THE obsession with our national game of Australian Rules Football means that those blessed with the ability to play it with great skill and conviction reap a large range of benefits.
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Football can bring with it fame, fortune, employment opportunities and hero status within the community.
But for new East Warrnambool recruit Shannon Turner, football represents another step in a life journey that has had soaring highs and devastating lows.
Turner comes to the Bombers with an impressive football CV.
He was an elite junior, playing in the TAC Cup under 18 competition with Northern Knights.
His ability to find the ball and use it well caught the eye of VFL teams and he went on to play 13 senior games during stints at Werribee and the Bendigo Bombers.
But it was the pursuit of his AFL dream where Turner’s story took a turn for the worse.
“I had been invited to the AFL national draft camp,” Turner explained.
“But I didn’t get to go, there was some trouble and I ended up going to jail for a couple of years on an assault charge.”
The jail sentence was just one setback in a period of great turmoil for Turner.
One of his best friends died in an accident and Turner sought refuge in the hideous drug ice.
It was the beginning of a toxic on-off relationship with ice that carried on for the next seven years.
Now 27 and 34 months on from the last time he used ice, Turner is not seeking excuses or sympathy for his fall from grace.
“My decision making at that time was really poor,” Turner said.
“I was dealing with loss and grief and I saw taking ice as the easy way out, I used what was happening at the time as an excuse to take drugs.
“It was nobody else’s fault but mine but I was able to get hold of things and turn it around and coming to East Warrnambool is another step in that.
“I will never turn to that drug again, playing footy is what I do best and I am really excited to be at East Warrnambool, to be part of a club.
“I hope I can inspire other people to make the most of their talents and not get caught up in drugs.
“I want to have a good name in this community, I want young people who might be a bit lost to be able to talk to me and see there is light at the end of the tunnel.”
Turner has moved to Warrnambool to live with his sister Mikayla Harradine, an East Warrnambool netballer, and her son.
Turner’s mother is also moving to Warrnambool, ensuring the Bombers’ new star will have a solid family unit behind him.
Family has always been a big part of Turner’s life with his natural football ability passed down from his late father Darren Turner senior.
At the time of his death, Darren Turner senior was a star of the Kyabram and District Football League.
After a game in 1991, the football world was in shock when Darren Turner senior died after a game as the result of a heart attack.
Shannon Turner was just two years old at the time, his older brother Darren junior was five.
Turner cannot remember his father playing but speaks with pride about the many stories he has been told about the exceptional ability his father possessed.
With the loss of his father at such an early age, Turner’s mother Doreen has held an elevated place in his life.
“My mum has been unbelievable, I just can’t thank her enough for what she has done for me,” Turner said.
“She has been a mother and father all in one and she has never given up on me.”
With such a strong support base at his side, Turner is keen to now make football a focus and establish himself as a key player at East Warrnambool.
A highly skilled player who made his name at half-back, Turner possesses great speed.
As a youth he was the owner of 100 and 200-metre sprint records at national level and was invited to attend the World Junior Sprint Championships.
His skill level is set to thrill Warrnambool and District league supporters with Turner shyly admitting to a creative nickname former teammates bestowed on him.
“They call me Showbags, I don’t mind taking a few hangers and taking the game on a bit,” Turner said.
“But I also know that you have to do the hard work, you get out of footy what you put in.
“I have been training by myself for a while now, I am doing 3kms in 10 minutes 50 seconds so I am happy with how it’s going.
“I want to be a leader of this football club, I want to give it my best crack and who knows, I might end up playing 200 games for East Warrnambool.
“The club has been struggling a bit but I will be giving it everything I’ve got to help the club improve.”
The acquisition of Turner is an exciting development for East Warrnambool who will be led by first-year coach Paul Hrabar in 2016.
The Bombers finished 2015 in 10th place with two wins and 16 losses.