Hardisty’ Milestone

By Ken Casellas

As a young boy Dec Hardisty had dreams of becoming an ice hockey star while his family was living in Cyprus where he played soccer.

But his dreams were dashed when his parents Paul and Heidi abandoned plans to leave Cyprus and move to their birthplace of Canada when he was eight years old.

“Instead, we moved to Perth and the thoughts of playing ice hockey went out the window because ice hockey was not big enough in Australia to take it seriously,” said Hardisty this week as he prepared to line up for his 150TH league football match for Claremont against Swan Districts at Revo Fitness Stadium on Saturday.

He retains fond memories of when he and his brother Zac travelled from Cyprus to Canada in the summer each year as youngsters to hone their skills at ice hockey junior development camps, but now he thoroughly enjoys the physicality and competitiveness of football.

Born in Gloucestershire in the south-west of England, Hardisty ranks as one of the best defenders in the WAFL competition after fully embracing the sport soon after the family arrived in Perth when he was eight years old.

“I had never heard of Australian football until we moved here,” he said. “The first week we were in Australia our neighbours in Swanbourne introduced us to the game. They took us down to the park and showed us how to kick and mark the ball.”

He was nine when he joined the Swanny Tigers football club, and from there he graduated to Cottesloe in junior football before joining Claremont, and in his first year with the Tigers he experienced the thrill of playing in the colts premiership side in 2016 when he played as a defender in the grand final against East Perth at Subiaco Oval.

Recalling his introduction to the Australian game Hardisty said: “It’s a really good game; really fast and a lot more interesting than games like rugby. It is multi-directional … it’s fantastic.”

Asked this week to describe his job description in football, Hardisty replied: “I’d say my job description is to be the most difficult defender to play on in the league. If there is a forward who has kicked a few goals against us, it is my task to shut him down and keep him out of the game.”

“I just play my role and do the best I can. And I try to help out my fellow defenders when I can by providing some direction and giving some pointers.”

As a schoolboy at Scotch College Hardisty played one season of soccer in Year 10 — “just to discover if I wanted to switch back.” But he quickly concentrated on football in his final two years when his teammates included his current Tigers teammate Ollie Eastland and the club physiotherapist Ben Rushforth, who has played 92 matches for Claremont — 16 for the colts, 72 for the reserves and four in the league side.

While Hardisty enjoys the challenge of playing in defence, he enjoyed a forced move into the forward line in the match against Subiaco at Leederville Oval on July 18, 2020, when he injured a knee and was switched forward in the second half when he scored four goals.

Hardisty, who made 19 appearances in colts ranks and 14 for the reserves side, has hardly missed a game in his 149 in league ranks in which he quickly developed into the cornerstone and mainstay of the side’s defence.

Regarding his toughest opponents, Hardisty names West Perth’s Andrew Strijk as a hard man to keep under wraps. “He wasn’t particularly tall but was very strong and agile, and he had vice-like hands,” said Hardisty. “He was one of the toughest forwards I’ve played on. And I also have had some good match-up with Subiaco’s Ben Sokol over the years.”

Claremont’s senior coach Ash Prescott describes Hardisty as a wonderful person and a wonderful footballer. “Determination, discipline, toughness, reliability, honesty and skill are hallmarks of his game,” he said.

“It would be a pleasure playing with him; and it is a pleasure coaching him. His ability to win the ball, to dispose of it correctly and to repel so many opposition attacks has been remarkable.

“It has been interesting, talking to a few of his teammates, and they all, to a man, said he would be the first picked if they were to pick a team, and that shows the respect they have for him and the trust they have got that he will do whatever it takes for the team to be successful.”