AFTER one of the most decorated 14-year careers in local football, one of Swan Hill’s favourite recruits is being farewelled.
Described as one of the most skilful players to play in the Central Murray, Xavier Moloney has called time on his career with the Swans.
The dual Jack Betts medallist is returning to his home club this season, hoping to bring another flag to Terang-Mortlake Football Club.
Swan Hill Football Netball Club announced the departure earlier this week with a Facebook post, which has since garnered hundreds of reactions and comments.
Moloney’s indisputable legacy includes three Dean Bennett medals as the Swans’ best and fairest, multiple representative appearances and a premiership in 2011.
Drawn to the region after meeting his wife and Manangatang local Rachael at the University of Ballarat, Moloney said he thought he “might’ve driven through Swan Hill once as a kid”.
“It was a big life change, I didn’t know the town at all really,” he said.
“I knew the Swan Hill football club through Hugh Foott, who I played with for one year at North Ballarat.
“It was a bit of a challenge coming in as an assistant coach in a new league and sort of having a point to prove.
“Once I was at Swan Hill though, I never really considered moving anywhere else.
“Even though it wasn’t my home club, it felt right. I just felt at home here.”
In his first season at the club, Moloney ensured the region knew his name, winning his first league best and fairest, and helping Swan Hill to a grand final berth.
While the Swans couldn’t get the win in 2010, Moloney said it was that 13-point loss to rivals Kerang that spurred them forward.
“You could just sense the motivation and the drive around the club going into 2011,” he said.
“We were fourth after the home-and-away season, but all along we had the potential to win it.
“That extra motivating factor of having lost a year before really set us up for success in that game.
“The sense that we were going to win, and comfortably win, that sense came early in the game.
“Not overconfident, but just confident in what we could achieve that day right from the start.”
That wasn’t his first taste of a senior premiership, having won two at Terang-Mortlake in 2004 and 2008.
Now Moloney, 37, returns to the Hampden league, a season after the Bloods were knocked out in a preliminary final, for one more shot at glory.
“I’d say this is my final opportunity now,” he said.
“I’ve been chasing success now for 13 years and this will be my last opportunity to do that.
“It would really be the icing on the cake for my career.
“It’s an exciting time at Terang-Mortlake, they’ve got a young side, I think their oldest senior player was 31.
“But with me coming in, I think I’ve bumped the average up a bit.”
Representing the local community was always a highlight for Moloney, who said “the extra challenge of representative football always got the best” out of him.
“Whether interleague or playing for a Vic Country, I’d identified that as the highest level of football that I could achieve,” he said.
“You’re always representing your club and your league, and you want to do well when you are representing the region and the community.
“It proved to myself that I could succeed at that level and was able to play well there.”
Moloney said the outpouring of support from Swan Hill fans had left him lost for words.
“It was really quite overwhelming,” he said.
“The responses and the personal messages that I received, it’s hard to express what it means.
“It’s a realisation of the impact that I’ve had, not just on the playing field but also off it as well.”
Swans fans need not worry too much, though, as Moloney said he would still remain around the club next season and in the future.
“I will continue to train at Swan Hill,” he said.
“I’ll make sure to watch as many games as I can when I’m not playing for Terang-Mortlake.
“I sort of feel like although I won’t be on the field next year, I’m not really leaving the club.
“It’s kind of the best of both worlds, getting to play where it all began while also not really having to leave behind a club that has been a really big part of my life.”
‘One of the greats’
SWAN Hill senior football operations manager Chris Smith says Xavier Moloney has left “a legacy that won’t be forgotten”.
“He will go down in history as one of the club greats,” Smith said.
“In my view he’s one of the best to play in this district, definitely in the last 30 years.
“He’s had some pretty good opportunities to go elsewhere throughout his time with us, but he has remained as loyal as a person can be.
“We were lucky enough to be able to give him some success in 2011, we’re sorry that we weren’t able to get him anymore.”
While his skills on the field were a big loss, Moloney’s ability to guide up-and-coming stars would be sorely missed.
“He’s outdone himself in leading the next generation of the club,” Smith said.
“The experience that he added to our young group is going to be invaluable going forward.
“Last year he was able to play with a few of our young guys who were literally a year old when he first came to the club.
“Those guys would’ve grown up idolising a bloke like Xav, and then get the chance to play alongside him.
“As sad as we will be to not see him out there for us this year, we wish him and his family all the best.”
