From the Shepp News
Echuca coach Cameron Stewart may have known club champion Rhys Archard for less than two years, but says he has already figured him out.
Stewart sees through what he calls Archard’s ‘‘carefree attitude’’.
‘‘He comes across that he doesn’t care .
‘‘He certainly cares about the kids and the direction of our footy club and you can’t ask a lot more.
‘‘He has got a determination about him. It’s not outward — it’s certainly inward — but we’ll keep him around the place and he’ll keep chipping away. That’s what we want.’’
Archard, who turns 30 this month, played his 150th senior game for the Murray Bombers on Saturday, qualifying him for club life membership.
Echuca lost to premiership favourite Rochester by 12 points, despite the Murray Bombers hitting the front by a point in the last term, but Archard was typically brilliant with five goals.
He has won two league medals — Goulburn Valley’s Morrison Medal in 2003 and the SANFL’s Magarey Medal four years ago — but it is Echuca’s back-to-back premierships in 2001 and 2002 that mean most to him.
Archard, who spent a year on AFL club Adelaide’s rookie list in 2007, said earning life membership at the Murray Bombers was also a great honour.
‘‘You look up on the board (at the club) and see who’s up there before you and that’s the sort of thing you strive for,’’ Archard said.
‘‘After your footy days are over, you want a place to be able to call home and Echuca is my home.
‘‘It’s sad the way footy’s going; a lot of players go around the countryside and year after year they change clubs.
‘‘But, at the end of the day, they wonder where their home actually is. I’m proud of what I’ve achieved here and what the club’s doing and we’re back on track.’’
Archard hoped people would remember him as a loyal footballer, something he said was an increasingly rare commodity in country football.
That loyalty stretches to his vested interest in the up-and-coming Echuca crop, who he said he loved playing alongside.
‘‘These are the kids who could take you to your next premiership,’’ he said.
‘‘We had a young group when I started playing, and a few older blokes, and we just missed out on finals and were down a bit.
‘‘Then (ex-AFL player and 2001 Morrison medallist) Craig Sholl and a couple of other good players walk in your door and (we won two premierships and) nothing is saying it can’t happen here.’’
Archard was unsure how long he would keep playing — saying reaching 200 games and receiving league life membership could be something to aim at — but would likely extend his career at least another season after this.
He owns Echuca Backpackers with former teammate and Moama playing coach Simon Maddox and rises at 4
‘‘I’m pretty much the old man’s right-hand man and ride track work and do pretty much everything,’’ Archard said.
‘‘We’re a two-man team, so .
Football continues to hold a special place in Archard’s heart — even if, as Stewart said, he doesn’t outwardly show it — and that can only be a good thing for his beloved Echuca.
