Story of a former Demon ...

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BIG NORMIE CLARKE - Courtesy of the Frankston Standard [Reported by Paul Amy]

THE chant goes up at every home game.

"Normie, Normie, Normie,'' sing the Frankston supporters who congregate on the terraces, serenading the Dolphins' great ruckman, Daniel "Norm'' Clarke.

The big man's every deed is met with applause and when he ambles to the bench for a breather, he receives a hand of encouragement.

The fans will be in full voice at Kars St this Sunday when Clarke plays his 200th senior game for Frankston, another milestone in a marvellous career.

He will be the first Dolphin to reach a double century of games and the 44th in the annals of the VFA/VFL.

Not only has he played the most matches for the Dollies, but he's kicked the most goals. He was a state player in 1996 and a team-of-the-year selection in 1999.

THE chant goes up at every home game.

"Normie, Normie, Normie,'' sing the Frankston supporters who congregate on the terraces, serenading the Dolphins' great ruckman, Daniel "Norm'' Clarke.

The big man's every deed is met with applause and when he ambles to the bench for a breather, he receives a hand of encouragement.

The fans will be in full voice at Kars St this Sunday when Clarke plays his 200th senior game for Frankston, another milestone in a marvellous career.

He will be the first Dolphin to reach a double century of games and the 44th in the annals of the VFA/VFL.

Not only has he played the most matches for the Dollies, but he's kicked the most goals. He was a state player in 1996 and a team-of-the-year selection in 1999.

But there is far more to his contribution than a list of his records and achievements.

Clarke has never captained the club -- it seems ridiculous now that Craig Clark was made skipper in 2003 -- but for years he's been an unofficial leader, a companiable big man who brings people together.

Nip into the Frankston rooms before a game and you'll hear him yapping instructions, summing up what needs to be done.

The other players look up to him, and not only because he's 205cm tall.

"I'm like a grandfather figure to the other guys,'' he quipped last Wednesday.

Coach Brett Lovett said the Frankston players voted on the leadership group and in the past three years all 55 players had asked for Clarke to be included.

"They love him,'' he said."He's got a hell of a lot of respect, the big fella.''

After three years at Melbourne in which he failed to play a senior game, Clarke joined Frankston in 1996, the year it made the grand final under David Rhys-Jones.

All of his teammates from that side are long gone. Indeed, from the whole competition, only Clarke and Sandringham's Nick Sautner remain (and in 1996 Sautner played only a few reserves games for Springvale).

Told that his former ruckman was on the verge of 200 games, Rhys-Jones said: "Geez, is he? The big fella, hey? That shows you how time flies. He's done a good job, hasn't he?''

He said Clarke was unlucky to miss out on a second chance at AFL level. "He was one who I thought could have played AFL footy.'' But time stakes its claim and Clarke, playing in the shadow of man mountain Ash Eames, struggled towards the end of last year.

In the off-season Lovett decided he would use his old stager more as a forward, where his long arms have often stretched defences.

Early in the season he was battling. "I reckon I was hanging on by a thread. I was close to being dropped, I reckon,'' Clarke said. "There wasn't much point having me in the team if I was kicking a few goals.''

But with Eames going down with a broken leg and Chris Oliver going down to the reserves, Clarke was back as the number one ruckman against Port Melbourne last week.

He had 16 possessions in the first half and was named best.

A few weeks ago Carlton assistant coach Gavin Crosisca was at Kars St watching the Northern Bullants and remarked what a wonderful player "big Clarkey'' had been in the VFL.

He was happy to repeat his comments for the record, highlighting that Clarke was a part-time footballer who most weeks came up against AFL players training 30 hours a week.

Lovett said that when Clarke arrived at the club, he was battling back and hamstring injuries and there were whispers that he was "on the way out''.

"Here he is, what, five years down the track, still playing well,'' Lovett said.

"He's got a massive heart, Normie.''