching 300 games for Beaumaris.
Ensor wants to thank the contributions of his coach Pat ‘Taffy’ Jones for getting through to the team the ideas of mateship and sticking together for the greater good of the club.
“Taffy Jones, he’s a Noble Park boy through and through, “Ensor said.
“He was one of the all-time-greats of that era – 1950s and 60s when he was involved – and I’d like to emphasise him as he instilled a team orientated spirit into us… it’s not just me, it’s us as a team and that’s what it was.”
Ensor stands as one of Noble Park Junior Football Club’s greatest players and the club celebrated its 50th year on Saturday night.
