Two-time Melton South premiership player Matthew Collins added another milestone to his incredible career on Saturday.
Collins broke the Panthers’ all-time games record when he ran out for the 371st time.
In doing so, he overtook fellow club legend and previous record-holder Tom Weaver.
Collins said it was an incredible honour to reach the milestone mark.
“It is something I am very proud of, to break Tommy Weaver’s record,” he said. “When I first started playing, he was still playing and I was able to play with him.
“I love everything about this club. I am a very loyal person and that is just me, I suppose. The people are great and it’s just a fantastic club to be a part of.”
Looking back on a long and distinguished career at Melton South, Collins recalled two team highlights that stood out most for him.
He said playing in the two reserves’ premierships in 2001 and 2005 made him incredibly proud.
He also enjoyed the rivalry with local combatant Melton.
“I’d say the Melton rivalry is the best one of all the local sides,” he said.
“It has almost become a friendly rivalry over the years, to a certain extent. It was a bit more hate-filled back in the early days. It is not as hostile as it used to be but there is definitely still a bit of feeling there.”
A Melton local, 39-year-old Collins is planning to hang up the boots at the end of the year.
“It is very unlikely that I will play on at this stage,” he said.
“The body is starting to feel it. It will all depend on numbers.
“We have been struggling a little bit in the twos the last couple of years, so it depends on that a bit.”
Melton South pulled out all the stops to make sure it was a memorable occasion for Collins.
The Panthers welcomed back superstar full-forward Mathew Sutton, who returned after retiring last year.
“With our twos not being the strongest, the club was looking for a few blokes to help them out,” Sutton said.
“We [Sutton and Collins] played a couple of senior games together early on in the piece.
“He [Collins] is a great club stalwart. He does everything right. He gets the boys together and is the heart and soul of the place. He is a really good bloke and thoroughly deserves it.”
At this stage the comeback is a once-off, with Sutton having no plans to play senior football this season.
A former coach at the Panthers, Sutton said he was rapt to see the path the club had taken under his replacement, Mark Pedersen.
“They are moving in the right direction, which is great,” Sutton said.
“Mark is doing a great job with them. They just need to take that short-term pain for long-term gain. They just need to go through that rebuild stage.”
