Ray Tadd has been told several times he should give up football.
There’s those who have told him that he was not good enough and then there’s the doctors who said his knee wouldn’t handle playing.
He has ignored them all and continued to plug along, playing for several different clubs in the Macedon Ranges and Sunbury area. On Sunday, playing for Woodend-Hesket Masters, he played game 500.
Tadd said he never imagined playing so many football games.
“Especially not after my first knee reconstruction in 1994, I was told to give the game away,” he said. “I’ve had three recos and was told that I would never play again.
“There was a guy from Maryborough Masters who played 600 games. He’s around my age, so I asked how he had played that many and he said it counted junior matches.
“I then went through and worked out how many games I’d played.
“I’ve had a fair run, I’ve limped to 500 games.”
Tadd started as a junior at Gisborne, before moving to Macedon. He spent 26 years at the Cats over multiple stints.
He also spent time at Trentham and Sunbury Masters before playing with Woodend-Hesket for the past three years.
He has also represented Vic Country at the AFL Masters National Carnival.
While he enjoys the playing side of things, the 46-year-old said having an outlet and a place to go with mates was just as important.
There were a number of highlights in his career, including a premiership with Trentham, captaining Macedon’s reserves in the mid-1990s and coaching across several different clubs.
“I was the senior coach of Macedon’s seniors when they reformed in 2003 … it was a massive thing to see them win the premiership last year.
“Also to be the inaugural coach of the Woodend-Hesket Masters. I’ve been lucky enough to be involved with two clubs and helping start from scratch.”
After coaching Woodend Hesket the past two seasons, Tadd has stepped back to playing and said he will continue playing for as long as he could.
“I’ve never been blessed with a lot of natural ability,” he said. “The one per centers are the key things for me.
“I’m just happy enjoying it, as a lot of people told me ‘you aren’t able to play’.
“If I had listened to them, I would have played two games. I would like to keep playing until I can play with my son.”
After he has finished playing, he said he would likely get back into coaching.
