EFL: Croydon Football Club great Roger O’Brien celebrates 70 years at the Blues

ROGER O’Brien has spent all his life at the Croydon Football Club, recently celebrating a milestone that is almost unheard of in local football.

Roger O'Brien at his home in Croydon. Photo: Daniel Pockett

ROGER O’Brien sits back and ponders where the time has gone.

The 84-year-old has spent his life in football, celebrating a milestone that is a measure of his contribution to the Croydon Football Club and, by extension, to his community.

The Blues toasted O’Brien’s 70 years of service to the club at a recent luncheon, with stories shared by former teammates and opponents at the Hewish Rd Oval.

O’Brien’s involvement in Croydon dates back to when Ben Chifley was Prime Minister, The Invincibles toured England and Melbourne defeated Essendon in the VFL grand final replay.

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It was 1948 and O’Brien was starting out in the under-16s, eventually going on to finish as Croydon’s games record holder in the seniors.

The Croydon life member has since been involved with the Blues for every year of the past seven decades and still attends each home and away game with his wife Dot.

Roger O'Brien with the boots he wore in the 1960 grand final. Photo: Daniel Pockett

Together they take joy in watching their grandson, Luke Dingley, run around in the under-19s wearing his grandfather’s No.14.

O’Brien said his involvement with Croydon was like an “apprenticeship in life”.

“You learn comradeship, mateship, you trust one another, you learn in life and what life is all about,” he said.

“If you get the grounding in sport and particularly local football, it gives you that education of life and community.”

The ruckman’s career ranks among the best in Croydon’s history, including the 1957 best and fairest and playing in the 1960 Croydon-Ferntree Gully league premiership win, which stands as the club’s only Division 1 flag.

“It’s not much for all that football and all the finals, it’s not much result — they’re bloody hard to win,” O’Brien said.

Roger O'Brien with one of his old football jumpers. Photo: Daniel Pockett

Adding to his glowing playing record, O’Brien served as reserves, under-17s and under-19s coach and formed the past players committee in the early 1970s, helping raise thousands of dollars for the club.

More recently he helped start the ‘legends and welfare’ group, visiting sick past players and taking them out for lunch.

“We call ourselves the legends because as you get older you know you get better,” he said.

His garage could be regarded as a Croydon Football Club museum, filled with historic photographs, football boots and jumpers.

“Croydon Football Club is his life,” Dot said.

“I think it’s nearly his first love, it’s his second at any rate.”

Great mate Alan Baldwin said O’Brien was one of the most well-regarded figures around the club.

“He very rarely misses a game … he is always there with his wife,” Baldwin said.

“His family is very important to him … but football is his life, outside of his family, and he is very well respected everywhere because of it.”