At only 21 years of age, Darcy Barden has come full circle in three years – returning to the Northern Football League in season 2013 after a one-year stint in the West Australian Football League (WAFL).
He spoke to NFL reporter Michael Barnes about football, life and his unlikely friendship with AFL commentator Dennis Commetti.
Michael Barnes: What is your motivation to play football?
Darcy Barden: I love the pure absolute competitiveness of the game. I have played a couple of individual sports over the years like tennis and even cricket to a degree is an individual sport. Nothing appeals to me like the team environment and the competitiveness of a football field. It is funny how football brings such emotion and it’s just a game. Blokes find extra on the football field that they would not find in their normal day to day lives and make their bodies do what they would normally think not possible. I find it amazing the lengths you can go to on a football field.
MB: You nominated for the draft in 2010 and were expected to be picked up by many. Why do you think it didn’t happen for you?
DB: The general concessions I got from most clubs were that they were not willing to take the risk on my athleticism. I ticked all the boxes leading up to the draft camp and that was the big thing that let me down. I did not test well for a player of my size, who would be playing the centre half forward position.
MB: You decided to play the next season with Lower Plenty. Why and was that good for you and your football?
DB: It was good for me and my football, plus it was a sentimental thing to play with my brothers Matt and Billy. Lower Plenty was in a really good position to win the flag that year, which they did in 2011. I was also a little bit disappointed and frustrated at what had happened with the draft. After two or three years at the Knights, going through the draft and trying to impress recruiters, I felt I needed to get back to just enjoying the one thing I love, playing football. I will never regret it, as winning that flag with my team mates and brothers was the best day of my football life…so far.
MB: In 2012 you played in the WAFL with West Perth. How was your time there?
DB: Looking back I did really enjoy myself. Probably during the year I found it hard at times trying to cement my spot, not having family around you or close friends to lean back on. Plus, Perth is a hell of a long way from Melbourne. The football side was much better, West Perth is a great club with good supporters and they all made me feel welcome. I ended up playing 16 senior games for the year, which was great for my first year in the WAFL. I also made a few lifelong friends, and I don’t regret going to Perth and might end up back there one day.
MB: What is the biggest difference between the NFL and the WAFL?
DB: It comes down to the professionalism and the fact that what you can get from the WAFL is far greater than what you can get out of the NFL. Players are drafted from the WAFL all the time, and you are playing with AFL players, ex AFL players and players who are trying to crack into the AFL system. The WAFL is based around an AFL platform, so the game is faster, training is harder and more intense and every contest is much more vital. At the NFL level you still have a lot of great players and I rate the competition very highly.
MB: Why did you decide to come back home?
DB: For my off-field career. I have been labouring for over three years now and I had only planned to do that for six months. I have to sort my life out over the next few years and I want to have other options outside football. I have applied to join the police force and I have passed all the testing and I am now just waiting for the next stage of the process. Bar football, since I was 13 or 14 I have always wanted to be a police officer.
MB: How is your relationship with Dennis Cometti?
DB: Really good. I have not spoken to him for a couple of months now, but we left on very good terms. He was the one who got me to go over to West Perth, with a very surprising phone call when I was digging a ditch out in Doreen with Ben Strongman. He is the number one ticket holder at West Perth and before I got his call I was adamant that I was going to South Adelaide, and I was days away from signing a contract. However when someone of Dennis Cometti’s calibre calls you, you take notice. My relationship with Dennis started about three months after I missed out on being drafted. He sent me a hand written letter saying how disappointed he was for me, and if he was recruiting I would be on his team for sure. I wrote back and we kept in contact that way for the next 12 months. Dennis is just what you would expect, funny, down to earth and easy to talk to. When I was in Perth we would try and catch up each month for a coffee, which was amazing as I was just a nobody from Melbourne. He definitely went out of his way to help me and make me feel at home, I have so much respect for him as a person.
MB: Like most players you have had a few injuries. How is your body at the moment?
DB: Generally it is pretty good, but the way I like to play football the body does get very sore. I try and jump into packs and cover as many kilometres as I can during a game. I do a lot of recovery in my own time so I have the body ready for training on Tuesday night. Down the track I will need a major ankle operation, but that will not be happening any time soon.
MB: You are the captain at Lower Plenty this year. What do you feel you bring to the captaincy?
DB: Probably a bit of experience from my time in the WAFL and the different level of professional that is needed. I hope I can set the standard and show my teammates I am always trying to have a crack for the benefit of the overall team.
MB: There have been massive personnel changes at Lower Plenty over the past two seasons. What has been your on-field role this year?
DB: Predominantly centre half forward or full forward. However, our coach Vin Datolli is big on keeping opposition teams on their toes, and the teams that have played us already would know that. I have played back, forward, midfield and ruck.
MB: You are the most tenacious player I have seen. How do you keep presenting and pushing yourself during a game?
DB: My answer could be as simple as I hate losing full stop, but I think a lot of comes back to family and the way I have been brought up. With a dad and two older brothers who played football, you quickly get used to the rough and tumble of the game. I just go out to give one hundred precent during a game for as long as I can, and if that makes me tenacious then that is what I am.
Barden will lead Lower Plenty into battle against West Preston-Lakeside this weekend at J.E. Moore Park.
