Image: Graeme Furlong
When the Eastern Lions travel to CB Smith Reserve tomorrow to take on the Moreland Zebras, they will be 90 minutes away from farewelling one of their favourite sons.
Revered forward Munyaradzi Nyadzayo will be playing his 145th and last game for the Burwood-based club, which he has called home for the last seven seasons.
The 33-year-old arrived at Gardiners Creek Reserve in 2010 and will leave the club as a legend for his continued service to the Lions cause, one which has served him with many great memories over the years. But Nyadzayo’s path into Lions folklore began a continent away in his home country Zimbabwe, where his talents eclipsed the football field.
An astute student, he moved to South Africa in 2003 where he completed a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Fort Hare in East London, located in the country’s southern Eastern Cape region, which is best known for being the birthplace of several prominent South African politicians from Nelson Mandela to Steve Biko. During his time in the rainbow nation, Nyadzayo captained the university’s football side, but admits that any attempts to try his luck in the South African Premier Division were put on hold in favour of focusing on his studies.
After completing his Master’s Degree in Marketing, Nyadzayo moved to Melbourne to work on his PhD in Marketing at Monash University in 2008. After excelling at the University Games for Monash where he finished as the tournament’s top goalscorer, coach Brett Lavale asked him to come down and play for the university state league side, who were at the time competing in Provisional League 1 South-East (at the time the fifth tier of football in the state).
“At the time I didn’t know much about football in Australia, but they were really keen to get me on board and even offered me a sports scholarship” said the Zimbabwean.
The right-sided attacker didn’t take long to show his class and scored on his home debut as the Clayton-based side finished the season in third place, although their star performer was rewarded for an excellent debut season in the country by winning the league best and fairest after scoring 11 league goals over the course of the campaign.
However, the man affectionately known as ‘Munyar’ by his teammates wanted a greater challenge, and asked his club for advice on which club to join.
He was recommended to make the short trip up Highbury Road and join the Eastern Lions, who were the competing in State League 2 South-East (the third tier). Since then he has not looked back as he led the Lions to promotion to State League 1 in 2012 after a short half-season stint with the Oakleigh Cannons in the VPL.
Following on from the introduction of the NPL in 2014, the Eastern Lions returned to the third tier but quickly made the jump up when ending the year as State League 1 Champions, with Nyadzayo and Nigerian-born strike partner Philip Ajao dominating defences across the league throughout the season.
A comfortable mid-table showing in NPL2 followed, the Lions beginning the season with a roar as they recorded five wins from their opening six games to briefly lead the competition in the opening month of football.
Their Zimbabwean forward scored five times in that period and ended the season as one of the league’s top goalscorers with 17 to his name. Nyadzayo, who is currently a lecturer in marketing at Swinburne University, continued his form into this season and heading into this week has scored a total of 54 league goals for Jim Williams’ side.
However, his association with the club will come to an end following this round, after he and his wife accepted job offers in Dubai, with the emphasis being on doing what’s best for the family.
“The decision to move overseas was down to the opportunity my wife and I were presented with. It was mainly a family decision as my wife struggled to find her dream career here in Australia and was afforded that opportunity in the Emirates,” he said.
“We took into account the stage of our lives we were both at, particularly been parents to a little child so in the end we decided on the move as one which we believe is best for all of us.”
The likeable family man spoke about the admiration he and his family developed for the club over the past six years and is thankful to his teammates and everyone associated with the club for this.
“Eastern Lions is not just a football club. Its mission is centred on family values and community and this is one reason why I stayed here for so long as my wife and I were always welcome and made numerous friends here, so it is definitely a club which has become a family to us and I could not have asked for anymore from them,” he said.
“We have grown to love the club which has become part of our DNA and it’s not just about me playing for them and being happy but also my wife and son coming down and watching the games while feeling at home and enjoying the experience.”
“The feeling of waking up on Saturday morning and just looking forward to game day and being part of the time and the day in general is something which we will miss – from seeing the likes of Norm Willcocks the president to manager Jim Williams and everyone else associated with the football club as well as my teammates, as well as past supporters.”
While the modest surrounds of Gardiners Creek Reserve will be greatly missed by the Nyadzayo family, Munyar is convinced the club is in a good place at the moment and one capable of making the next step-up into the NPL in future years.
“It’s been about being patient and always having that goal to go up. When I first came here in 2010 not many people wanted to go up the league pyramid. But then we started to aim higher from the top and a lot of hard work was needed with everyone having the same goal.
“One thing we have done is invested more in our juniors where we now have better players and a good culture, so I feel like the NPL is definitely a destination which can be reached in the near future. We’ve come a long way in six years and I have no doubt we will continue to progress and improve as time goes on.”
Heading into his final game for the club, Nyadzayo also spoke about the emotions ahead of Friday’s visit to the promotion-chasing Zebras as he seeks to lead the Lions to their fourth win from their last six matches.
“I don’t want to lie as it means a lot for me as it’s an important game, but I don’t want focus a lot on me and I’ll try to focus on my game, and if we win it will be very special as this is one of the most important games of my career,” he said.
With the move to Dubai imminent, the seasoned campaigner would like to continue his career in the United Arab Emirates, but admits settling into and adjusting to his new surrounds will be the first priority.
“The plan is definitely to keep playing as I’m still feeling good as a soccer player. I don’t know much about their league structure, but I do endeavour to continue my career over there.”
Before signing off, the diminutive but solidly built figure reversed his last few words of praise to his number one supporters at the club and in life.
“I would like to acknowledge the support from my wife who has been number one supporter. She has always helped me to improve and dedicate this farewell to her and my little man because they have always been there for me and are phenomenal.”
In an era of change where players regularly move from club to club, Munyar’s Australian football adventure highlights the importance family has in finding success, happiness and a sense of belonging.
Come Friday night, you will no doubt find Nyadzayo walking off the field for the last time with his family firmly by his side while his other family applauds him off and thanks him for the six years of commitment and dedication he provided them while staying true to the values of the close-knit club and community.