WELCOME MAT: Why the kennel has become Howard's home club

"I don't think the club will mind me saying that I was shocked how poor the facilities were back then," Howard said.

"As an outsider, Thurgoona had a reputation as being a powerhouse of the competition, so when I walked into the club and saw the facilities... I was shocked.

"I had previously played at a fair few different clubs and leagues and Thurgoona's changerooms were the worst I had ever come across.

"I guess it was a credit to the club to be able to recruit the talent they had considering the facilities.

"That has obviously changed now and Thurgoona has now got one of the best facilities and no excuses now not to be able to perform."

It's fair to say that Howard, 34, has been a journeyman throughout his footy career.

You need two hands to count how many clubs the classy midfielder-foward has played for.

He has had stints at Tungamah, Yarrawonga, Northern Saints (EDFL), Rennie, Wangaratta, North Wangaratta, Mulwala, Wangaratta Rovers, CDHBU and most recently Thurgoona.

"I guess the main reason I've played at so many clubs is because of employment opportunities," Howard said.

"Before I joined Thurgoona, I followed Damian Payne who is a good mate of mine out to CDHBU when he was appointed coach in 2016.

"I really enjoyed my time at the club but joined Thurgoona after Covid and have really settled in.

"Thurgoona is home to me now and I consider Thurgoona my home club.

"The club has really embraced me and my family since we arrived and the boys at the club are awesome.

"They have built a really strong culture around making strangers feel welcome.

"The club has been going through an interesting transition from being a powerhouse to rebuilding and promoting the younger players.

"I've really enjoyed trying to help develop the younger players over the past few years.

"So I consider myself a Thurgoona boy through and through now and plan to finish my career at the kennel."

Howard played at a high standard early in his career and had stints with O&M clubs Yarrawonga, Wangaratta and Wangaratta Rovers.

"I played thirds for Yarrawonga and made my senior debut at the Pigeons under the 'Little Master' in Craig Ednie," he said.

"I was fortunate enough to play alongside some superstars in Ednie and Tim Hargreaves who were some of the best players of their era and learnt a lot from them.

"When I moved to Wangaratta, I played under Judd Porter and the same thing, I learnt a lot from another star of the competition."

Howard has been playing predominantly as a midfielder and spending time up forward at the kennel this season under coach Daniel McAlister.

Howard is a huge fan of McAlister who has the Bulldogs in fifth spot with a 4-3 record after seven rounds.

"I have already got a huge admiration for D-Mac who has done a lot for the footy club already in a short space of time," he said.

"We connected immediately and I was getting a bit stagnant with my footy.

"But D-Mac has been able to instill a bit of belief and confidence in me and he has got this amazing ability to be invested in you not only as a player but as a person as well.

"I think that's what separates him from other coaches that I've had previously, just how invested he is in you as a person.

"It doesn't matter if you are the best player at the club or the 44th player, he treats everybody the same."

Howard won a grand final with Rennie in 2011 under coach Leigh Ramsdale which he rates as the biggest highlight of his career so far.

"I was proud to play O&M but the flag with Rennie is probably the highlight," he said.

"The only other time I have played finals since was with CDHBU in 2016.

"So I suppose for me and the stage of my career playing in another final is what keeps me motivated to keep on going."