SFNL: Brothers Stefan and Kristen Feehan open up on their backyard-like battle inside 50
Brothers Stefan and Kristen Feehan do battle as opponents twice a year. They discuss their journeys, premierships, knee reconstructions and the best and fairest trophy in the shape of a Ford Falcon.
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Stefan Feehan scours the new Southern league fixture every year searching for the match-up against Dingley.
It’s when the Springvale Districts forward gets to play against his old team and another opportunity to take on younger brother, Kristen.
Unless the two meet in a final, there’s a chance Saturday’s match between the Demons and Dingoes will be last encounter involving the Feehan brothers.
“I said last year was going to be the last time,” Stefan joked.
“It probably will be this time though, I have a kid on the way and I am working more weekends.
“I still feel fit enough to run around but it might be more social next year, for senior footy it might be my last.”
Stefan won a senior premiership with Dingley in 2008 and Kristen a trio of flags in 2016, 2017 and 2019.
They played in a reserves premiership together in 2015 but the closest they’ve got to playing a senior game together is as opponents.
Kristen, 30, and Stefan, 35, matched up on the weekend, or as Stefan calls it: “hung out”.
“I started on the pine, so it was about six minutes in, I didn’t get a hand shake or anything,” Stefan said.
“We hung out a bit more than usual, it was good.”
The brothers have never shared change rooms in senior footy for several reasons.
When Stefan was a mainstay in the Dingley senior side, Kristen was coming back from a pair of knee reconstructions.
“I did my knee when I was 12 in primary school footy, I got it reco-ed at 15 because I was too young to have one at 12,” Kristen said.
“I had a big growth spurt so that reconstruction was just a waste of time, then I did it again when I was 17 and had another reconstruction.
“I had two recos before I was 18 but from then I have been pretty lucky and have played ever since.”
Stefan was then “stuck in the ressies” by the time Kristen recovered from injury and surged into the dominant Dingoes of the late 2010s.
He made the tough decision to part ways with his brother and join Springvale Districts.
“I wanted to play senior footy, a few boys transferred across and the rest is history,” Stefan said.
“It was hard, I had played at Dingley since under-10s, it’s a great club so it would always be a hard move but at the end of the day I wanted to play senior footy.
“I thought ‘if I don’t go now, I never will’.”
The battle of the Feehan’s has been so regular, Kristen admits his appreciation for it will likely come when he stops playing.
Their dad Mark loves the contest between the boys and is always the first call they each make after a game to see how each brother fared.
“It’s something we will look back on in the future, looking at photos and stuff, but right now it’s normal,” Kristen said.
“We’ve done it for two or three years now so it’s normal but it is pretty special.
“It’s also really big for dad and (Springvale Districts coach) Kris Thompson loves it.
“Dad’s always first (call) and then he gives the whole report, so I don’t even need to call him (Stefan).
“If there is a close game or a big contest, I always send him a message.”
Posing for a photo together post-game, Stefan tapped his brother on the chest and said “you out-scored me”.
He was referring to Kristen’s late move forward to seal the game for the Dingoes.
The star defender was put in unfamiliar territory during the last quarter and immediately kicked Dingley’s first goal in almost 40 minutes of football.
Kristen wasn’t a fan of the move but was glad it paid off.
“I actually sprayed the runner, I went ‘what the f*** am I doing down here?’,” he said.
“Especially in the dying moments but as soon as I went down there, 30 seconds in I kicked a goal … it paid off I suppose.”
Amid the a handful of premierships, match winning spoils and goals, the pair still vividly recall the time Stefan brought a car home from presentation night.
He did “a Steven Bradbury” after Dingley legend Shane Franklin offered a car as the prize for the best under-18.
“It was under-18s at Dingley, Shane Franklin, rest in peace, he was a big part of Dingley, he put up a car for the best and fairest in under-18s,” Stefan said.
“I’ve just done a Steven Bradbury, come from nowhere, had my best year of footy and won myself a car.
“It acted as a security guard because I didn’t get my license until 21 but it was better than a trophy.”
It was a prize more for Mark in the end, as Kristen avoided the old Falcon as a hand-me-down as much as he could.
“I think Dad drove it … I didn’t want it, it was a shit car,” he joked.
As for whether the boys will share the field as teammates ever again, Stefan isn’t banking on it.
“Shannon Hughes has been chewing my ear off to get me into the over-35s so it might be back in a Dingley jumper but for over-35s,” he said.
“I can’t see Kristen being in the magoos for some time, so it might pass us by.”
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