By: Daniel Cencic
THE final curtain has fallen on one of the all-time great careers of community football.
Vermont’s Ryan Mullett finished his 17-year senior career on Saturday, bowing out on the highest of highs as the Eagles stormed to their 21st EFL flag with a 36-point win over Blackburn in the Premier Division grand final.
The EFL legend finishes his career with three Chandler medals, four Vermont senior best and fairest awards, and now five premierships with the club.
In a journey which started with the Mooroolbark Football Club back in 2002, Mullett crossed to Vermont in 2004 where he went on to play an integral role in one of the most successful eras in the Eagles’ history with a three-peat of flags from 2005-07.
The 36-year-old also captained the club from 2008-2014, where he led his side to an unlikely 2009 premiership after just three wins from their opening eight starts that season.
Mullett in action for Vermont during the 2012 Division 1 EFL grand final.
An emotional Mullett spoke to EFL Game-Day following the final siren on Saturday.
“It (the premiership) feels a bit surreal at the moment and I’ve already shed tears, it feels amazing,” Mullett said.
“To have the closure that I’ve had and that I was hoping for, to have the fairy-tale, I’m bloody rapt.”
Mullett represented the EFL at interleague level in 2014 before four seasons away from Vermont from 2015-18, playing with Rye in the Nepean FL across 2015-16 followed by East Malvern in the Southern league in 2017-18, winning best and fairest awards in each of those seasons.
But the storied #11 said he was always destined to come home to Terrara Road to finish his career, making the move back to the Eagles for season 2019 with the motivation to finish on a high.
“It (the motivation to return) was to come home to my home club, the club that I love and have spent many years here and there was that fairy-tale that I wanted, to be able to have a bit of closure and finish with a flag,” he said.
“I felt like that carried me along a fair bit throughout the year and it just feels amazing and so grateful to finish at Vermont, it’s really good.”
Mullett collects his fifth Vermont premiership medallion on Saturday.
Saturday afternoon’s triumph marked Vermont’s second consecutive senior premiership in the EFL’s top tier, staking a claim as the greatest side the former captain has played in.
“I sort of said a couple passing comments to a few of my close mates that it could be the best side I’ve played in but I wanted to hold my tongue until we got the job done, and now we’ve done it, I reckon it’s right up there, if not the best,” Mullett said.
🌟🏅🏆Three Chandler Medals, four best and fairest awards at the Eagles and now five premierships. The retiring Ryan Mullett is chaired off before giving a thumbs-up as he leaves the field for the last time after @VermontFC‘s #EFLPremier grand final win on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/PnwmYJoSiW
— Dan (@DC_EFL) September 21, 2019
With five premierships to his name, Mullett believes the 2019 instalment holds a unique feel as the final chapter in one of the most distinguished careers of not only the EFL, but community football, comes to a close.
“It’s got a different feel to it, this one,” he said.
“There’s not one that stands out to me, but this one feels pretty cool because I won’t be back again.
“It’s a weird feeling, I was already in tears when the siren went knowing this was my last time.
“I had a few moments in the last quarter looking around and was able to enjoy it and appreciate the moment.
“I feel pretty humbled and grateful at 36 to roll around and finish with the big one.”
