MWPP
Flying High
- Joined
- Jul 5, 2011
- Posts
- 49,762
- Reaction score
- 120,310
- Location
- The Stadium in the Sky
- AFL Club
- West Coast
- Other Teams
- NZ, Scorchers
Back in S17, a call went out for players to join the Las Vegas Bears as they prepared to reenter the league in S18. kane249 saw this call out and decided to join, little did anyone know that this rookie would still be at the club 24 seasons later. Kane is the only Bear to have played every season with the Bears since they reentered the league. Others have come and gone and some have returned, but Kane never left us. This weekend he plays his 400th game and becomes the first ever player to do so for the Bears.
To understand Kane’s 400 games, you have to look at the landscape of the Bears when he arrived. He was there for the S18 wooden spoon when the club was just trying to find its feet again after reentering the league. He has seen the locker room empty and refill a dozen times over, yet his name is the one that never moves from the team sheet.
He was there for the nail biting 2 point Grand Final win in S22 that gave this club its only premiership. In that season, Kane achieved something no other Bear has ever done, he is the only player in club history to win the Best and Fairest award in a premiership season. He didn't just participate in that flag, he was instrumental in winning it. With the game on the line in the Grand Final, he kicked the second last goal and then set up the match winner, cementing his place in Bears folklore forever.
During his prime he played on one wing while his Bash Brother, Matera92 , held down the other. Together, they were the Original and Best Bash Brothers and a force to be reckoned with on the field. Art Vandelay_ , of course, was their Goldberg.
Kane has been the one constant for this club since its reentry. While squad lists changed and different captains took the lead, he remained. To play 400 games is a massive feat in the SFA, but to do it all at one club shows a level of loyalty that is rarely seen.
To round out the Kane249 story, I reached out to a few people for their favorite Kane memories. These gems were provided by a man who knows this club's golden era better than most, ex-team mate and premiership captain of the Bears, Dingster.
- Tip for the newbies, if Matera92 ask you to hold a bag for him avoid it at all costs.
- You're such a mean drunk - to Matera
- Who you been pissing off now Gero?
- We putting a team sheet in? (such a visionary!)
- Stop delisting yourselves, you will go blind.
- Cut them both, neither have bothered to do anything (ruthless kane!)
- You told him to turn that sumbitch sideways and stick it straight up his rudipoo candyass didn't you?
- No I make it a point not to hit on women with better facial hair than me.
- Merry Christmas you filthy animals! A premiership, what better gift than that
- What would you mugs do without me? So true kane. Grats on the 400 mate.
More tributes from fellow Team mates of Kane249
When I was drafted to the bears in S26, I had no idea what I was doing so I went about learning the history of the club. But their was certain players that were revered, I very quickly worked out that Kane was one of them. A man who has helped guide the club to where it is today. He’s one of only 4 Premiership players still on our list but still drops in and shares his wisdom with us young bucks. Always has time for his teammates and has been rock solid mainly in defence. After trainings he has been so kind as to do some one on one coaching to get me up to speed. He’s also taught me how to talk to hot chicks. And thanks to the great man I’m thrice times divorced yet still full of the confidence he instilled in me and aiming for a fourth. We appreciate you mate good luck for the weekend.
- Tandy
Some players are considered legends of their clubs, some are a part of the furniture but few are part of the essential foundations of the club.
kane249 is all 3. The original bash brother - not that cheap imitation on Coney Island. Bears Legend, and long overdue for SFA HoF status.
Well done on 400 games to the better bash brother!
- Art Vandelay_
For the first time in Bears history, a player has reached 400 games, and I can’t think of anyone more fitting than kane249. A true clubman, and, let's be honest, stubborn enough that there was never any doubt he’d get there. I first met Kane at a UWA reunion after an Eagles open training session. From the moment he started talking, I knew we were in for a ride. He regaled us with stories from the early Bears days, where a “two-way run” meant jogging to the bar and back. But even then, his commitment to showing up was something most players didn’t have—and that’s half the battle.
Kane reminisced about an earlier season when the team came out firing, and he was convinced it was all because of his “leadership aura.” Fast forward two weeks, morale was in the gutter, and Kane was trying to sell bottles of Dingster ’s bath water- genuinely convinced it would be the next big thing. Oh, and let’s not forget the time he backed JoshWoodenSpoon ‘s “cheap Ukraine trip” idea without a single question. That level of blind faith in the institution is either inspiring or reckless but it’s Kane in a nutshell.
On the field, Kane's the ultimate team player, happy to slot in wherever needed. And when September rolls around (conveniently close to his birthday), he somehow finds another gear whilst being fuelled by a mix of extra-strength cocaine and cake. Ultimately, 400 games isn’t a fluke. It takes durability, loyalty, and the ability to avoid being dropped when selection meetings get distracted halfway through. Kane’s been a cornerstone of this club, through every high, low, and questionable afterparty.
Congrats, mate. Here’s to 400 more... though HR might want to review that.
- Yours truly
To close out this milestone celebration, we sat down with the first Bear to ever hit the 400 game mark. He’s seen the Wooden Spoons, the Premiership Glory, and every locker room reshuffle and scuffle in between. Here is the great man in his own words:
Interview with Kane249
How does it feel to be the first Bear to play 400 games?
It's an honour to be a trail blazer and set a standard for others to follow on club loyalty and longevity.
Who brought you to the club and why did you choose the Bears, a club which had folded 11 seasons prior and was just coming back into the league?
pantskyle was recruiting for people to join the club on the Eagles board. There had been recruiting drives before on the board to join the SFA, but I've always gotten along with Pants so took him up on his invite, and I've never left.
You are the only Bear to play every season since the club restarted, why do you keep coming back every season?
They keep forgetting to get rid of me, helps I'm a good hider when it comes to list management time.
Are we ever going to win another premiership, it’s been 20 seasons?
In the words of the great man JoshWoodenSpoon, Bear to Dream! There's always a chance.
Who were the players early on that shaped your time here?
Pants, Quivorir, DemonJim , Dingster , Magruder , hilly and brahj all had big influences on me in the early days. Special shout out to the others who debuted with me in season 18 in Matera92 and Matele who are still with the Bears today (we just don't talk about their time when they played for other clubs).
What’s one moment or game that still sticks with you more than the rest?
Has to be winning the Grand Final in season 22, nothing beats that. The drama of iBeng having those late shots at goal and missing, sealing the Bears historic win in a nail biter. In terms of a match thread, MoOp had a legendary one where he went on a one man posting spree that blurred the line between genius and madness. Think he racked up over 300 posts in that match day thread from memory?
Is there a teammate you wish you got to play more games alongside?
Bears wouldn't be here today without Pants resurrecting them for season 18, wish he had played more for the club but the man loves to move around clubs like the whore he is.
What’s changed the most around the club since those early seasons?
The influx of what was then new posters who have gone on to form the core of the club today. It's been great seeing that new blood come in and set a strong Bears culture.
You’ve played under a lot of captains over the years, who was the worst?
Genuinely can't say I've had a bad one, they've all been legends of the club.
Art Vandelay or Matera92?
In the words of Marcus from Bad Boys...
What happened to the first 248 Kane's?
Just getting the formula right, sacrifices were made.
Are you planning to make it to game 500?
It's hard to say, it's getting harder to get the motivation to come back every year and after awhile you do question if you are holding back other posters. I never thought I'd get this far, let's see where the journey takes me and where it ends up. Thanks to all my team mates both past and present who came with me on the journey.
Posted on behalf of the Las Vegas Bears Leadership Group, Dingster , Tandy and Art Vandelay_
