Albert joins the 200 Club

Congratulations to ALBERT KUANG, who played his 200^th game for MHSOB in Round 9.

Having played his junior footy with St Paul’s McKinnon, Albert debuted for MHSOB in 2010 whilst still in Year 11 at Melbourne High School, playing his first 50 games in the Under 19s and has been a regular fixture in the 14 years since.

“It’s such a good place to be around,” said Kuang, after being named best afield in his team’s 65-point win over UHS-VU.

“Everyone is really welcoming. It’s a good environment to be in. The best part of coming down is the friendships. People come and go as things come up in life, so we see fresh faces every year and meet people from all over the place. There’s always a handful of people that went to Melbourne High so it’s nice to occasionally reminisce about your schooldays and keep connected.”

Albert brought up his 100^th game during the 2015 Club XVIII finals campaign, which remains one of his fondest memories.

“We made the Grand Final from fourth and I remember kicking a goal in the second quarter to put us in front. We ended up losing by a fair bit, but the overall experience was really enjoyable. A lot of Senior & Reserves players came down to support us and that cohesion between all four of our teams is really strong – it’s the spirit of the club.

“The best player in the Seniors knows the newest player in the Under 19s. Everyone trains together before we separate for drills. I always look forward to double and triple-header games because players come early or stay after their game to support the other teams. Everyone stays interested and engaged in how everyone else is going. There’s genuine care and connection there.”

The following year, Albert played 10 games for the Reserves team that went on to win the premiership – another fond memory.

“Our eligible squad for that team had 30 or so players in it. There were so many people who played a role in us winning that flag and we all felt that our contributions were part of that success, whether we physically played in the Grand Final or not.”

Since 2021, Albert has been a staple of a resurgent Thirds side, assuming the captaincy in 2022 and leading them into a Preliminary Final last season.

“I love working together with a group of 25 or 30 different people for a common goal. We’ve got a few new guys from England with us this year, so we have varying levels of experience. But age doesn’t matter, nor does where someone is from or how many games they’ve played. We’re all out there doing the same thing and working towards the same goal. The younger guys are full of energy and us older guys are a bit slower and wiser!

“A footy team is about all these different stories and experiences coming together. There’s no other team I’d rather be playing for and before you knew it, 200 games had come up.”

But he had to endure an agonising wait to play his 200^th after breaking his arm playing futsal after Round 2 this season.

“I missed eight weeks and have been helping out around the place but not able to play. So it was great to be back playing footy last weekend and really good to get through and enjoy the win. I had family and friends come down to watch and I snuck forward to kick a goal in the last quarter.

“That feeling of getting chaired off was incredible. The last time I got chaired off was my 100^th in 2015 and that was the first game for my co-captain Patrick Bulford, who played his 50^th last weekend so it was really good to share the game with him.”

“Combining courage that belies his stature with a deadly left foot, Albert has made the wing his home and never misses an opportunity to launch a torpedo Inside 50,” said MHSOB General Manager, Kylie DaFonte.

“With his unique sense of humour, his love of playing football with his mates and above all, his unwavering commitment to making MHSOBFC a better place, Albert is a much-loved fixture of our club and we look forward to many more games to come.”

Does he still have plenty left in the tank?

“I hope so,” Albert laughs.

“Going through 2020-21 when it was stop-start due to COVID made me realise that footy is the most fun thing ever and you never know what will come up in life and take it away. I will keep playing as long as my body allows me to. I still get excited in the lead-up to games. It’s all about having fun with old & new friends and achieving something together.

“I honestly can’t think of anything more fun to do.”