Blair McIlroys huge shift for Darfield
It’s not often players will mark up 300 senior club footy games, and fewer still who can say they began their days at the same club they put on boots for the very first time.
Blair McIlroy of Darfield Rugby Club started his rugby career at four years old. With no rippa back in the late 80’s, he jumped straight into tackle and has seemingly never looked back. McIlroy says it’s the “likeminded lads” and culture of the club that has kept him around for 34 years, “you meet a lot of good people” he said, “some guys live in town now, but they still make the effort to come out”.
Making his senior debut in 2003 as a teenager, McIlroy has had a unique perspective of watching players grow from their own first games of rugby as a junior all the way to running alongside him on the field, “They were playing midgets when I was playing senior rugby, now they’re sitting beside me in the shed sharing a beer” he said.
Not one to shy away from the hard stuff, McIlroy loves being part of the forwards “I quite like the physical part of rugby and there’s no better place to be than flanker to get out and about and make a few tackles”.
The club has seen McIlroy reach epic heights of playing for the Canterbury B team, Canterbury Country and Buller. These days, as well as continuing to play for Darfield’s Div 1 side, McIlroy coaches his son’s team, giving back to the club that he says has given him so much over the years.
McIlroy and his team will go against Prebbleton in the Ellesmere final this Saturday, a repeat of the 2022 match which he says his is favourite memory of his impressive Darfield career, “winning the Coleman shield, back in 2022, the first time in the club’s history. It was pretty special to be a part of that. We beat them in the last part of the game with a conversion” he recalled.
Get along to Kirwee Domain on Saturday to watch Darfield and Prebbleton, kicking off at 3pm, go head to head yet again for the Ellesmere Division 1 final, and see first hand who will be taking home the Coleman Shield for 2024.