By Tania Phillips
It is a huge achievement to be considered one of the best players to ever play Aussie Rules on the Darling Downs – to be named captain of a team of the best 22 players in the past 50 years is another step again.
Warwick Redbacks forward Brendan Iles admitted he was shocked to be named captain out of the thousands of players from the 11 clubs who have taken part in AFL Darling Downs competition since it started in 1971.
The 35-year-old was the only Warwick player to make the 22 players chosen in the final team. The independent selection panel, headed by Chris Guice, had originally chosen 50 players from the past 50 years before narrowing it down to a firsts team. Kurt Millard and current Redbacks coach Tyhe Clarkson had been in the original 50 along with Iles.
Iles, who is still playing with Redbacks, said he was honored and shocked to be not only in the side but captain of the team which was named at the AFL Darling Downs presentation night in Toowoomba on Saturday night.
“It was a pretty big honour, a pretty big surprise – some of these players such as the Holman brothers from Goondiwindi and John Green (Coolaroo) who was named at centre-half forward – I’ve only heard these names,” he said.
“You hear about all of these different eras and players. You’ve never seen them play but you’ve heard stories about how great they were at the game and you’re curious about what made them so great but you never got the chance to play against and see them play. Then to be named captain and be standing up beside them was a true privilege.
“Jim Urquart – I remember doing a rep game where he was a coach I had just kicked off. And there I was on Saturday night standing up in a team named with him.”
It is a once in a life-time honour – though Iles said that he’ll be 85 when they name the 100th year team and joked he would “come off the field and go to the presentation afterwards”.
The father of four, who started playing Rules for the Redbacks after being introduced to it by a friend at high school, has played nearly his entire career with the Warwick team other than a three-year stint with a Brisbane team Morningside and a year with University when the local team wasn’t fielding a side in Division One.
He said he had to make a speech on Saturday night, speaking the 22 selected in the team. As well as congratulating everyone named in the initial 50, he thanked AFL Darling Downs for making him a “better person on and off field” and helping him to build lifelong friendships.
