VFL 2020: Port Melbourne premiership player Dylan Conway retires from the VFL
Two VFL premiership player Dylan Conway will drop back to local football due to family and work commitments.
Victorian Football
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Port Melbourne has lost another of its 2017 premiership players, with work and family demands prompting Dylan Conway to leave the Borough.
Conway had a significant hand in the grand final victory over Richmond, booting three goals in a low-scoring match.
He finished the season with 45 goals, good going for a player who filled the role of third-forward.
Conway had also figured in Williamstown’s 2015 premiership, slotting three goals against Box Hill Hawks.
He crossed to the Borough at the end of the 2016 season.
Port coach Gary Ayres said Conway told him last Friday that he no longer had the time to play in the VFL.
“He’s just become a father and he’s got his fitness centre at Willy, and those commitments were eating into his ability to play with us this year,’’ Ayres said.
“We’ll never ever forget that he scored those three goals for us in that memorable 2017 flag.
“He was able to keep defenders under pressure because he had that ability to bob up with a goal when the team really needed it, which we saw in the grand final against Richmond. It was such a defensive, dour sort of game, and the player who could kick multiple goals was going to have a fair bearing on it. He was that player for us.
“Being a two-time premiership player, Dylan’s had a good VFL career, got the most out of himself.’’
Injuries restricted Conway to 11 games last year. He kicked 13 goals.
“He wouldn’t be happy with that, but as we all know this game doesn’t discriminate against anyone … it just tests you and challenges you all the time,’’ Ayres said.
Conway bows out with 96 senior VFL matches and 151 goals.
He also won the 2015 A Todd Medal as the best and fairest in the AFL Victoria Development League.
Conway has had Melton South as his home club for the past two years and he will now play there full-time alongside Port Melbourne teammates Shannen Lange and Ryan Pendlebury, both of whom were also home-club Panthers.
Former Borough runner Heath “Heater’’ Pritchard coaches Melton South.
Pritchard said this morning he was surprised when Conway phoned him to say he was leaving the VFL.
He said his club was delighted to secure a player of Conway’s stature.
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The right-footer played four matches for South last year, booting 17 goals.
Melton South finished 2-14 last year but can be expected to improve considerably given its gains from Port: a key defender in Pendlebury, a gun midfielder in Lange and a powerful forward in Conway.
Pritchard said all three of his Borough recruits lived in the western suburbs and were keen to play locally after deciding to leave the VFL.