At last, the arrival of Seymour’s favourite footballing son is imminent.
Arguably the greatest-ever Fremantle Docker, who sits in the AFL’s top 10 all-time for games played, David Mundy returns to the club where it all started for this Saturday’s Goulburn Valley League clash with Kyabram.
Amassing 120 career Brownlow Medal votes over a glittering 19-year spell in the top flight that saw Mundy notch a club best-and-fairest, All-Australian jacket and serve as club captain for a season, his experience cannot easily be summarised.
The 38-year-old midfield convert, who started his AFL career off half-back after being drafted out of Seymour via the Murray Bushrangers in 2003, hung up the boots at the end of 2022, but the Lions’ lure has proven potent.
Since his signing was first announced in December, mystery reigned for some time as to when or how frequently Mundy would be available to pull on his childhood jumper.
Now that his ‘debut’ rapidly nears, could this be the tool that galvanises a Lions outfit which has struggled early on in 2024?
Naturally, Seymour president Gerard O’Sullivan expects a significant turnout at Kings Park for a homecoming two decades in the making.
“This is about as big as it gets in country footy and the whole town is talking about Mundy’s return to the den,” O’Sullivan said.
“You very rarely see players of Dave’s calibre come back and play country footy, and to have someone do it for their home club is even rarer.
“He’s only one full season out of the AFL, so we have no doubt he’ll be in great condition and put on a show for the home crowd.”
There is currently no set time frame on when Mundy may return for a second or third game during the year, with aspirations of remaining eligible to play finals should Seymour make the top six.
Nonetheless, his grand return should instil a finals-like atmosphere.
“We’re encouraging everyone to get in the gates early and enjoy some of the other action on the day,” O’Sullivan said.
“We’ve got netball on from 9am and footy on from 10am, so it’s a great chance to enjoy a great day of action in a welcoming and family-friendly environment.
“It will be a pretty jam-packed Kings Park over the day. We look forward to hosting Dave, his family and a bumper crowd through the gates on Saturday.”