Barnes blitz: Emotional day for Rye’s beloved footy family

Rye stalwart Alan Barnes says he was bursting with pride when his four sons played in the Demons’ senior side on Saturday. Alan speaks about it and his footy journey...

The Barnes brothers, from left, Mitchell, Justin, Clayton and Tyson. Picture: Andrew Brady

Alan Barnes enjoyed many a great day at Rye as a champion player in the 1990s.

The classy Barnes, who played under-19s at North Melbourne, won the 1992 Mornington Peninsula league best and fairest medal.

But he reckons nothing will top Saturday, when his four sons played in Rye’s senior side.

Clayton, 24, Mitchell, 21, Justin, 18, and Tyson, 16, took to the field together against Devon Meadows.

“I’m very proud of them,” Alan said.

And it loomed as a Barnes blitz early when Justin slotted the opening goal of the game, bringing his old man to his feet.

“I thought, ‘oh, here we go’,” Alan said.

“They had a crack the guys. The whole team did.”

Alan and Charlene Barnes with their sons, Clayton, Justin, Tyson and Mitchell.

Rye was within 14 points of title contenders Devon Meadows at halftime but was overpowered in the second half and lost 19.15 (129) to 11.11 (77).

Alan got a real kick out of seeing his boys so determined.

“They were pumped up and ready to go,” he said

Alan’s sons never saw him play football but he coached each of them in junior football, while also serving as president of Rye junior football club for many years.

“They’ve seen old photos of me playing,” Alan said.

“They say, ‘you were a goal kicker?’. I say, ‘of course I was — the only one in the family’,” he laughs.

Justin won Rye’s senior best and fairest last year as a 17-year-old and is on Dandenong Stingrays list this season.

Tyson, who is still eligible for under 17s, has made a promising start to his senior career, earning high praise from opposition coaches most weeks.

“He’s impressing me this year how he’s playing against the big boys,’’ Alan said.

“He’s still under 17 eligible.”

Barnes played in the Essendon District league and had three years under Denis Pagan at North Melbourne’s under-19s.

In the early 1990s, Barnes and two mates would often travel down to the Mornington Peninsula to go fishing. They decided to join a local club.

“There were three of us from the Essendon District league…we used to come down here spear fishing and mucking around all the time so we just picked a team in first division and it was Rye,’’ he said.

“We just rocked up on the doorstep and started training. I travelled for two years from West Meadows.’’

Alan said when he went to leave Rye in the early 90s and return “up town’’, Rye’s club president at the time Nick Appleford declared, “no, you’re not, we’ve got you a job’.

“And I haven’t gone home since,’’ Barnes said.