This Saturday, Uni Blues is proud to celebrate the 200th game of one of its favourite sons. Tommy “The Surgeon” Girdwood. In a remarkable feat of dedication to this great club, Saturday will mark Tommy’s ascension to the illustrious Uni Blues, 200 gamer club. Tom will become only the 6th player in the Club’s history to play that many games joining the likes of Blues’ legends Mark Tyquin, Andrew Lowcock, Wayne Carroll, Barry Church and Ben Millard.
Tommy’s on-field performances are impressive to say the least. He is a 5 time premiership player, being part of the reserves flag winning sides in 2010, 2009, 2008. In 2004, he went back-to-back in the space of a few weeks and took home a medallion for both the Club 18 and A-grade reserves premiership. With a string of stand-out years in the reserves where he came runner-up in numerous vote counts, in 2013 Tommy deservingly took home the reserves Best & Fairest award, much to the delight of his teammates.
Tom’s achievement is even more impressive in light of the series of serious injuries he has sustained over his playing career. Since taking to the field back in 2000, Tom has had 3 shoulder reconstructions which saw him miss a bulk of games in 2001, 2002 and 2003. In 2004 he triumphantly returned to the pitch fully fit and was part of the glorious 2004 triple premiership winning Blues outfit. In 2005, embarking on a similar journey to that taken by countless Bluebloods before him, Tommy strapped on the backpack and spent the season seeing the world. But, knowing where his home and his heart lay, he returned to the Blues and has been a key player in both the seniors and reserves since that time. In 2008, backing back into a pack (as is his way), Tommy suffered a ruptured kidney which saw him miss the rest of that season through injury before making a stirring comeback in 2009 to be part of the reserves premiership side that year.
However, it’s Tommy’s off-field contribution to the club that has seen him become one of the Club’s favourite sons. Since coming down to the club as a young kid with his dad Bobby “Groover” Girdwood way back in 1992, Tommy has immersed himself in everything Uni Blues and has become, without question, one of the greatest servants of the Club in its long and proud history. For countless years Tommy has run the bar at the Pavvy, never seeking recognition for his efforts. He has been an unsung hero of countless parties at the Pavvy, taking the time to buy the drinks necessary to sustain the heaving parties that so many of us have enjoyed and manning the Pavvy bar with aplomb. In 2012, in recognition of his many years of service to the club, Tommy was awarded the prestigious Ted McNamara “Spirit of the Blues” award.
In my career at the Blues, I don’t think I know anyone who has attended training more consistently than Tommy G. And for many of us, it has been a great pleasure to run around the park only to find ourselves on the end of one of Tommy G’s spearing right foot passes. While he has never been a man of too many words, when Tommy speaks, everyone listens and the respect and admiration of his teammates is something Tommy has continually earned over his long career at the Club. A better kick and a better servant of this Club you will not find.
Congratulations Tommy on 200 fabulous games.
Go Blues!