Darren ‘The Jerk’ Graetz racks up 500th game for Adelaide University Football Club

FOR all his records and goalkicking exploits, Darren ‘The Jerk’ Graetz says his 500-game career at Adelaide University has barely been about footy.

FOR all his records and goalkicking exploits, Darren Graetz says his three-decade-long career at the Adelaide University Blacks has barely been about footy.

“It’s never been about playing and kicking the goals,” Graetz, 46, says.

“I do it purely for the social interaction.”

Graetz – Australian amateur football’s leading goalkicker with 1396 majors – became the first Black to reach 500 games on Saturday.

The full-forward chalked up the milestone in the club’s C3 team, known as “the Scum”, against Pulteney.

The club honoured their champion by moving the game to the Blacks’ main ground, University Oval.

“A few guys like to point out they were born after I started playing for the club,” Graetz says.

“Once, a new bloke rolled up and I asked him whether his mum was a good sort back in the day because he reminded me a bit of myself.”

Loxton-raised Graetz was in a common room at St Mark’s College in 1985 when he was asked to fill in for the Blacks.

He started as a 68kg back pocket before “moving to full-forward as I blew out”.

During his journey Graetz has won nine premierships and played in almost every Blacks team, including the over-35 masters side.

“Except for the ladies team – and I want to be really clear about that,” he says.

He even managed one A-grade game.

“I’m a good mark and I can kick pretty straight ... but I was an extremely lazy footballer so didn’t endear myself to too many coaches.”

Graetz, of Hazelwood Park, has also coached for several seasons and is affectionately known as “The Jerk”.

“I’m not short of a bit of lip and sometimes it can be a little inappropriate,” he says of how he acquired the nickname.

Off-field tales involving Graetz have become almost as celebrated at the Blacks as his on-field contributions.

When Graetz, an avid punter, was captain-coach of a lower-grade team in the 1990s, he took himself off the ground so he could to listen to the races.

“That’s the joy of playing full-forward – you can take your tranny out and put it behind the goals,” he says.

Or the night he played in the EJ Whitten “legends game” at Etihad Stadium alongside stars such as Wayne Carey and registered just one kick – a dropkick goal.

“Apparently Garry Lyon on the commentary thought I was getting ahead of myself ... but clearly he doesn’t have an appreciation for bygone arts,” Graetz says.

The fruit tree breeder at the Waite Campus says his body has “not coped real well” recently.

He plans to hang up the boots at the end of the season.

“I’ve never been super athletic and when I was younger I could compensate a fair bit, but it’s got fairly hard,” Graetz says.

“I’ve been very lucky and the missus is very tolerant; it’s been a bit self-indulgent to play this long.”