FOR Troy Davis, the Kerang Football Netball Club is more than just a weekend hobby, it’s also family.
Davis is hanging up his boots after helping the Blue’s to premiership glory once again, in what he described as a “fairytale ending”.
“It’s moments like this that you play footy for,” Davis said.
“I remember the first senior grand final I played in was actually here against Balranald in 2009, and we got absolutely belted.
“So it’s kind of ironic that I finished my career playing a grand final against Balranald again 14 years later.
“I wish I could play until I’m 50, but my body said ‘no’ a long time ago.
“It’s been an amazing journey for me, a fairytale and I’ll always be a part of this club in some shape or form.”
And with his brother Ashley Davis also part of the victorious side, Davis said the win meant even more.
“It’s just incredible to win one with my brother, we hadn’t played with each other since under-17s,” he said.
“We’d played in a Colts grand final, but we got thrashed by Cohuna in that one.
“We went our separate ways football-wise and then I pulled him back this year after Quambatook had folded.”
The man teammates call ‘Truck’ has reached the pinnacle of his sport, playing two games for Melbourne in 2013 after being drafted from the Geelong Falcons in 2010.
Davis said his football career wouldn’t have been what it was, if not for the support of Kerang.
“Since under 11s they’ve always looked after me,” he said.
“Even throughout my journey with Vic Country and everything surrounding the draft and making it to the playing at the highest level, they were there.
“It’s a big community, it’s just like a big family. I’m definitely going to miss it.
“I’ll be getting back up here as much as I can.
“It really makes it hard to leave when you’re a part of a club like this.”
But for Davis, the toll of a football season on his body was becoming too much.
He said he knew it was time to give the game up, but that he had “retired a happy man”.
“Unfortunately my body started wearing away year after year,” Davis said.
“Living down near Melbourne now makes it hard to travel, and it can be rough on the body.
“The amount of cortisone shots and injections and surgery I’ve had is huge.
“I’m going for hip replacements in four weeks. Both hips, full replacements, so definitely no more football after that.
“I’m stoked to get it done and be out of pain, but I’m obviously very saddened to give this up.”
Kerang’s skipper, Josh Nitschke said his side were stoked to send Truck off on a high note.
“The boys love the big fella,” he said.
“He has put in so much hard work for the last however many years he’s been here.
“He’s pretty much playing on no hips, so it’s really awesome to be able to do this for him.”
Davis was full of praise for the man who brought him back to Kerang, coach Troy Coates.
“Troy is the best coach I’ve ever met,” he said.
“He’s the man who actually got me back in 2014.
“He pushed hard and I always wanted to come back, but I wanted to keep striving at the VFL level.
“He knows players, he knows the game, he breathes football.
“He will literally talk all about footy over the next few days.”
Asked if coaching was in the future plans, Davis couldn’t completely rule out a return to the club he loves so much.
“I would love to coach one day, but where I’m situated it wouldn’t be fair on the club or myself, I just couldn’t put the time in.
“Maybe in the future when I have kids and depending on where I live. I don’t know where I’ll be in 10 years from now.
“The sort of club that Kerang is, I’d love for my kids to go through those same steps and follow my football.”
