300 AT LAST

Andrew Leonard

Not many players get to 300 career games of football, but when a club has its fifth player reaching that milestone in its short 32 year history we need to sit up and take notice.  This week John Turnbull of Banyule Football Club achieved the milestone when Banyule played Old Mentonians last week.  
Turnbull is one of 12 Legends in the Banyule Hall of Fame and he has almost been at the club for its entire existence, starting there in 1986. 
He won the senior best and fairest in 1989 and is widely regarded as one of the best five players in the club’s history. 
Turnbull also won the competition best and fairest at U/19 level. 
The last 50 games have been a slower process than the first 250 games for the 42 year old. The hurdles have been big ones to get the milestone, battling and beating bowel cancer in the mid 2000’s and a move to Aspendale making the 300 game mark even more of an achievement. 
The father of three played game number 300 in the thirds last week. Turnbull started at full back before moving to full forward in the last term where he kicked six in a big win over Old Mentonians. 
Celebrations that night were were said to be grand although talk of 400 games was muted, for now that club record is safely in the hands of Stephen Gray on 401.