Former AFL star Cameron Mooney turned back the clock on Saturday with an entertaining first half in his one-off appearance for Longwood.
With a bumper crowd watching on, Mooney showcased why he was a dominant force in his prime with a two-goal opening-quarter effort that had spectators up on their feet.
Up against talented sixth-placed outfit Violet Town, Mooney’s arrival at Longwood Recreation Reserve gave the underdog host a genuine spark.
The winless Redlegs roared out of the gates with the first centre clearance and not long after booted the first major of the Kyabram District League round 14 encounter.
Minutes later the crowd got what they came to see — Mooney in full flight.
The 42-year-old, who played more than 221 games at the highest level, was stationed inside forward 50 and kicked his first goal on a football ground in more than a decade.
It was a set-shot kick from 30 metres and the roar that rung out around Longwood gave off a finals-like atmosphere.
At the other end of the ground, Violet Town hit back through star forwards Jack Exell and Josh Mellington, who dazzled with their athletic leaps and banana-kick goals.
But the Mooney show overshadowed the pair for the first 30 minutes.
All eyes, cameras and phones were locked on the Fox Footy media personality.
Violet Town defender James Herring tried to goose-step Mooney in front of the clubrooms, but the ‘Big Hairy Cat’ didn’t have a bar of it and was rewarded with a free kick.
If Mooney wasn’t full of adrenaline at this stage, a successful roost from 40 metres out and the roar from the crowd would have injected him with plenty of confidence.
A Byron Pickett-esque bump, a couple of scuffles and a classy contested grab in the pocket followed.
It was the Mooney of yesteryear.
Longwood may have entered the first break down by 26 points, but it was the outfit’s best first-quarter effort of the season.
However, the Mooney show quickly became the Exell and Mellington exhibition.
The pair combined for an eye-watering 31 goals, with Exell best-on thanks to his 17 majors, while Mellington slotted 14.
Although the 40.20 (260) to 9.3 (57) scoreline was what many may have predicted, there’s no denying that Mooney’s Longwood venture was a success for the club.
The three-time premiership star, who donned the Longwood jumper as part of Carlton and United Breweries’ promotion the Carlton Draft, said it was a memorable outing at Redlegs Stadium.
“The experience was great. It was my first time back in clubrooms and change rooms for 10 years and I really enjoyed it,” Mooney said.
“The first quarter and first half was fantastic. The boys were awesome.
“And then obviously a bit of their (Violet Town) class in that second half took over and they took the game away from us pretty quickly.
“But from an enjoyment point of view, I absolutely loved it.
“The boys were up and about and I kicked a couple of goals.
“I thought I took a hanger but I probably didn’t get off the ground. I was disappointed I missed that goal in the end. To kick a couple of goals, that’s all I wanted to do today.”
If Mooney’s exploits in the first quarter weren’t worth the price of admission, then his work post-match certainly was.
Mooney made sure to stop, greet and meet every single fan that came up to him.
The loveable character, who many kids recognised from football show The Bounce, was aware of what his simple acts meant to the community.
“I grew up in the country and I know how much this means to country football,” Mooney said.
“To see the crowd here today, even now, no-one has taken off, they’re all hanging around, the fire’s on and the kids are running around.
“It’s perfect, it’s exactly what I love.
“It’s a great initiative (Carlton Draft) and hopefully they do it again next year.
“I encourage all ex-players out there to put their name in and get involved. Get out to these local clubs because they’re the heartbeats of local towns.”
Mooney handed Longwood president Ricki Shiner a $5000 donation from Carlton Draught upon completion of the match.