FOUR more goals.
Four accurate kicks is all that stands between Darcy Hourigan and a remarkable personal milestone, with the Mallee Eagles’ full-forward on the cusp of kicking his 1000th career goal against Lake Boga Saturday afternoon.
Hourigan started the season needing just 35 goals to reach the milestone, with the Eagles spearhead racing to the magical number in a hurry with eight and 10 goal hauls against Tyntynder and Balranald in recent weeks.
The key forward was a chance to achieve the feat against NNW United in his latest outing, but could manage only three goals for the afternoon, which left him with a three week wait following the King’s Birthday and club byes.
But while the time off would have done the 29-year-old’s body plenty of favours, it also left him with an anxious wait – not that you would know it after talking with the latest local football legend.
“I guess for me personally, it’s just something that’s slowly crept up and now that it’s close, I honestly haven’t really been thinking about it too much,” Hourigan told The Guardian this week.
“I’ve always been about the team and about team success and my focus is still on making sure that we win this weekend.
“Even two weeks ago, we played Nyah and there was talk about it (kicking his 1000th goal) and the club did a lovely social media post about it and that’s when it sort of hit home.
“I copped a lot of beautiful messages from family and friends back here and everyone was following on the day and I supposed they will again this week.
“If I’m lucky enough to do get it this weekend, I think it might take two or three days to sink in, but it’s still a personal achievement.
“We play footy as a team and that and always will be my main focus, but I suppose I’m very humbled and proud and I guess thankful to the the upbringing that I’ve had through family and through different football clubs and now the Mallee Eagles, to give me the opportunity to get this close.”
It was a journey that started for Hourigan at just four years old at the Strathalbyn Roosters in South Australia, with him wanting “to be just like my brother.”
Having grown up on a farm on the fringe of the Adelaide Hills, Hourigan got his first big break with the South Adelaide Football Club, where he quickly rose through the ranks from the SANFL under 16s to make his senior debut all in the same season (2011).
Hourigan was selected into the AIS squad and after going unselected in his draft year, went back to South Adelaide, where a bout of osteitis pubis derailed his season.
With his love of the game waning, the goalkicker returned to the Adelaide Hills and the Hahndorf Football Club, where he won four flags in a five year stint, before crossing over to rivals Nairne Bremer, where he led them to a flag, coincidentally against his former side, to a premiership in 2023.
That was until he needed a new challenge, which is when former South Adelaide teammate Brent Macleod and the Mallee Eagles came knocking, with the goalkicking full-forward quickly falling in love with his new club.
“It’s a pretty special club, I love all the boys out there and I’m very lucky for the opportunity to continue to play with such a great group,” Hourigan said.
“When I went out there to meet a couple of the guys I was a bit surprised cause there wasn’t much there.
“There wasn’t a general store or a pub so I was a bit confused, but that’s the beauty of it all, the whole football club is something special to be going for 120 years and solely community.
“Everyone’s family and friends and supporters come out every Saturday to support you rain hail or shine and they’ve given me the opportunity to continue my footy so I really want to give back to the club, whether it’s running water for the kids or whatever I can do to help out where I can.”
Having kicked three centuries in his time, the biggest way Hourigan could give back to the Eagles would be to give their loyal supporter base the one thing the crave – that elusive premiership.
“We were all disappointed we lost the preliminary final last year and I thought I wasn’t going to come all this way and meet everyone and not finish the job so it was pretty easy to re-sign last year again,” Hourigan said.
“The main goal is to go all the way this year, that’s our only focus and while reaching the 1000 goals is great, I really want to be celebrating it with a medal and mine and everyone else’s neck at the end of the season.”
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