TIM McDougall is Tatyoon through-and-through.
Not only does he personify every club’s dream of seeing players graduate from Auskick and junior programs into the seniors but demonstrates unquestionable devotion to the club every time he steps out onto the field.
Even when studies and other commitments took him as far as Ballarat and Horsham, his loyalty to the club never wavered; making sure he would be there for his team each Saturday.
With a guard of honour as long as the list of his family’s achievements at the club, McDougall ran out for the 300th time in the brown-and-gold, as Tatyoon picked up an emphatic win over SMW Rovers.
But regardless of the result, the occasion was always going to be a special one for the local lad who grew up playing and winning premierships for the club he loved.
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“It’s taken me three years to get the final 11 games to 300 and it probably would be one of my highlights, outside of winning some of those premierships,” McDougall said.
“I’d been playing a few games in the reserves so was stoked to be called up into the seniors for that game. It was good to have a win and to have it against SMW Rovers, they’re a good bunch of blokes over there.”
The McDougall name is one synonymous with Tatyoon, with Tim’s father, three brothers, sister and various extended family members all calling the club home.
The family has shared plenty of success at the Hawks, with the four brothers – Tim, Josh, Xander and Andrew – all playing in a premiership together.
“I played in quite a few flags in a row and a lot of Grand Finals, so didn’t know what it was like to come through as a junior and miss out on finals. I did play in one premiership with my three brothers which is quite special,” he said.
“My dad spent a lot of time working behind the scenes at the club and setting it up to be somewhere that we can enjoy as a family. It is definitely a family club and something I hold special.”
McDougall kicked two goals as the side capped off his milestone game with a 108-point victory over SMW Rovers.
With his son now starting in the club’s AusKick, McDougall has set his sights on helping out with the program and watching his son enter the latest chapter for the family at the Hawks.