Huge day at home on number of fronts for SwansFriday, July 12, 2024 - 7:21 AM - by Chris Pike

SWAN Districts hosts Claremont on a six-game winning streak on Saturday on what is a massive day on a number of fronts – Tony Notte joins the legendary Bill Walker on 305 games while the latest man to wear that No. 29 reaches 150 games.

It is a significant day in the history of the Swan Districts Football Club at Steel Blue Oval on Saturday with the games record held by one of West Australian football's all-time greats equalled when Notte joins Walker on 305 games.

Fate often works in mysterious ways too and Swans co-captain Jesse Turner is the first man to reach 100 games in No. 29 since Walker, and now on the same day that games record is equalled he reaches his 150-game milestone to earn life membership.

To top that off, Swan Districts comes into the game on a first six-game winning streak since 2014 up against the league's other hot team with Claremont arriving at Steel Blue Oval having won five straight on top of 12 of the past 14 between the two teams.

Notte proud to join Walker on 305

When Notte first started playing at Steel Blue Oval and even in his early years of league football starting in 2008, he never fully appreciated the history of the football club.

However, the longer he has been around the club and met a lot of the former legends, he has a great understanding of that and is fully aware that there is no bigger figure in the history of Swan Districts than Bill Walker.

Nobody will ever match the feats of Walker as a player with the games record just the final piece of what he did with the boots on in the black-and-white jumper, but Notte couldn’t be prouder to now join him on 305 games.

"I suppose when I was a little young fella walking into the club I wasn’t that aware of the history of the club and it wasn’t until later on when you go through the years that you really start to understand the people that have played for the club, and given back so much," Notte said.

"It probably wasn’t until a few years into playing senior footy that you start to learn the guys who have contributed, but obviously I'm super proud now to stand alongside Bill.

"It's not about comparing, but it's more so the fact that I understand the commitment that he would have had to put in over the time of his career to get to where he did. To share that and stand alongside his name, I'm super proud of that."

Even since Walker's playing days with Swans ended in 1976, he was a remarkably important and powerful figure at the club including a 12-year term as president up until the end of 1995.

His son, Greg, also was an outstanding player who not only played in the 1990 premiership but won the Simpson Medal so the legacy of Walker is a remarkable one as one of just three Immortals in the Hall of Fame alongside the late great John Todd and John Cooper.

Walker has remained a regular at home games for Swans at Steel Blue Oval even while now in his 80s. Notte has enjoyed every chance to interact with him, and hopes to do so again on Saturday.

"It's more the fact that he gave so much not only as a player but everything he has been able to do for the club since he stopped playing, and he's done a whole lot," Notte said.

"He has still been around the club quite a bit since I've been playing and he pops into the changerooms especially for home games.

"That's probably where I've had my chance to speak to him and he has always been very nice and respectful, and given as much help as he can to me with little bits of advice here and there. I'm so grateful to have people like that still around the club."

Fate can often work in mysterious ways too and Jesse Turner is the only player since Bill Walker to wear the No. 29 with Swan Districts to reach 100 games.

The co-captain and two-time Swan Medal winner now gets to his 150-game milestone on Saturday as well and it just happens to be the same day that Notte equals the record set by Walker.

"It's good for Jesse to reach this milestone too. In each footy club you want your home grown talented kids to hang around for as long as possible, and it's something that we probably don't see as much as these days," Notte said.

"But for Jesse to reach this milestone now and become a life member, he's had to work really hard to get there. It's a privilege for him to get there too and everyone is very proud of what he's been able to do, and where he is now.

"To fall on the same day makes it a big occasion for the footy club and hopefully we can do the club proud and have a win, and put in a really good effort on the day."

Hard work leads Turner to life membership

When Turner was coming through the development squads and then colts at Swan Districts, he always felt as though nobody saw him as much of a prospect for the future. That's why he knew if he was to achieve his dream to play in the WAFL, it was going to be on the back of hard work.

That's what makes him so proud to now reach 150 games with Swan Districts and to earn life membership, because he knows he has earned selection in every single one of those 150 matches with nothing at all handed to him.

"It means it a lot to be able to say you're a life member and not only your football club, but a WAFL club," Turner said.

"I said something similar when I was playing my 100th and when you first come in you're just worrying about getting a game and then you're just focused on doing what you can to keep your spot for the first couple of years.

"Then of a sudden, time goes real fast and you kind of lose track of how many games you've played, but to be able to say now that I've played 150 games is something that when your career is done you can be proud of.

"But looking at it now it's something I'm very proud of and it shows the amount of preparation it takes to get your body right and the work that goes into becoming a consistent player to keep getting picked 150 times. It's a huge honour to be able to become a life member of Swans."

On top of Saturday's game being a significant one against Claremont in the context of the season for Swans and it being a big milestone day for Turner, Tony Notte will also equal the club's games record of 305 matches with the legendary Bill Walker.

Turner just happens to be wearing the same No. 29 that Walker adorned with such distinction and he can't help but look on in admiration of everything Notte has done, and continues to do.

"He's one of the most selfless people and players you will ever meet. He's never one who cares his own game or himself, it's always been about the team and it's an underrated aspect to play the amount of footy he has with the way he plays," Turner said.

"He is obviously lightly framed but the amount of pack marks he takes and goes back with the flight of the footy, or puts his body in situations with no regard to his own body even now at his age is inspirational.

"He and Jess now have obviously started a family together with little Alaska and they live down south, but it just shows his level of dedication. He still hasn’t missed a bit this season and is playing some of the best footy he's played from before he did his ACL.

"I know Jess will hate me saying this, but he's definitely capable of going on next year and for him it's just now if mentally and emotionally he can keep going. But the way he's playing is a credit to him and it's a huge milestone for him to equal Bill Walker who is one of the greatest players of all-time.

"At the same time, I think we all think that Notte is one of the greatest Swan Districts players and defenders that the WAFL has seen. It's just a pleasure to have played so much footy with him and I'm hoping there's a few more big games we can play together."

It was missing out on the colts grand final team in 2014 when Turner realised that if he wanted to achieve anything that he hoped in football that he was going to have to do it through sheer hard work and dedication.

It's one thing to say that, but he has lived that to a remarkable degree and he did look at some rivals early on like Kyal Horsley and Aaron Black. He saw what they achieved because they were fitter than their opponents and broke their will through their work rate and desire.

That's what Turner wanted to do and the way that was possible was to put in the work on the running track, to constantly train harder than anybody else.

It would be fair to say it's worked.

"In my early stages of colts and even before that in development squads, I wasn’t getting picked first and was getting cut, and was dropped for the colts grand final," Turner said.

"I think a lot of those heartaches and things that happened to me early in my career kind of helped me developed that mindset of wanting to get the best out of myself. Fast forward from 2013 and 2014 to now, I've just had a mindset of getting the most out of myself.

"I understand that especially early in my career and even now I can overtrain and sometimes I need to focus a bit more on recovery, but I'm not the most naturally talented, fasted or strongest player.

"But what I do have is knowing that for someone to be better than me they are going to have to work really damn hard because I pride myself on my ability to continue to work. I love that side of things and I love the grind," he added.

"It is a bit unusual but I love that feeling of when you're gassed and everyone is out on their feet, that you are able to find another gear or able to do another effort and can feel yourself breaking your opponent just purely on being able to cover the ground.

"It's a huge amount of satisfaction that gives me so I definitely know that I won't have the best of highlight reel for 150 games, but I'm extremely proud of how I've been able to get there."