Tara Murray
The itch to play football is still there for Victorian Football League legend Ben Jolley and it has seen him return home.
After leaving Williamstown at the end of 2018, Jolley will be back in Seagulls colours next year after signing on with the club.
Jolley, who is approaching 300 games, said he had done a lot of thinking since the end of the VFL season and decided to go around for at least one more season.
“The old saying, long time retired, has been something ringing in my ear for a number of years to be honest,” he said.
“While there is still an itch to be scratched, the itch being to play and contribute, why not pursue it.
“I’m physically and mentally wanting to do it and go for it.”
While the now 36-year-old hadn’t left Williamstown the way he would have liked the first time, the club, which he says like home, held a lot of great memories.
After three seasons at Port Melbourne and one at Essendon, he felt coming back to the club he captained between 2012 and 2017 was the perfect fit.
He said it was also special for the family who had been part of the journey along the way.
“I’ve been here a very long time. Plappy [coach Justin Plapp] was the development coach back in 2010,” he said. “I got a good insight into Plappy and watched his career progress.
“Going back even further Jeff Andrews [coaching director ] was one of my coaches back at Calder [Cannons] in my final year.
“When there was the possibly for me to play and my interest and then their substituent interest, then I don’t like to complicate things at this time of year very much.
“If there’s interest and someone keen and it’s a really good fit, the decision is made pretty quickly.”
Plapp said Jolley helps fill one of the voids they had from this season having lost a lot of experience on the back of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For Jolley, his plan is to continue to work hard and set the standards as he always has done.
He said he would bring back the knowledge he gained at Port Melbourne and Essendon, the latter where he was an assistant coach.
As for the game 300 milestone he has been chasing for several years. Jolley said it’s not something he is focusing on.
“It’s not going to be a number we speak about again until I’ve played the 299th,” he said.
“When it was a possible achievement, the season was cancelled with COVID, then we had a season cut in half and not really being considered at Essendon this year.
“If that happens, fantastic. I’m preparing to play a year of football and whatever magic number spits out at the end of it, will be the number. Then we’ll sit down at the end of the year and see where it takes me.”
