Rugby League Central Coast: Toukley’s Jake Fitzpatrick to play final home game at Darren Kennedy Oval

It will be a special weekend for Toukley fans as the club gets a chance to farewell a local legend in a huge RLCC semi-final.

Retiring Toukley captain-coach Jake Fitzpatrick will play his final home game at Darren Kennedy Oval this Sunday. Picture: Sue Graham

Darren Kennedy Oval has been a part of Jake Fitzpatrick’s life for as long as he can remember.

After first strapping on the boots to play for Toukley at the age of four, the Hawks captain-coach has spent the best part of three decades going to and from the ground for games, training and everything else in between.

And on Sunday the retiring skipper will play his final game at his beloved home ground when Toukley take on Erina in the major semi-final.

“I reckon I’ve spent probably 30 years of my life down at that place and it gets better and better every time you walk in,” he said.

“I think the hardest thing for me at the end of the year will not being able to go down there and sit in the sheds, pull the Toukley jersey on and run out onto that field again – it’s obviously going to be tough but it’s gotta happen at some point.”

Toukley captain-coach Jake Fitzpatrick will hang up the boots at the end of the season. Photo: supplied

Indeed, after a stellar career that has seen him play for the Canterbury Bulldogs under-20s in the old Toyota Cup, win the Ron Massey Cup with The Entrance and of course captain his hometown club to two RLCC premierships, the 33-year-old will hang up the boots at the end of the season.

“Throwing it in, I’ve had enough,” he laughed.

“I probably was close last year but it’s hard to leave this group that I’ve got because off the field they’re unbelievable blokes, so that’s probably the hardest thing.

“But my body’s taking longer to recover, the middle period after work and before training gets tougher and tougher. But in saying that, when I wake up every Sunday it’s still my favourite day of the week, so that’ll be hard – waking up on Sunday and there’s no footy anymore.”

Fitzpatrick celebrating with fans after Toukley won the 2023 grand final over Erina. Picture: Sue Graham

The fact that Fitzpatrick will get a final send-off at his home ground comes after a hugely controversial week of local footy, with Erina forfeiting five grades against the Hawks last weekend, citing an injury crisis in the club.

The decision sparked outrage in the local football community and saw the RLCC board shift the game from Erina to Darren Kennedy Oval as punishment.

And while the week has been one of the most divisive of the season, Fitzpatrick has barely given the saga a second thought.

“We’re not buying into it, we’ve just been focusing on ourselves, which is what we’ve essentially done all year and in the past,” he said.

“There’s only one way to get through this next three- to four-week block and that’s to make sure we’re playing the right brand of footy and doing all the little things right, so no one’s worrying about anything else,” he added.

Fitzpatrick, pictured with his dad Brian, back in 2015.

“Erina, once again, have been the benchmark all year. The same as last year, the same as the year before. Obviously we’ve got a big test ahead of us.”

As a club record-holder with close to 140 first grade games Toukley, Fitzpatrick has had plenty of great memories in the blue and gold. However a few special moments sit clear at the top.

“My first first-grade game, for sure,” he said. “I was 17. For me at that age, it was crazy. A lot of kids dream of playing NRL – and I did have that dream – but for me, playing first grade for Toukley was my ultimate goal and that was a big moment.

Fitzpatrick (far left) made his first grade debut for the Hawks as a 17-year-old

“But you can’t go past the last two premierships, just to see the town, the crowd and the community rally. A lot of those people haven’t had a lot to cheer about for years, so just to see how much the town came together – that for me was the ultimate.”

And while his first grade debut, breaking the club’s five-decade premiership drought in 2022 and then going back to back in 2023 sit at the front of a great list of personal memories, for many others, Fitzpatrick’s legacy will be marked by taking Toukley from being strugglers and turning the club into one of the powerhouses of the local competition.

“No matter where I went, playing in Sydney and for The Entrance, I always found time to go back down and watch Toukley.

“Regardless of where I’ve been, Toukley’s home, it will always be home. The best analogy I had was: winning at other clubs is great, but there’s no better feeling than winning with Toukley. That was my drive, to come back and try and get the club going in the right direction.

“I always said that I’d never leave the club in a worse position than what it was in when I arrived, and I feel like I’ve achieved that somewhat. So without looking too far ahead, if I can finish it off this year with another premiership, that’d be the cherry on top.”