AUSTRALIAN RULES
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Mark O’Keefe is the lifeblood of the Mudgee Black Swans and on Saturday the club co-founder will celebrate his 150th game.
Together with Marty Turner, the pair founded the club and brought Australian Rules to Mudgee where they played their first match in 2001.
Although Turner stepped away from playing for the Black Swans a few years ago, O’Keefe continues to take the field.
Brendan Hayes was the first Black Swan to play 150 games on July 16, 2011. A week later Brenton Clarkson joined the club.
However, Hayes and Clarkson achieved the 150-game milestone at a faster rate because they played junior and senior matches, often on the same day.
“I didn’t think I would play 50 games.”
- Mark O'Keefe on 150 games for Mudgee Black Swans
O’Keefe has achieved all his games in the senior division.
“I didn’t think I would play 50 games,” O’Keefe said.
“I thought ‘oh yeah, play a couple of years’ and Marty and I would be sitting at the scoreboard drinking a couple of beers, cheering everybody else on.
“But it didn’t quite work out that way.”
Looking back at playing 13 years of Australian Rules in Mudgee, O’Keefe has been involved in the highs of playing in grand finals, to the lows of where the club had a year’s break in 2013 because of lack of players.
“There have been a lot of good players I have played with. A few good games and a few not so good games,” the Black Swans life member said about the last 13 years.
“It has been a struggle for numbers all the time, struggle for volunteers to help, which is like any sport in the country. We couldn’t do it without the sponsors like the pubs Court House and Waratah [hotels].
“The first two years when we made the grand finals; the first year when we lost [the grand final] by 10 points was a good year but it could have been a better year.
“Nobody expected us to get that far so quick.”
O’Keefe has played in most of the Black Swans’ grand finals although he missed out on their 2005 premiership because of a broken ankle.
However, he said playing his 100th game in 2009 was a highlight.
“We played here [at Victoria Park] and I kicked two goals and we won [against Orange],” he said.
Coincidently Mudgee take on Orange on Saturday at Victoria Park minus a few of their key players like Ben Stewart and Colm Foran who are injured, and Joe Cook who is away in the United States.
“It is just another game,” O’Keefe said.
“Hopefully we can get a crowd down here to support the team, hopefully get a full team of players.”
As for the future, O’Keefe doesn’t know how long he will keep playing, but he wants the club to strive forward.
“Hopefully the team does keep going,” he said.
“It would be great to have a first grade team in the next couple of years as our juniors are coming through with Auskick.”
Mudgee play Orange at 12.45pm on Saturday at Victoria Park.
Brenton Clarkson 166* (2003-2012; 2014).
Brendan Hayes 166* (2002-2003; 2005-2012; 2014).
Mark O'Keefe 149* (2001-2012; 2014).
Brad Hickey 146 (2001-2011).
Keegan Hayes 140* (2002-2003; 2005-2012; 2014).
Blake Usher 128 (2001-2005; 2007-2012).
Ben Stewart 123* (2002-2010; 2012; 2014).
Jamie Henderson 118 (2002-2009).
Dane Coburn 113 (2001-2011).
Mathew Smith 106 (2001-2004; 2006-2011).
* = Current player.