South Melbourne captain Brad Norton will play his 300th match for the club this Friday night in the club’s Semi-Final against Oakleigh Cannons at Lakeside Stadium.
Since making his debut in the opening match at Lakeside Stadium against Sydney Olympic, Norton has been a constant at South Melbourne, making 23+ appearances per season excluding the canceled 2020 campaign.
In the lead-up to the big clash against Oakleigh, Norton spoke to SMFC TV and said it was a “massive achievement” to reach the milestone.
“It’s been a whirlwind of a ride starting out and some of the tough years early on, coming to fruition, winning championships, titles, the supporters, the club itself is amazing to be around and I wouldn’t have changed the past 12 years for anything.”
Growing up in Melbourne, Norton looked up to Victorian sides South Melbourne and the Melbourne Knights in the NSL, and in a matter of days, he will become only the fourth player in the club’s history to reach 300 games.
“This is what you play for; to play in these big games. It’s just a bonus for myself individually,” he explained.
“To come to this club at such a young age and now be hitting the 300-game mark is a massive milestone for myself.”
Prior to joining South Melbourne, Norton played for Port Melbourne Sharks, Melbourne Knights, and Northcote City, before playing two games with Adelaide United in the A-League.
Over his time at South Melbourne, he claimed the Theo Marmaras Medal in 2015 and captained the club in 2013 for a brief period before being given full-time reigns in 2017.
He was a part of the 2014 and 2016 South Championship winning sides and also claimed the NPL Premiers Plate and Dockerty Cup under head coach Chris Taylor – who will be at the helm of the Oakleigh Cannons on Friday.
“It’s almost fitting to play this type of game against an old coach and someone who coaches me for the majority of my games at this club,” Norton said regarding Chris Taylor.
The clash this weekend is a rematch of the 2022 NPLM Grand Final at Olympic Village where Oakleigh came away 5-0 winners.
“It is a massive game, no matter who you play against, and it is almost the small bonus we get to play that Grand Final rematch and hopefully the results turnaround from last year,” he said.
“It’s a massive game, we get it at home at Lakeside Stadium in front of our loyal supporters and I mentioned this yesterday on the Greek radio, these supporters are the best in the country.
“No matter if you are winning or losing they are still always here and here in numbers and on Friday I have no doubt they will be here again.”