AFL Superules: Victoria’s oldest Masters footballer, Dr Shane Vereker, has retired at 78

Victoria’s oldest Aussie rules player has hung up the boots at 78 years old – but an opportunity declined decades ago still lingers in his mind.

Dr Shane Vereker playing for Victoria’s Over-50s as a 70-year-old. Picture: Mark Wilson.

Victoria’s oldest Aussie rules player has hung up the boots at 78 years of age – but a VFL opportunity gone begging still lingers in his mind.

Dr Shane ‘The Dentist’ Vereker had been playing AFL Masters with Williamstown for the past 25 years, and took the field for the final time in the Over-55s against Brunswick, where his teammates chaired him off after the match.

A handy footballer in his prime, Dr Vereker still rues the decision to turn down an offer to sign for North Melbourne’s VFL outfit in the 1960s under Alan Killigrew, having completed several pre-seasons with the club.

Keith McKenzie, who was in charge of North’s recruiting at the time and would succeed Killigrew as senior coach, had offered Dr Vereker a contract with the Kangaroos.

Williamstown Superules footballer Dr Shane Vereker runs out to applause from his teammates. Picture: Supplied.

“My father wouldn’t let me, he said I had to go to uni,” Dr Vereker recalled.

“The old man thought I couldn’t do both, and he was probably right.”

At Dr Vereker’s first main training session, Killigrew had asked the players if any of them had plans outside of football, before telling them to forget it if they did.

“I want you here at four o’clock every afternoon, and I want you available every weekend for all the social functions,” Killigrew had demanded.

“I was doing my 9-5 job, so that was the end of that,” mused Dr Vereker.

“I can still see the form stuck under my nose, but that’s the way it is … that’s okay.”

Dr Shane Vereker (left) with boxer Sam Soliman in 2007.

Dr Vereker would instead become a dentist, and he stuck with the profession until he retired.

He played his junior footy with the Essendon Doutta Stars and later amateurs for North Old Boys. He also won a senior premiership playing for Nowra in the AFL South Coast league in New South Wales.

After a 25-year hiatus from footy, Dr Vereker returned to the game to play Masters as a 53-year-old. His decorated career has spannedmore than 150 games, and he represented Victoria’s Over-50s at four carnivals.

He had played as a ruck before moving to the forward pocket in more recent times.

“Once you get to 78, you’re starting to slow down and you can’t keep up with the younger guys,” Dr Vereker joked.

“It was very good, I ended up being very fit, for a couple of years there we were undefeated … we had a fairly good team going.”