Jason Morgan has won four premierships in his long Bombers career.
Is there a better 40-year-old footballer in country Victoria, make that Australia, than Jason Morgan?
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If there is, I’d love to see him play.
Morgan has set the bar for older footballers at a lofty height that few players of his age could even go close to matching or even challenging.
Ever since he made his debut with the Bombers way back in 2003, his poorer games could be counted on one hand.
And this Saturday he plays his 300th senior game with the club in its blockbuster clash with Shepparton at Kyabram.
All these games have been at senior level, he’s never played with the reserves, and most of them in the key defensive role of centre half-back.
Starting his football career at Girgarre, where he played his senior football at 16 years of age, Morgan has been a pillar of strength in Kyabram’s defence for 21 seasons.
After playing 10 senior games with Girgarre as a junior in 2002, he found himself at Kyabram where his dairy farmer father Russell (Keg) played, but would be first to admit he didn’t reach the lofty heights of what his son has achieved.
How has Morgan maintained his form over such a long period when most of his teammates from the early years of his career have been retired for many years?
Morgan admits there is no magic potion and lot of hard work has gone into his preparation to play so good for so long.
“I have a gym, a pool and a sauna at home (in Melbourne) and I also do a lot of cycling to keep fit. I work at it pretty hard,” Morgan said.
He will be only the second Kyabram player, and one of few Goulburn Valley League players, to chalk up the 300 senior games milestone when he runs out to play Shepparton this Saturday.
Only one other Kyabram player, another great Kyabram defender in Tony (Rusty) McDonell, has played more senior games with the club.
McDonell has played 337 games before continuing playing well into his 40s coaching at Lancaster.
Morgan also had a four-year stint early in his career with Coburg in the VFL where he played about 40 games despite constant injuries.
Jason Morgan has anchored the Kyabram defence, apart from a brief stint away, since 2003.
When he returned to Kyabram, he took the GVL scene by storm and has been a member of four flag winning sides.
Who have been Kyabram’s best players in his time with the Bombers?
“Paulo (Paul Newman) is a standout and Mick Mattingly, Kayne Pettifer, Lachie Smith, Kyle Mueller, Chris Atkins and Tom Sheldon are up there with the best of them, but there have been a lot of other fine players in my time,” Morgan said.
And at 40 years of age, what does the future, football wise, hold for Morgan?
“I really haven’t thought about that yet, so I haven’t made up my mind at this stage whether I’ll play on or not,” he said.
“One game at a time is the go at the moment.”
It will certainly be a sad day when Jason Morgan, one of the best Kyabram players of all time, finally decides to hang up his boots.
But he said he would be doing it without any regrets whatsoever.
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