AFTER 35 years of living in Leongatha, Neville Stone says, with an air of amusement, ‘I’m almost a local!’ 

Standing at the edge of the oval in nearby Inverloch, with red and blue milling around as the Club’s recent Community Camp wound up, Stone’s past and present combined in fine fashion.

Attending the Club’s training session to meet the players and be presented with a signed guernsey, the former No. 18, who played 35 senior games between 1966 and 1969, was delighted to see today’s team in action in his part of the world. 

Reflecting on his path from the MCG to the relative peace of South Gippsland, Stone remembered his last game. 

‘It was the Reserves premiership in 1969, when we beat Carlton in front of 119,000.  Then I went and played in the VFA, with guys like Ken Emselle, and Bryan Kenneally, and Barrie Vagg.  They played in the same Reserves premiership, then they went to Prahran, and I ended up going to Waverley.’ 

After five years with Waverley, Stone came to Gippsland, coaching the Leongatha Parrots to two flags in 1979 and 1982, as well as experiencing success at Meeniyan-Dumbalk, Inverloch-Kongwak and Foster, and working in the education system. 
It is a busy life in a quiet corner of the world, far from the activity and buzz of the city. 

‘I enjoy going back to Melbourne, but I’m always happy to leave the traffic behind me.’  

Looking at the Melbourne team of today, he thinks that the players are ‘very exciting.  I’d be disappointed if we didn’t get around the eight this year - or around eight to ten.’ 

Stone is also delighted with the advent of Brad Green as captain - ‘another No. 18, but he is a much better player than I ever was!’ 

While Stone’s senior career spanned four seasons, he was part of Melbourne for nine years. 

‘I played in the Under 17s - the Fourths - and in the Under 19s, and then I was five years on the senior list.  So, when I started, Norm Smith was the senior coach.  Then he got crook, and Johnny Beckwith took over.  In the Reserves, I had ‘Tiger’ Ridley as coach.  He was fantastic. It was a good time.  They had been very successful, and won one in 1964.  I was captain of the Under 19s then, and we beat Collingwood on the same day!’ 

Mentioning some of the greats of the Club begs the question - what was Norm Smith like? 

‘He was like a father to us - he was very good.  He was a really good man, pretty hard and tough, but that was OK.  But then he was crook in the finish, and he was given a pretty hard time.’

Stone, standing on the edge of Inverloch’s oval, is a long way from the MCG.  But, with the names and the people of his past, he is as much a part of Melbourne - and South Gippsland - as he has ever been.