Northcote Park vice-captain Ben McNiece follows trail blazed by his uncles and father by captaining the Northern Football League club

IT WOULD take almost as long as the McNiece family has spent at Northcote Park to calculate the hours they have poured into the club.

Ben McNiece (centre) with father Dennis (left) and and uncle Peter at Bill Lawry Oval, Northcote. Ben became the fourth McNiece family member to captain the club in the opening round of the 2015 season.

IT WOULD take almost as long as the McNiece family has spent at Northcote Park to calculate the hours they have poured into the club.

The McNiece legacy started when Jeff and Ian McNiece arrived at the Cougars during the 1970s.

The pair blazed a trail for their younger brothers, Peter and Dennis, who are among the most loyal stalwarts at the Northern Football League outfit.

Dennis’ son, Ben, and Peter’s son, Nikolas, have followed since, continuing a family tradition of leading the Cougars into battle.

Ben became the fourth McNiece to captain Northcote Park’s senior side against Eltham earlier this season, following in the footsteps of his uncles and father.

“It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do growing up and it’s great to follow in their footsteps,” Ben said.

The McNieces’ leadership legacy started in 1978 when Jeff captained the club in the Panton Hill Football League.

It was a successful period in Northcote Park’s history, with a trio of premierships between 1977-79 leading to a switch to the Diamond Valley Football League.

More than a decade after his older brother led his ­beloved Cougars, Peter was awarded the captaincy in 1989. He would hold the position for two years before handballing it to Dennis.

“There’s nine years bet­ween my two older brothers and myself,” Dennis said.

“We followed in their footsteps and we were lucky enough, the four of us, we played the majority of our careers together.

“We played about 12 games in the one side.”

The circumstances surrounding Ben’s elevation to the post could not have been more unexpected.

The Cougars vice-captain stepped up to fill the void left by regular skipper Bronik Davies, who was away competing on Channel 7 renovation series House Rules.

“I obviously grew up down there,” Ben said.

“I didn’t get to see too much of my uncles playing, but you go into the rooms after a game and there’s ­always a few old blokes talking about my uncles.

“They probably don’t get down to the club as much as they’d like to now, but you always hear stories of uncle Jeff and uncle Ian.”

Nikolas has taken little time to prove his leadership potential after being appo­inted skipper of the club’s under-19 team for 2015.

Peter said Northcote Park’s captaincy had always been a coveted role.

“There’s a lot of pride in the captaincy,” he said.

“We had good sides as well at (the period I was captain), so it wasn’t just a token gesture. It was definitely something that was held in high esteem.”

Peter and Dennis continue to serve the club as president and general manager respectively.

“It’s just like one big family,” Dennis said.

“It’s pretty easy to play footy when, even though I had brothers in the side, the whole club was a big family.

“There’s still friends now that we see that we played with 30 years ago that we’re still mates with, which is pretty remarkable. We’ve got a small supporter base, but a very loyal one.”

Asked whether Nikolas could one day become senior captain, Peter said: “You never know. If you had have said back when Jeff was the first captain that Dennis and I were going to go on and be captain no one would have believed you.”

Ben’s football journey has followed a path most children of dedicated club people know well.

From being regaled with stories about the club’s most successful periods during his childhood, the 23-year-old has become one of Northcote Park’s most influential players.

It seems certain the Essendon-VFL listed star will have tales of his own to share with the next generat­ion of McNieces as he strives to emulate the success achieved by his relatives.