FROM mascot to premiership player, Chris Pollock was among Bridgewater flag stars with stories to tell when the Mean Machine honoured former players on Saturday.
Pollock was mascot for the club’s 1965 under 17 premiership side.
Twenty years later, he was part of the outfit that held the senior cup aloft.
Onballer Pollock had won the league best and fairest in 1984, also a senior premiership year for Bridgewater.
He swapped stories about his illustrious career with 1965 junior flag player Geoff Collins.
“I played in the centre that day ... we beat Inglewood,” Collins said.
While past players huddled around the barbecue cooked by Alex and Andrew Collins for warmth, it was the half-time comfort in the clubrooms that brought more stories to the fore.
Richard Smith from the 1985 premiership side held court while team mate Ken Collins caught up with Loddon Valley league vice-chairman Glenn Catto, a member of the club’s reserve flag side the same year.
There was loud applause for Barry Baines, coach of that reserves side and also league best and fairest as he regaled the old flag stars with his memories of a season undefeated.
But the biggest roar came just before the start of the senior game when one of the Mean Machine’s more recent flag stars Jarrod Keeley tossed the coin.