THE Werris Creek Magpies celebrated a Second Division Shield premiership on Saturday after a tough match against Dungowan, although for one Magpie it was the end of a long road after announcing his retirement after 30 years with the club.
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Stewart ‘Fuzz’ Porter has been one of the classiest football players to come out of the region, and the mercurial 45 year old playmaker still has some magic left, which he showed in the Magpies gritty 14-12 victory at home on Saturday and may not want to give up just yet.
“I told Mick (Schmiedel) that if we won I would retire - but we will see what happens,” Porter said.
“I can’t watch football so I guess I will play golf or something.”
The Magpies scored a try in each corner in the opening 20 minutes of Saturday’s final, and despite the Cowboys playing their way back into the game in the second half it was too late as the Magpies defended themselves to the title.
For the former Northern Division and Country pivot this premiership was the result of solid defence and hard work, although Porter has lost count of how many titles, awards and competitions he has won in 30 years at the Creek.
“I couldn’t tell ya,” Porter said.
“A few.”
While this season stood outr for winning a grand final with his nephew Jesse Porter, the halcyon days of the Magpies are still fresh in the evergreen playmakers mind.
“We won it three years in a row in 95,96,97,” Porter said.
“In 1997 we beat Gunnedah to win a Clayton Cup – That was pretty good.”
Some of his other favourite memories are also favourite memories of many supporters, who grew up watching the freakish Fuzz tear opposition defences apart and pull off the impossible, like a 53m field goal to break an 18-all deadlock with the Walcha Roos in 2014.
That wasn’t a one off either, Porter once kicked a similarly sized field goal from the sideline at Wee Waa to beat the Panthers 19-18 in the 1996 grand final, and has a hundred other claims to Group 4 fame over the years as well.
“Playing football has just been great fun,” Porter said.
“I have met a lot of people and made friends for life.”
“When my son is old enough I might have to have another season.”
Werris Creek coach Lyndsay Bowne will definitely miss Porter is he does go through with the retirement, although the former Country and Cronulla Shark has a regret of a different kind after watching the mercurial Porter play up close for the past two seasons.
“He has been around country football for years and at 45 he is still unbelievable,” Bowne said.
“I wish I could have played with him years ago.”
