TEMtalk - Cam MacPhie

Each TEMpo we will have a member profile so you can get to know some of our members a bit better. This week we talk to club legend Cameron MacPhie who has been a TEM member all his life 

Occupation: Gas Fitter

Hockey position: Fullback, with a tendency to go for a wonder up to the forward line 

Games Played: 617

Favourite food: meat

Footy team: Carlton. We only finished a game outside the 8 this year

Favourite band/singer: anything that uses real instruments

Favourite TV show: American Dad or Family Guy…………or sky racing

Ideal Holiday: some might say my job.  

Siblings: Stu MacPhie…………..No, Robbie is not my brother (Rob MacPhie is Cam's cousin for those who don't know. Both their dads, Butch and Grant were brothers and TEM members)

Hobbies (other than hockey!): Seeing how many useless horses I can back in one day

You’ve been a member of this hockey club practically all your life, how old were you when you started playing?

Probably about 4 or 5. TEM used to have something similar to hookin2hockey, and we'd be divided into teams with chip names (Samboy, Twisties etc.)

What was juniors like back then?

Awesome. We used to obviously chase the cows off the field first, back then. And the mud. My lordy, did we play in some mud.

What is the highest grade you’ve played?

State League 1 for a couple of years. It was during the period where we yo-yo’d between State League 1& 2.

Played for Vic in the masters.

Is there any coach in particular you’ve had that was a major influence on you?

All the coaches I’ve had have influenced me in my hockey. From my old man, grumpy Robbie, Klinkers and everyone in between. We even had a coach who would train us on a Tuesday/Thursday then sell us “stuff that he’d got from a mate who knew a mate!”

You’ve coached juniors, men’s and women’s teams over the years, which do you enjoy more?

I enjoy all coaching. I don’t really coach mens anymore. I think I’m just picked because I’m the grumpiest.

Juniors is fun, because you get to see that light bulb moment, when they do something and say "oh, that’s what he’s been banging on about all year." You also get to see the kids go through the ranks in the club, and say “if it wasn’t for me, he’d be a lot better by now.”

And with womens, apart from having the joy of my daughter ignoring me on the field as well as at home, it's being able to show that hockey is a simple sport. The same tactics/principles that the top grades use can, with a little tweaking, can be used further down the grades. And in the metro teams I’ve coached, the girls just have more fun. If they miss an open net…..they laugh. If they pass to the opposition centre forward, who then scores a goal….they laugh. Half time….laugh. End of the game…….more laughing.

Just remember that coaches don’t deliberately make a players life hell. Coaches have to make a team of up to 16 better, whereas a player only has to make themselves better. Nearly all coaches get frustrated when a player asks for feedback on how to improve, then doesn’t act on that feedback.

There's a saying…don’t confuse expectations with actual ability.

What have been the biggest changes you’ve seen with the club over the years?

I think the social side of things have changed enormously. I’m not talking about organised functions, because they have been and always are fantastic, and congratulations must go out to all involved in organising them. I’m talking about, because game times are so wide ranging , it's hard to get large numbers of members back to the rooms after matches. When we were at Caulfield, we only ever had 1:30pm or 3:30pm games, and even if teams played away, everyone would still come back to the rooms, to hear scores and catch up. It wouldn’t be unusual to have 50-100 people on any given Saturday night back at the club.

And stupid bloody facebook.

What has been your proudest hockey moment?

My 47 years at this magnificent club and also every game I get closer to catching Lofty.(Mary Lofthouse is our current club record holder for games played- 729)

What do you enjoy most about being a member of TEM?

The people. Everyone talks to everyone, all sections of the club work cohesively, there’s no segregation which you see at other clubs.

The way we get around people who are struggling personally outside of hockey.

All clubs suffer from ebbs and flows either on the field or in its organisation, but TEM always seem to bounce back, and those that stick with a club when it is down, reap the rewards later

I also love it that some clubs don’t like us. I love it, love it,  love it!

What is something that people would be surprised to know about you? 

I’ve torn both my quaddies early in my career, where one part of the quaddie actually tore off and recoiled back up my leg. I now have a big lump and a divot on both legs , where the muscle should be. It hasn’t affected my game though, I've never been the fastest, and I have the turning circle of the Queen Mary.

And I can't stand those hoighty toighty beers.

If you were left to live on a desert island-what 3 things would you choose to take with you?

A razor. If I stopped shaving, I'd be mistaken for a silverback by about week 5.

A volleyball…….it seemed to get Tom Hanks through.

And of course my hockey stick. The way I tackle , I'd be able to chop down trees with ease.

Remember hockey is but a game. Go as hard as you want when you cross that white line, but when the game is over, all is forgotten. Have a beer with your team mates afterwards, or even the opposition. Not all of them are complete flogs. You’d be surprised how many life long friends you’ll make through hockey.

It's not sheep stations.