It’s not often that locals get the chance to rub shoulders with footballing legends, but this is what happened when ex-Geelong players Matthew Scarlett and Darren Milburn came to MFNC training last Thursday night.
They were generous with their time and gave sound advice to both junior and senior footballers.
Both defenders, Matthew and Darren were outstanding players at a time when Geelong was one of the best teams in the competition. Darren played in 2007 and 2009 when the Cats won premierships, while Matthew played in the 2011 win as well as in 2007 and 2009. They had long careers; Darren played 292 games while Matt chalked up 284.
On retirement, both Matt and Darren took on coaching roles. Darren was assistant coach at Adelaide, while Matt went to Footscray as development coach before heading back to Geelong as assistant coach.
These days, Matt coaches alongside Brendan McCartney at a high school in the Geelong area and Darren works for Geelong firm Shojun Concrete. Neither of them have strayed too far from the Cattery!
Toughest opponent they have ever played against? “Matthew Lloyd,” Matt said. “That would have to be Michael Voss” was Darren’s reply.
A cheeky question, but who is Geelong’s best player in the 2022 team? Matt chose Tom Stewart, while Darren opted for Tom Hawkins.
And who’s likely to win the AFL premiership this year? Geelong, of course!
This article appeared in the Tarrangower Times, 5 August 2022.
