A late-season work assignment at the Ashes cricket in the UK didn't stop Dan Jordan from kicking 10 goals on his return to Ballarat League football with East Point at the weekend.The 28-year-old goal-sneak missed five weeks while hosting cricket supporter tours at Lord's and Edgbaston on behalf of Australian Sports Tours where he works as marketing manager.
"Work commitments took a priority, but the boys are still top of the ladder which is good," he said. "It's a very even competition this year. Any of probably five (teams) can win it. We have been there or thereabouts without actually winning it. If we don't do something this year we'll be fairly disappointed."
Jordan said he loved being at Lord's, the home of cricket and enjoyed all the banter and colour of Edgbaston. "It was just a pity the Australians didn't play better when we were there, but they're back on song now it seems," he said.
With 424 goals in his first four seasons at East Point, including 80 this year, Jordan has been a major influence in the club's double-chance high rankings of recent times.
He said the current East Point group is the best in his time at the club, especially with an in-form midfield led by Tom Blackford, Sam Kitchen, Jason Delaney and Ned Gilbert. The team's No.1 ruckman Josh Discher, son of Don a former VFL player, has also been an important link in the team's charge at top spot.
"So much can happen. There are still two (home and away) rounds to go plus the finals," he said.
"We're like everybody else. We want to protect our double chance position and hit the finals running. A lot of hard work goes into it. We'd love to give the flag a real shake this time around."
Originally from Sunbury, where he played his juniors with the Rupertswood club, Jordan played amateurs at St Bernard's, had a few years with Geelong reserves (VFL) and time, too, in Western Australia with the East Fremantle club before returning to Victoria and joining East at the suggestion of his brother Ben.
"I'd played a lot of footy with Ben at St Bernard's. He told me how good a club East was. I was looking for a job. This one came up. It was a good mix all round."
He says he may have been able to impress more as a teenage hopeful at Xavier College but for suffering knee injuries and missing two important years of football at the ages of 17 and 18.
He likes playing country football as it doesn't require quite the commitment of major leagues in the Big Smoke.
"I'm pretty laid back and pretty happy the way it is working out," he said.
Asked how he felt being back in footy boots last weekend, he laughed and said his first three shots at goal were all kicked off the shin. "It wasn't my best day of kicking (and converting), so I need to improve," he said.
• East Point meets Sunbury at Sunbury this weekend, having to win both its last two games to protect No.1 position in the soon-to-start Ballarat finals.
By Ken Piesse
Article first published 12 August, 2009
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