Clay Mulgrew signs with Inverleigh in GDFL after almost giving up football completely

A family connection at the club has kept this talented forward out of retirement, instead signing with the premiership contenders ahead of 2023.

BFL: Portarlington v Drysdale. Port's Clay Mulgrew handballs under pressure. Picture: Alison Wynd

AFTER losing his passion for the game, new Inverleigh recruit Clay Mulgrew said he was not sure if he would ever play football again.

The former Colac Tiger, who also spent time at Portarlington in the BFL, stepped away from the game but will don the brown and gold for Inverleigh in 2023.

Mulgrew said a family connection lured him to the club for a pre-season run around before he was convinced to sign on for the season.

“My sister’s boyfriend plays out there, Brad Surkitt, and he asked me if I wanted to come out for a run for fitness to see how I liked it,” he said.

“I went out and I really enjoyed it, so I decided to pull the boots back on again.

“I lost passion and a bit of enjoyment from it I suppose, the motivation wasn’t there and so my fitness dropped off a bit.

Clay Mulgrew played for the Geelong Falcons in 2018, but almost retired from the sport after stints for Portarlington and Colac. Picture: Mark Wilson

“On a fitness side of things I was pretty excited to start running around again and see if I could get in some pretty good shape, and I’m feeling pretty good about it all.

“I haven’t really spoken much about where I’ll be playing my footy, I’m sure the coaches will have a plan for me, but I’m happy to slot in and play a role anywhere that they need me.

“I’ve always been a bit of a forward but I’ll change up and play any role the club wants me to play.”

Inverleigh has been a consistent premiership threat in the GDFL across the past few years, with the Hawks set to challenge again in 2023 after losing in the grand final to Bannockburn.

Mulgrew said the culture surrounding the club had made the transition back into football easier.

“You can really tell they’re a talented side, their trainings are at a really high standard,” he said.

“It’s a really professional level that everyone is held to, and ‘Buck’ (Adam Donohue) does a really good job running the trainings.

“You can tell by their training how successful they’ve been, and as a new guy coming in it’s important to match that and raise it a bit to fit in as best you can.”

Originally published as Clay Mulgrew signs with Inverleigh in GDFL after almost giving up football completely