THE PRESIDENT’S BOAT

It’s a widely reported story. How Subiaco put some beers and some fishing rods on a boat to secure the services of two gun Victorians for 2014. But for Delahunty, it was so much more than that.

Prior to the season, forward Matt Boland was always poised to join the Lions, but Delahunty’s future wasn’t so clear. He had been in talks with West Perth for the two seasons prior, and said two things occurred to drift him towards the maroon and gold.

“They (West Perth) told me Joondalup was a 20 minute drive from the city, and working in property, I was going to be based in the CBD. They had just come off a Premiership, and they pretty much said the club and the playing group really wanted our services. Both proved to be incorrect.”

Delahunty said it was just the player manager who showed them around the facilities on an ordinary Tuesday. No players. No coaches. For a player willing to travel four hours by plane and come to the club that he was willing to spend at least the next two years at, Delahunty said it was disappointing.

The very next day, in what should have been an ordinary Wednesday, proved anything but, and set the ruckman on the remarkable path to success. The coach at the time Jarrad Schofield picked up the Victorian duo and took them around the facilities at Leederville Oval and the history of the club, and the vision for the future.

“Jarrad’s presentation was all very much team based and team oriented, with a key focus on culture, and how we were going to be a part of that. It was a completely different feel already, the fact that we got to meet the senior coach and to spend that time together. I was pretty excited about it.”

After the formalities, Schofield threw out the line and invited the duo onto club President Mark Lawrence’s boat. The offer initially surprised Delahunty.

“I thought, ‘people obviously have things to do, it’s a Wednesday afternoon. Surely people have got work.’ But Jarrad took the whole day off, Mark Lawrence took the day off, and five players took the day off, to take us to Rottnest for a bit of fishing, some drinks, some food and to take an interest in us. That to me was the biggest wow moment: a bunch of players, coach and the president made a huge effort to make us feel welcomed.”

Delahunty said from there, the guesswork of picking a club was thrown out the window. It didn’t matter Subiaco finished eighth. It didn’t matter West Perth were the reigning premiers. After the boat trip, he was going to be a Lion.