Artwork by Maurice Goolagong a gift for the Marn Grook game at the SCG on Friday night
By Rod Gillett
When the Sydney Swans take the field to play Carlton at the SCG on Friday night for the Marn Grook game they will hand-over as a gift to their opponents an artwork on canvas by Maurice Goolagong.
The artwork depicts the Sydney Swans and Carlton, as well as paying homage to the theme for Sir Doug Nicholls Round, Past Legacies, Future Legends. The boomerangs at the top of the artwork represent the past, while those at the bottom represent the future.
Maurice Goolagong is better known as a champion footballer in community football.
In 300 games he booted over 1000 goals on the Central Coast competition with an average of over 5 goals per game at a stunning conversion rate of 91%.
He was inducted into the inaugural AFL NSW Hall of Fame last year.
However, he is also an accomplished artist.
Maurice who has a strong background in indigenous youth training and education is now a national First Nations academy coach for the Sydney Swans.
Maurice Goolagong carved out a sensational career in football on the Central Coast after having started out at Barellan in the South West juniors as a youngster, then moving to North Wagga in the Farrer league under the legendary Dick Carey, where he played centre half back.
After moving to Sydney to take up an apprenticeship as a butcher he heeded the call from an uncle to play on the central coast initially with Woy Woy, and then at Terrigal Avoca where he has left an indelible legacy.
He topped the league goalkicking in the Central Coast AFL twice, in 1999 with 70 and 115 goals for Woy Woy in 1997.
Upon the merging of the Newcastle and Central Coast competitions in 2000 to become the Black Diamond League, Maurice just kept kicking more and more goals!
He was the competition leading goalkicker from 2000-2005 topping the century four times, and then again in 2011 after stints with St George in the Sydney AFL and Tullibigeal in the Northern Riverina.
His highest tally was 135 in 2001 when he kicked an amazing 25 goals in the last home-and-away game of the season to edge out Killarney Vale’s Simon Cosser who led by 12 goals and kicked ten in the final game only to fail by 3 goals to snare the award from Maurice.
These remain the record number of goals for a season and for a game in the merged competition.
The league goalkicking award is named in his honour.
Photo Credit: Sydney Swans