00:02For David O'Brien, footy is a game of simple life lessons.
00:08Sometimes the ball sits up for you and other times it doesn't.
00:12And I suppose that's a bit of an analogy for life.
00:15The 55 year old has played about 860 games and since 2019 they've all been in Masters
00:21Leagues.
00:22Competitions strictly for players older than 35.
00:25I call it footy Valhalla.
00:27It's an echo of your footy career but what it's designed to do is capture all that off-field
00:32stuff, all that mateship, comrade, male mental health.
00:36Today he's pulling on the boots for the South Coast Sharks.
00:40It's one of the newest teams in Victoria's Country Masters League.
00:45Where participation has almost doubled over the past five years with 819 players this season.
00:52It might sound ridiculous but what happens on the field is almost the least important part
00:57of Masters footy in the country.
00:58What really matters is an opportunity to be with mates, to stay connected and involved
01:03in the community.
01:04With regional men older than 35 more at risk of social isolation and suicide, Masters football
01:11is having an immeasurable impact.
01:13Venting with your mates at training in particular and at game time, talking about life.
01:20It's tremendously important to be able to share that and not feel alone.
01:26Despite the occasional sore morning back on the farm, David's final game is still a while
01:31off.
01:32It is a game.
01:33I now will probably play it all my life.
01:35I threaten to give up every now and then but I've been doing that for years.
01:38I've retired more times than Johnny Farnham.
01:41Alright matey.
01:42I've retired more times than Gianfranca.
01:43I'm ready to start as a game as a game, but there's a game.
01:44You guys are making great game.
01:45We've got a lot of fun to go on.
