Luke Parsons to play 300th club game for Nirranda

That is one reason why Nirranda stalwart Luke Parsons has spent 20 years returning to the football club a stones throw from his family's farm.

"There's good people around this club, the community is fantastic and it's something to be part of," Parsons, who'll play game 300 this Saturday, said.

"I'm not sure of the statistics but there are only four or five clubs in Victoria that don't have a town attached to it that still survives today.

"So to be in the position that we're in where we're quite strong, and that's not being arrogant as we are strong as a footy club, and to be involved in something like that is awesome.

"These days football clubs are a hard thing to keep rolling along and to be in the position where we are for this little club I think it's a massive achievement not for me but for the whole committee and the people who run it and do a bloody great job."

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Parsons' love for the Blues started as a junior and has grown stronger with every year he has spent at Nirranda Recreation Reserve, which is five minutes from his family's farm.

The dairy farmer played seven games in his first senior season as a 15-year-old in 1999 before a one-and-a-half-year stint at Hampden league club North Warrnambool Eagles.

He returned in 2001 and hasn't left, collecting one senior and one reserves premiership in the 20 years since.

The key defender is now player-coach of the Blues' reserves which are undefeated and play fierce rivals Old Collegians this weekend.

Parsons' favourite memory at the club is the fairytale premiership in 2016.

"I would love to have that week back again as it was a magnificent ride," he said.

"It was awesome to come from fifth when we thought coming into that final we could win a final and set ourselves up for the next year but to go all the way was magic.

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"I don't think there's anyone you could talk to that was involved with that that would say it's not one of the best things ever to come from where we did and to go all the way and make it.

"I played in one twos one and couple of finals with the twos so it has been a great ride so far."

Parsons said he had also been lucky with injuries throughout his time.

"I've been pretty lucky I had an ankle a long time ago when I stood on Todd McLean's ankle and busted it up at Merrivale but I have been lucky with soft-tissue injuries," he said.

"I don't get a lot of it or it's pretty rare and I think it' because I'm a good trainer and my theory is if you put the work in hopefully it rewards you on the back end.

"I have a bad back thing that comes up from week to week. The knee (ACL) was just a freak thing as you do the movement a thousand times and that time it just went.

"I was lucky it didn't do a lot of damage. I just had the LARS put in and came back and played 12 weeks later. It healed quite quick and quite good."

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