Southern league 2020: Former AFL and VFL player Dan Connors joins Division 1 club
Former AFL player and VFL star Dan Connors has aborted his attempt to make a comeback at Port Melbourne, instead choosing to play with a Division 1 Southern league club. And he feels “fresh and ready to go’’.
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Dan Connors won’t be in the VFL this year, but he will be in the Southern league.
The former Richmond player was training and contemplating a comeback with Port Melbourne, where he performed so brilliantly in 2014 that teammates took to calling him “The Diff’’, as in the difference.
However, a new work opportunity popped for him late last year and Connors said it would have made it difficult to return to Port.
On the weekend he agreed to terms with Southern Division 1 club St Kilda City.
Connors is living in St Kilda, a short distance from the Peanut Farm.
“I was super keen to go back to Port – that’s all I wanted to do – just finish footy at a good level, play a year, maybe even two, and that might have been it for me,’’ he said.
“But this work-business opportunity came up and it has a bit of travel involved.
“It meant I couldn’t put enough time into training, and I didn’t want to waste Gazz’s (coach Gary Ayres) time and Port’s time.
“The (VFL) lists have been cut back too. I didn’t want to take some young bloke’s spot on the list, and I wouldn’t have been giving 100 per cent. One thing I don’t like doing is going out on the footy field and looking silly.’’
Drafted from the Bendigo Pioneers after being selected in the Under 18 All Australian team in 2006, Connors was with Richmond from 2007 to 2012, playing 29 senior matches.
He joined Port Melbourne in 2014, slotting 40 goals from 14 matches, enough to share the league goalkicking award and gain selection in the VFL team of the year.
Connors would have won it had he not missed a stretch of the season when a mirror shattered in his hand, badly gashing it.
In the years since he has played at Bridgewater, Heidelberg, Kambalda in WA, Sandhurst and, this year, Colbinabbin in the Heathcote District league.
He figured in Heidelberg’s 2016 premiership in the Northern league, booting 41 goals from 12 games.
Connors said he didn’t know a lot about St Kilda City or the Southern league, but was looking forward to a new start.
He said he felt “fresh and ready to go’’.
“I’ll get some continuity in training into me and look to be fit and firing for Round 1. Hopefully I can put on a bit of a show,’’ he said.
MORE FOOTBALL
CENTURY GOALKICKER JOINS SPRINGVALE DISTRICTS
Connor’s best mate Harlan Camilleri played at St Kilda City and put the club in contact with Connors, just as he did with City’s high-profile 2019 recruit Sam Fisher.
The Saints finished mid-table last season.
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