It may almost have been two decades ago but Shannon Terlich still vividly remembers his senior debut for his beloved Swampies in 2005.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
In a special moment for the Terlich family and the club, Shannon ran out alongside his old man, Neale 'Squeal' Terlich as a skinny 15-year-old teenager.
Neale played more than 380-matches in the seniors and reserves combined, including the Swampies' 1990 flag triumph under coach Peter King.
"I still recall my first match, I was 15 and it was in 2005 and it was late in the season at Howlong," Terlich said.
"My first disposal was a kick after I received a handball from the old man.
"Dad told me after the game that he only handballed it because it was me, otherwise he would have done a U-turn and had a shot.
"I also remember Brenden 'Chisel' Maclean jumping in a photo with dad and I after the match because 'Chisel' was playing as well and he is good mates with the old man.
"He said 'this is a special moment, and I want to be a part of it as well.'
"It's funny because now 'Chisel' is my coach this season."
Fast forward 20-years and Terlich is set to play his 200th match for the Swampies against Murray Magpies on Saturday.
The 34-year-old has played the majority of his career at his junior club except for a stint with Wagga Tigers where he played 50-odd matches in the late 2000s.
The Terlich's are set to join an exclusive club at the Swampies with Graham and Ewen Scholz believed to be the only other father and son combination to previously achieve the remarkable feat of both playing 200 senior matches.
"I still enjoy playing," Terlich said.
"But I haven't given too much thought to the milestone to be honest because I still love playing every weekend and haven't really reflected on the achievement.
"I guess these things come along when you play for long enough and it's all part of the journey.
"The club has been a huge part of my life for a long time and I've still got a jumper at home that I wore when dad won the flag in 1990 which was 34 years ago and I was a one-year-old.
"So I've been going to the footy every Saturday to watch or play for Henty as long as I can remember.
"But dad and I both playing 200 senior matches for Henty is something we are both immensely proud of."
Terlich played a straight bat when quizzed who had had the better career out of his father and himself.
"I guess the answer depends on who you ask," he said.
"Dad played a lot more roles throughout his career as a forward and across half-back.
"He certainly had a longer career because I've missed a fair bit of footy with my dodgy shoulder and knee.
"Maybe he was a bit tougher than me... I don't know.
"When Heath 'Buckets' Ohlin played his 200th match last year, it sort of made me realise how much footy I've missed with injury.
"I had previously played 25-matches before 'Buckets' arrived at Henty but he beat me to the milestone quite comfortably.
"At a guess I would have missed more than 40-matches with injury, which is basically two seasons when you think about it."
Terlich didn't have to think long to pinpoint his career highlight.
"The 2014 flag is easily the standout," he said.
"Playing alongside dad was a pretty big highlight as well.
"Looking back, I feel fortunate to have played in some pretty handy sides and have fond memories of that period from 2012 to 2015 where we were flag contenders for four years.
"It is something that we are trying to replicate at the moment and we have got our next generation of juniors coming through the senior ranks after winning the thirds flag last year.
"I think history has proven that the club has been its most successful when they put the time into the locals and then reap the dividends."
Henty boasts an enviable record of talented juniors going on to play at the elite level with David Willis, Tim Scott, Brent Piltz, Kade Klemke, Sam and Nick Murray alongside Harrison Macreadie all spending time on an AFL list.
Terlich has a theory why the Swampies have been able to produce so many talented footballers.
"I think we are fortunate to have the families and community out here that is so sports orientated," he said.
"Whether that be football, cricket or tennis.
"Even at Auskick training at the moment, there are 25 kids running around which is good numbers for a small country town.
"All the kids seem to have a footy in their hands and learn the skills at a young age.
"Henty is a lot further away from Albury compared to Howlong or Jindera where kids can travel and play other sports like soccer, rugby league or hockey.
"But at Henty with the travel factor, most kids play footy."
Terlich has forged a reputation in the Hume league as one of the premier key forwards in the competition who predominantly plays across half-foward.
The blonde high-flyer has defenders nervous with his ability to crash packs and is a strong contested mark and prodigious kick of the football.
Terlich felt privileged to have been able to play alongside several former AFL players during his time at the Swampies.
''Getting to play alongside former AFL players like Jared Brennan and Damian Cupido has been a real highlight for me," he said.
"Then there were a couple of excitement machines like Jarrah Maksymow and Daniel Cox as well and locals Sam Murray and Harrison Macreadie.
"There wouldn't be too many footballers who have played alongside better players than that in the O&M when you think about it."
Terlich also recalled one of the most bizarre incidents in Hume league finals history involving Maksymow.
Maksymow failed to return after half-time during the second semi-final against Brock-Burrum after doing a runner from police at the main break in 2018.
The Swampies were favourites to win the flag after finishing minor premier with Terlich unsure whether the incident cost the club a flag.
"A lot of people reckon it cost us a flag but I'm not so sure... we still needed a lot to go right to win the flag that year," he said.
"It did let us down though and it was a strange situation to experience as a player.
"I remember Jarrah was in the rooms before the game crying, so it sort of distracted everybody's warm up and preparation.
"Hindsight is a wonderful thing and we probably shouldn't have let him play.
"Somehow he was still the best player on the ground at half-time... I don't know how he did it."
So with three young daughters and turning 35 later this year, how long can the Henty faithful expect to see Terlich running around for in the future?
"I want to keep playing until either I stop enjoying it or it gets too hard," he said.
"Dad obviously played for a long time but that doesn't mean I'm going to.
"I'm 34, but I'm still having a good time and enjoy playing footy so I won't put a date on it.
"I reckon my body will eventually let me down... and that will be the end of it.
"But I'm lucky that I've got such a supportive wife in Alyce that allows me to keep playing each week with such a young family."
