Rod McLeod was an all-rounder who matched it with the best in Shepparton cricket.
McLeod’s journey began as a youngster when he was convinced to ply his trade with bat and ball at Katandra in a sport he wasn’t interested in.
But once he fell in love he never looked back.
"I remember at school kids were talking about playing and I was like ‘this sounds fun’, so I gave it a shot," McLeod said.
McLeod rose through the junior ranks at Katandra to get the opportunity to play A-grade at the age of 15, which gave him the experience to develop his game.
"I was a bit of a flash in the pan with making the Goulburn Valley schoolboys side and there was a lot of interest from that, so you know the attention was on me, and so they thought to pick me for the A-grade side," he said.
"The first few games taught me how to build an innings for the future and gave me an idea of playing against senior men".
McLeod almost got a taste for finals action in his few seasons at Katandra, but the desire to play finals and continue at A-grade level had McLeod’s time at the Eagles come to an end after the club dropped back to B-grade for the ’92 season.
So a change of club followed and McLeod packed his bags along with fellow teammate Ian Sartori.
"I wanted to continue playing in Shepparton and with Ian (Sartori) making a move, I thought ‘why not?’," he said.
With this move, McLeod's batting and bowling exploits went to a whole new level.
McLeod enjoyed a career batting average of 30.83, a top score of 175 against Shepparton and a 10-wicket haul to go with his time at Numurkah.
McLeod’s journey at Numurkah spelled eight years, with his side unlucky not to win a premiership in back-to-back grand finals.
The Blues suffered defeat in the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 seasons by three runs or less.
As McLeod puts it, both finals series were unusual.
“The first grand final, well, the wicket at Deakin Reserve was flat and Central Park-St Brendan’s made over 300, in which all you could do is bowl straight,” he said.
“The next day, we got through 80 overs, but we had inclement weather, so we had to come back on the following Saturday with me at the crease. We needed 120 off 20 overs, so there was nothing to lose.
“We got close and, with three balls to go needing three runs, well I tried to play a reverse sweep that didn't go to plan and I was out. I had a lot of people come to me and ask why did I play that shot, but the previous over I played that shot and it went for four.”
The following year McLeod captained the same Numurkah side that came agonisingly close to victory again.
However, it was a tricky effort in making the big dance, with McLeod nearly suspended in the semi-final against Kialla.
“In the semi-final against Kialla it was wet and I think we tossed the coin late on day two and, so guess what, the toss went the wrong way and we had to bat," he said.
“I think we batted until the game was beyond reach for Kialla and I think we slowed the game down when we were bowling which was controversial, so myself and Ian Sartori were put on report.”
To this day, McLeod is still unsure how he escaped suspension.
By the Tuesday of grand final week the charge was quashed by the tribunal and McLeod and Sartori were cleared to play.
"So we were both cleared to play in the grand final and, well once again, we fell short and I can remember the wicket was a real slog to play on,“ he said.
"I can remember Sartori, who made about 50 odd, got caught at backward square and smashed it straight to him. It was just one of those days.
Even though there was no premiership success at Cricket Shepparton level, there was success at country week tournaments for McLeod.
McLeod was a member of multiple successful titles at country week, including 1996 at Bendigo.
He played with Sartori and a young and upcoming cricketer who would go on to play for Australia, Aiden Blizzard.
“I was very fortunate to represent Shepparton and play in multiple country weeks, including in Bendigo and Melbourne in the late ’90s," he said.
“I opened the batting with Aiden and could he hit a ball, we just knew he was a natural talent.”
McLeod remembers a game at Ringwood where the home side made offers to Blizzard after he scored a blistering 120.
"I remember he (Blizzard) smashed 120 at Ringwood and after the match Ringwood people were asking who is this kid? And the excitement for him was just crazy, but that side was a great side," he said.
"We were a good side, had the likes of myself, Phillips, Doyle and Wren all excellent cricketers and just had good chemistry as a team," he said.
Despite finishing his career at Kilmore Cricket Club in Seymour District Cricket Association, McLeod goes down as one of the legends in Shepparton’s cricket circles.
Asked how he felt to be nominated for Cricket Shepparton’s Team of the Century, McLeod said it was a humbling experience.
"Very pleased, that is the case to be part of it. I don't rate these sort of fantasy sides, but it is great to be part of and discuss the stories of the past and the drama of it," he said.