Summer League veteran
Paul Muollo
has been honoured by
Stuff in
their
Hand of God blog.
Greatness is subjective, I'll concede that.
Wynton Rufer was probably a great player, Ryan Nelsen might be.
But, if greatness has anything to do with commitment and contribution
to the game at the grassroots level, loyalty, on-field attitude and, in
particular, resilience and staying power, then Paul Muollo is my
nomination as New Zealand's greatest club footballer.
Left back and skipper of
Island Bay AFC's premier
football side (not to forget club President), Paul is less than two
seasons from an astonishing milestone - 450 competitive first team games
appearances for his club. That is legendary.
Let's be clear. We are not counting friendlies or pre-season matches.
We are just talking about league and Chatham Cup fixtures. Again,
legendary. Right now, his official tally stands at 414 - 375 league and 39
cup matches.
If you unpick those numbers they are even more remarkable. Assuming
Island Bay's premier side plays roughly 20-22 league and cup matches every
year (I think they played 20 this year), then to reach 414, Paul, who is
39, has had to play virtually every game for 20 years - without serious
injury, without ever changing club, without heading overseas, without
getting dropped, without losing interest or running out of time. That
simply DOES NOT HAPPEN these days.
If you're familiar with Island Bay's home ground, Wakefield Park,
you'll understand that 414 matches is even more heroic (not to mention
about 800 cold and miserable trainings on Wakefield No 4). Let's say
its not always conducive to the most glorious
football
- and just damn nasty in a southerly. I recommend -
as an act of mercy - everybody gets behind
Island Bay AFC's campaign
to have the park redeveloped.
Now a quick football bio ...
Paul made his senior debut for "the Sharks" in a glamour fixture away
to Moturoa in New Plymouth (the club's website is under construction but
it does have a
Facebook page
- of course). He is still grateful to Kev Romijn, Tony Volcipelli and John
Barton for taking him out drinking the night before the game.
Amongst career highlights Paul lists winning Central League Division 1
in 1997 (a season he landed 11 goals) and beating Western Suburbs by
golden goal (remember those) to reach the Chatham Cup quarter finals in
2003 (I remember they lost the quarter final at home to Central United in
one of Wakefield's most dreadful southerlies because - tragically - I was
there).
Paul is pictured below (on the left) holding the
Aldo Cuccurollo Memorial Trophy.
Like a number of Wellington football clubs, Island Bay AFC has strong
contintental European heritage, in the Sharks' case, Italian. The club
still has an Italian flavour and Muollo is just one example.

Paul is also one of the good guys. There are a lot of head cases and
egos running around football pitches. Not Paul. No bulls**t, no attitude.
He just gets on with it. We need more of that.
Testimony to his great approach to the game is the incredible fact
that, depsite playing most of his career at the back, he has picked up
only a couple of yellow card (one of them a travesty of justice he tells
me) and NOT A SINGLE RED CARD in 414 matches. Not one red card ... ever!
I'll confidently state there is nobody of Paul's generation anywhere in
New Zealand, let alone Wellington, that has played as many first team
matches for a single club.I want to know if I'm wrong. In fact, it's
possible nobody of any generation can better his mark.
And 414 is a moving target. Paul assures me he will be at the Sharks
pre-season training come January and looking to lock down that starting
left back spot for the 21st season in a row.
Finally, staying loosely on the subject of local football, the
New Zealand Football Championship (NZFC)
kicks off this weekend. You can catch some of Wellington's most talented
club footballers, a couple of All Whites (Andy Barron and James Bannatyne)
plus a host of others with junior and senior international credentials
take the park for
Team
Wellington against Manawatu 2pm
this Sunday at Newtown Park.
Sam Buckle is a New Zealand football
fan, pundit and founding member of
www.yellowfever.co.nz