Jason Peach plays 400th game for Noarlunga Football Club

WHEN Jason Peach joined Noarlunga Football Club as a 13-year-old in 1989, he never imagined he would be lining up for his 400th game for the Shoes almost three decades later.

Noarlunga Football Club 400-game veteran Jason Peach with his children Hayden, Jesse and Harry. Picture: Calum Robertson

WHEN Jason Peach joined Noarlunga Football Club as a 13-year-old in 1989, he never imagined he would still be playing for the Shoes almost three decades later.

Peach, 40, played his 400th game for his beloved club when he suited up in the A-grade earlier this month.

Noarlunga turned Peach’s milestone into a full-scale celebration, arranging for a host of his 2001 premiership teammates to attend the game.

“It was a bit overwhelming,” Peach, of Port Noarlunga South, says.

“Some of those guys hadn’t been around the club in 14-odd years.

“One of them drove over 800km to come to the game.”

The full back capped off the game in style, sneaking into the forward line to kick three goals as Noarlunga thrashed O’Sullivan Beach-Lonsdale by 224 points.

“I just thought I’d shift up the field a bit,” Peach says.

“It was a bit cheeky, but all good fun.”

Peach has played 330 A-grade games, 62 in the Bs and eight in the Cs.

The veteran sits just 20 matches shy of Noarlunga’s all-time games record, held by close friend and former teammate Steve Carlyle.

“If I get close, I think he’ll come back and play again,” Peach says.

“He’ll have to do something to keep that record.”

Peach’s roots at Noarlunga run deep.

Sons Jesse, 18, and Hayden, 17, play in the Shoes’ B-grade and under-18 sides.

Peach has no immediate plans to retire, crediting his longevity to family ties and lifelong friends at the club.

“I’m still really enjoying my football and absolutely loving it.

“The mates I’ve made along the way is what it’s really all about.

“The actual footy is just a bonus.”