David de Santa ana kicked two goals in his 300th game for Sunshine over the weekend. 85081_01 Picture: DAMIAN VISENTINI
By ADEM SARICAOGLU
IT took him a whopping 23 years, but Sunshine footballer David de Santa ana has finally reached a significant milestone.
The 30-year-old played his 300th game for the Kangaroos on Saturday and kicked two goals to celebrate an 18-point win over Hoppers Crossing in front of a home crowd at Kinder Smith Reserve.
During the week before the game de Santa ana told Star he was excited to finally get to 300 games.
“I don’t think there’s too many down there that have achieved it, so it’s pretty good to walk in and have your name up on the board and things like that, so that will be exciting,” de Santa ana said.
A serious knee injury effectively retired him from senior footy in his mid 20s, but after taking two years off, de Santa ana made his comeback in Sunshine’s reserves side in 2008, eventually taking part in its premiership that year.
“I used to live at the back of the footy ground so it was about a one minute walk to get to the club,” de Santa ana said.
“So even when I wasn’t playing I’d still be down there on a Thursday night having a beer while the boys are training and I’d be there every Saturday as well.
“In one year I just filled in with a couple of games and settled in. My knee was actually travelling a bit better than I thought, and then I decided to have a crack the next year and have a run around and it worked out really well because in the first year back we won the flag.
“Now the knee swells up after most games and I struggle to walk up and down stairs until about Thursday and I don’t do too much training anymore, but it’s good to get a kick on Saturday’s.”
As a youngster de Santa ana was a promising young star, spending time with the Western Jets and doing a preseason with VFL club Werribee.
He returned to Sunshine but had offers to join other clubs from all over Victoria, but the loyal clubman decided to stay put.
“I had a few offers when I was about 18 or 19 and I just thought playing with my friends was a bit more important than chasing some money around,” he said.
“I never really gave it too much thought to go elsewhere.”
Such loyalty is why de Santa ana is so highly regarded at the Kangaroos, and former teammate and Sunshine committee member Ben Hedditch says he is just as genuine off the field as he is on it.
“Everyone loves him,” Hedditch said.
“He’s one of those guys that you can always go and have a chat with, so everyone there is really happy for him.
“I know he’s been counting it down in some ways and wanted to get the 300 up. It’s a massive achievement, it’s over 20 years at the club training and playing footy on the weekends, it’s been a big commitment, so everyone’s rapt for him.”
Last year de Santa ana was part of another premiership when the Kangaroos’ reserves beat Hoppers Crossing after the final siren with a miraculous goal from captain Andrew Thorn.
Sunshine reserves coach Shanon Carroll, the man who led the Kangaroos to last year’s flag, says de Santa ana always sets the example both on the training track and in the middle of the action on game day.
“Without having the title of captain next to his name he’s probably one of the leaders throughout the team, he’s part of the club’s furniture,” Carroll said.
“He’s the first to put his hand up to really give it his all for the side and (he’s) always encouraging, especially to the younger guys at training.
“He pulls them aside every now and then and tries to help them with trying new things and thinking through their footy rather than just going about it and having a kick.
“He actually teaches them to have a bit of purpose in what they’re doing.”
The milestone includes games de Santa ana played as a junior, spanning all the way back to 1989.
