VAFA: St John’s Old Collegians relishing a return to divisional football

The Greater Dandenong club almost went into recess two years ago. Now it’s back with two teams and back in divisional football.

St John's stalwarts Rohan Scott (left) and Corey Ely have led the club back into divisional football.

The ladder looks good for St John’s Old Collegians.

The Jocs have won their first three matches this season in the VAFA.

But set aside the results.

As president Mick Hancock sees it, the bigger story is that the City of Greater Dandenong club is back in divisional football after almost closing the doors at the start of 2019.

An exodus of players hit the club hard and it appeared St John’s would be unable to go on.

Then Hancock led a rally that resulted in the Jocs entering a team in the Club XVIII competition.

They picked up 13 wins and gradually in the following six months they picked up enough players for two teams and to enter Division 4 in 2020.

Of course, COVID-19 cut off the season.

The return had to wait, but Hancock said it had been worth it.

“Look, the ultimate dream is to win it and say wow, what a recovery, but the reality is we’ve already won,’’ he said.

“Because we were cooked. Done and dusted. But we refused to die.

“Going back to one side was the best thing we did because we won some games of footy and we got some good people involved. And the guys who played that year are the ones leading the culture and the behaviour and all the things we needed to improve this year.

“Now we’re going OK on the field, 50 guys are getting a game of footy every week, we’ve got some money in the bank and we’ve got a new facility coming.’’

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This Saturday the club will have what Hancock believes will be one of the biggest days in its history, when it farewells the rooms at Thomas Carroll Reserve.

Past players, officials and supporters from St John’s and summer tenant St Mary’s Cricket Club have been invited.

It will be the Jocs’ last home game for the season after the City of Greater Dandenong brought forward the start of construction by a few weeks.

“That room has some stories. It’s been a wonderful place,’’ Hancock said.

As for the senior team, Hancock said he was happy for St John’s to play the role of underdog this year, letting other sides do the barking.

He said the club got lucky when it appointed Scott Holmes as senior coach.

St John's will farewell its rooms this Saturday.

A former long-serving player, he returned to St John’s in 2018 as reserves coach and took over the Clubbies team in 2019.

“He’s a ripper,’’ Hancock said.

“I love the way he coaches. I’ve seen a lot of coaches … footy, cricket, netball, tennis … and he’s as good as any young coach I’ve seen. The players love him.’’

And the president loves the captain, Corey Ely.

Hancock said every year other clubs offered Ely money, and every year he turned them away.

“He’s the first guy to pay his subs every year,’’ he said.

“It’s so nice in a different era.’’

With Nathan McConchie, Nick Terrill, Brendan Ash, Rohan Scott and Jon Daly, the skipper was in the best as St John’s defeated Eley Park Sharks 9.14 (68) to 6.2 (32) last Saturday.