Rumble reflects on career as an all-time Subiaco greatFriday, June 20, 2014 - 7:14 PM - by Chris Pike

DARREN Rumble is quick to thank his first league coach Peter German, mercurial teammates, a gifted physio, his wife and family for the success he's had, but the champion Subiaco full-back will go down as one of the all-time greats of his club as he celebrates 200 matches this Saturday.

The 29-year-old plays the 200th match of his remarkable league career this Saturday when Subiaco hosts East Fremantle at Medibank Stadium.

Rumble deservedly will go down as an all-time great of Subiaco Football Club given he was such a rock solid member of the Lions' most successful team that won premierships in 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Rumble played one match in 2003 but from 2004 onwards was in the four winning grand finals, a losing grand final in 2011 and a losing preliminary final in 2005 – so out of his nine full seasons to date he has made at least a preliminary final six times and reached a grand final five times while also missing out on selection in the losing 2009 grand final to South Fremantle.

With a record of four premierships, four appearances for Western Australia, as a life member, 200-plus game player and likely the club's greatest ever full-back, Rumble's legacy will live on.

When Rumble broke into the Subiaco team that success wasn’t exactly something that appeared a formality though. Subiaco had the reputation as a club that couldn’t win the big one and also off the field it was a club in limbo making the move from Subiaco to Leederville.

However, during his career Subiaco has enjoyed its greatest period on the field and also turned itself into a powerhouse off the field.

Rumble credits dual premiership coach Peter German for changing that culture and developing that will to win at Subiaco.

"Early on in my career the club was known for dropping finals games or getting to a prelim and falling out after doing quite well throughout the whole season. The reason why it was turned around was because of one bloke and that was Peter German," Rumble said.

"He turned the mindset of everyone around. Even though in his first year we lost the grand final, in 2004 people wrote us off, but he changed the culture of the club and changed everyone's mindset who was at the club at that time and going forward for the next three or four years after that.

"He was the one on the playing side who turned us around along with on the admin guys like Jeff Lind and Neil Randall who made the club strong."

All four premierships and all four State appearances are special to Rumble, but the first flag in 2004 over Claremont and the first time pulling on a jumper for WA in 2005 standout as career highlights.

"Obviously all the winning grand finals are a massive standout but that first one was probably the biggest because I used to watch the WAFL grand final every year, and always had that special feeling watching but to then be part of it was incredibly special," he said.

"I know a lot of people wrote us off in 2004 because of our senior players leaving and young players coming through, but to win that year was probably the highlight of my playing career.

"The three straight were obviously special too and so was my first State game because I had never made any of the development squads or anything so it was a big honour to represent WA. That was a massive occasion for me as well."

From full-back Rumble has had a birds eye view to some great WAFL footballers the last decade including Marc Webb, Brad Smith, Aidan Parker, Caine Hayes, Ben Keevers, Chad Cossom, Greg Broughton, Blake Broadhurst, Mark Haynes, Luke Newick, Chris Hall, Matt Priddis, Paul Vines, Jarrad Schofield and David Mapleston.

But it's dual Sandover Medallist and fellow four-time premiership star Allistair Pickett who really stands out.

"There has been many players in my team I have loved watching but the one bloke you could just sit there and watch, and forget you were playing, was Ali Pickett with some of the things he would do," Rumble said.

"I remember at one game that he was doing his magic and the crowd was just laughing because it was so ridiculous what he was able to do. He was definitely one I could sit back and watch but then you go through and there were players like Smith, Webb, Priddis, Mark Haynes, Caine Hayes and Aidan Parker, and I could list another 10 or 12, who you would just sit back and admire."

As for opponents he has had to match up on, Rumble enjoyed early battles in his career against the likes of Chris Maguire and Troy Wilson, but it's Claremont's Chad Jones and to a lesser extent South Fremantle's Ryan Murphy who he would say have been his strongest rivals.

He certainly is glad he never had to play on teammate Brad Smith, though, who kicked 530 goals in his 140-game career including three seasons where he reached the century.

"I reckon probably Chad Jones would be the one because we were the same age and had pretty much played against each other right the way through apart from his couple of years in Melbourne. I always knew I would play on him each time," he said.

"The other guys like Maguire and Wilson were a bit older when I started my career, so Chad Jones is the one I've had the best battles with and another one is probably Ryan Murphy from South Fremantle who was a similar age to me and I played on him quite a few times.

"I would have hated to play on him (Smith) in games. I said that even at the time that I was so glad I didn’t have to just because he would have been the ultimate challenge to try and stop as a backman, and I don’t think I would have done any better than anyone else did against him. I'm just glad I only had to play on him at training."

Rumble has also had a good run physically throughout his career with only a handful of injuries but nothing to sideline him long-term and he has one man he wishes to thank for that.

"Generally my body has been pretty good. Early on when I didn’t know a lot about my body I was getting hammies and quads, but as the years have gone on I have learned a fair bit more," he said.

"I've also had a lot of help from a guy I've been seeing since colts days, Don Sutherland, and he started at the club when I did 12 or 13 years ago.

"We call him the master because if you are injured he can fix you so he's been a massive help to me and part of the reason I've been able to push through without too many injuries."

As well as the help in getting his body up week after week to be able to reach 200 games, Rumble can't be more grateful to the support he has received from his wife Sam, and indeed his family including his father and brother who religiously have been there to witness his entire career.

"I've been pretty lucky. My wife Sam is awesome and she just lets me do whatever I need to do in regards to my footy and I get no qualms from her. Work is exactly the same. I work for an ex-player of the footy club so he is more than willing to let me do what I need to do to get through the footy season," Rumble said.

"The biggest thing of all has been the support of my family and having my dad and brother there every single game. I know initially that they would always go to the full-back end of Subiaco where I was and sit behind the goals, and early on I would hear dad giving a lot of advice over the fence but that has slowly tapered off after he figures I've probably learned a few things over the years.

"They have just been a massive support and I can't thank them enough for coming to every single game. Even the State games we've played away in dad has managed to come to, all the country games he has been to and I don’t think he has actually missed a game and it's the same for my brother. They have seen a lot of footy."