Phil Keighley played his 300th Premier game for the Clutha Steamers vs West Taieri last Saturday at Outram. Congratulations to Phil and his family. That is a massive achievement and highlights his dedication to not only rugby but to his Clutha club. The final score of the game was 29-20 to West Taieri. To watch the video interview between Otago Community Rugby Manager Richard Perkins and Phil, check out our Otago Community Rugby Facebook page.

BACKGROUND:

Phil began his Clutha playing career straight out of SOHS 1st XV rugby in the year of 1998 as an 18 year old joining a well established club side alongside the likes of the Willocks brothers, Paul Skipper, Tim Hutton, Brian Powell, Richard Hurring, Stephen Dent and Calvin Tood.

A centre/winger Phil’s debut year wasn’t without controversy when in early June he was in front of the judiciary and stood down for 3 weeks. We are yet to recall what this was all about - perhaps Coach Neville Grant will remember?

The season however quickly picked up and the team went on to win Southern Region bragging rights and the Otago Country Championship final against Matakanui.

1999 was another positive year for Phil with him scoring 17 tries with his Clutha Player Profile reading - Position: Utility Back. Skills: Good tackler. Would run over his grandmother if he had half the chance.

2000-2001 were particularly enjoyable years in the Prems under coach Paulo Pelasio and Managers Bolshy and Bot, with a real family atmosphere being nurtured, some good old sing-alongs and lifelong friendships were cemented. Another Otago Country Championship was attained in 2000 with the side being runner up the following year.

During the 2000’s Phil had a number of coaches who had all played alongside Phil as players; Crazy, Cockman, Marty, Shep and Hardnose just to name a few. 2003 was another dynamite year with Phil clocking up 10 tries in that season.

In those years the likes of Hardnose, Cooter, Ben, Undies, Bev, Shep, Jock, Glover, Clark, Jazza, Pies and Stoney were the mainstayers and the back bone of the side, years that were tough at times with results not always going the way of the red and white , but a good time was had all the same.

In 2007 Phil experienced a very nasty head injury which ruled him out for near-on two full seasons and proved very niggly to his health. He became the manager in 2008 when unable to play and returned to the field the following year in 2009 when numbers were very short with the side being described as ‘humble in victory, gracious in defeat’.

As a new decade dawned a positional change beckoned and Phil moved from the backs into the front row and was hugely influenced by the tutelage of David Latta. And there he has remained.

The early 2000’s saw the team go very close on numerous occasions but it was in 2015 that Phil finally got those grand final winning feels being part of the Southern Region and Country Championship side - an achievement that was 15 years in the making.

2015 was also the year our club began the initiative of recognising player counts and Phil was presented in June of that year with his centurion blazer, the first of 13 so far. He took a brief hiatus in 2016 to be a support to Lauren at home and then returned to the Steamers fold in 2017 and his continued commitment to the side is the reason we are all here tonight.

6 Otago Country Championships to his name - whilst we can all sit back and debate within Southern Region rugby circles who is the most capped player - I think the above achievement would go unattested.

And of course we believe here within these four walls of the boat house that Phil would be one of a handful if not the first to make this remarkable feat, and as I was reminded on Sunday he is the first to be officially recorded and recognised.

To conclude Phil’s Premier playing career spans across 4 decades - 22 years as a player, 24 as a team man and 25 as a club man with his playing career having many parallels - playing with both father and son Paul and Kemp Skipper and Blair and Jared Willocks, and beginning his playing career under coach Neville Grant and today is coached by Neville’s son Simon. If ever there was a bumper toast deserved this is it! On your pins

Also club captain 2006-2010. 

And schoolboy coach for past 4 years and many more to come.

(Information provided by Darren Huddleston) 

(Photo credit: Caswell Images Sport)

Article added: Friday 02 July 2021