By JARROD POTTER
HANDPICKED as the Dandenong Stingrays’ TAC Cup Local Legend, property steward Frank Martinez is the kind of bloke you desperately need around a footy club.
Martinez has been washing the jumpers, pumping up the footballs and famously takes the Stingrays group on his “light runs” around Lysterfield Lake every so often during pre-season for the last 15 years.
You name it, he’s the first bloke to step up, roll up his sleeves and get the job done – all in the name of giving countless Stingrays a better shot at the big time.
Former Stingray Matthew Boyd, a 25 Western Bulldogs midfielder, returned to the Dandenong Stingrays on Thursday 7 July for a Towards Zero Player Night and announced Martinez was the Stingrays’ Local Legend.
“A lot, it means a lot and all that as I didn’t expect anything like that – all I was told was that we were going to have dinner and that was about it, so I was a bit stoked and couldn’t say much on the night,” Martinez said.
“This means so much to me because seeing all the young kids coming through to the next level, whether VFL or AFL, and that’s been one thing I’ve really enjoyed and helping them out in the off-season as well.
“I never expect anything back in return because if you do, you’ll never be respected.”
There have been some favourites over the years – Adam Treloar, Mitch Hallahan, Levi Casboult, Jordan Kelly, Will Petropoulos and Zac Jones among others – but he’ll lend an ear and have a long chat with anyone who comes up to him looking for a bit of support.
“Talk to the kids when they’re down and feel bad about how they’re playing as well,” Martinez said. “Pumping them up a bit – you have your guys every year who come and talk to you, they won’t talk to the coaches – but I come and talk to them.
“I tell them ‘don’t quote me, but this is what I’d do, this is what I wouldn’t do’, be punctual and how to improve themselves.”
Martinez has won the club’s ‘Person of the Year’ three times and has been part of the set-up at Shepley Oval since 2001.
After a decorated career as an umpire, after 20-plus years and more than 300 Victorian Football Association (VFA) games as a boundary umpire, Martinez joined the Stingrays and hasn’t looked back.
He’s gone through his struggles though.
Martinez had a tough life growing up and almost died from ‘meltdown syndrome’ a couple of decades back, but the problems he’s faced don’t stop him from moving forward with that famous grin and a bit of a muck-around on and off the track.
He wanted to thank the club, Vic Country and the TAC Cup for being good to him over the years and especially his wife Susan.
“Thanks to my wife, as she’s my rock and she’s been helping me out and puts up with me as well – without her I couldn’t it,” Martinez said.
