A VFL premiership player

By Meg Kennedy

Bacchus Marsh may still be celebrating local AFL Eagles player Liam Duggan’s premiership win, but another iconic footy player and former resident has weighed in on the epic grand final win.
Fred Wooller, who just celebrated his 80th birthday, captained Geelong to win the VFL flag in 1963, told The Moorabool News of his excitement that another Bacchus Marsh resident had been able to be part of a premiership win.
“He would have enjoyed it!”, Mr Wooller said.
“It would have been a great pleasure to be involved in a team that’s won a premiership. There’s no greater thrill in football than playing in your first premiership,” he said.
Mr Wooller says that players who have hailed from the area “go back years and years before I played, so there’s a lot of history with Bacchus Marsh.”
Beginning his football career with Bacchus Marsh before being recruited to Geelong in 1956, Mr Wooller says one of his favourite moments from playing at Bacchus Marsh was winning the premiership against Maddingley.
“I played in that premiership when I was 16, so that was a great thrill for a young person before I started with Geelong,” he said.
Mr Wooller went on to play for Geelong until 1964, playing a total of 132 games, and winning the club’s Carji Greeves medal for best and fairest in 1960.