John has been a dedicated Glasshouse Hinterland Lion for many years
By Kirra Livingstone
JOHN Holcombe will play his 100th game for the Glasshouse Hinterland Lions on August 2, when he comes face-to-face with his old club, the Hinterland Blues.
Holcombe has played for a variety of clubs across Victoria in his junior years, and Queensland later in life, and debuted for the Lions when he was 16.
“When I was still living and playing in Victoria, my uncle coached the U16s Lions team, so when I was on holidays in Queensland, he needed someone to fill in,” he said.
“So that was technically my first game, and then once I officially moved to Queensland when I was 23 and then played for them until I was 27.”
The 40-year-old rejoined the Glasshouse Hinterland Lions in 2022 when the club’s Senior Men’s team re-entered the Division 4 competition.
John added that despite a few players on his team nearing 50 game milestones, he is the first player to make 100 games for many years.
“It feels very good to nearly make that milestone, I’m looking forward to it,” he said.
“I’ve played basically everywhere on the field throughout my long playing career in AFL, but at the moment I play in the backs.
“I also helped the club bring back the senior men’s team a few years ago, so it’s special to see how far we’ve come.”
The Division 4 Senior Men’s team only won one match in their first year back, won a few games in 2023 and won one finals match.
Now, the team has only lost two games this season and are sitting third on the ladder.
“If we keep playing the way we have, we have a really good chance of going all the way and winning the premiership,” John said.
kirra@gcnews.com.au