Humble Habel Reaches 150

By ZAC MILBANK

Few SANFL players are more selfless than Central District’s Luke Habel.

As the Bulldogs’ popular club man prepares to play his 150th Statewide Super League game on Saturday, he reflected on how happy he was for his team-mates when he missed out on finals selection during the victorious 2010 premiership campaign.

Speaking on SANFL Radio, the 30-year-old said he is a self’-confessed ”realist” when it comes to his ability despite being widely known as one of the neatest kicks in the competition for the past decade.

Habel’s unwavering team-first attitude was also on display when he was the travelling emergency for the West End State team as it produced one of its finest wins on the road against the VFL in 2014.

Originally from Griffith in New South Wales, Habel told of his fond memories playing, running the boundary and manning the scoreboard with the Griffith Swans before moving to the culturally-rich Ganmain Grong Gront Matong Lions Football and Netball club as a teenager.

The Trinity College Primary School teacher was then encouraged to pursue his football at a higher level, leading to his arrival at Elizabeth in 2009 before his Statewide Super League debut in Round 1 of 2010.