Northern Bullants star Jean-Luc Velissaris set to play 100th VFL game

On Saturday Tom Wilson and Jean-Luc Velissaris will share the focus of milestone matches in the VFL’s final home-and-away round.

At Port Melbourne, Wilson will play his 175th game, bringing him league life membership.

At Preston, Northern Bullant Velissaris will play his 100th senior match.

It was at Port Melbourne in 2019 that Velissaris kicked a goal after the siren to lift the Bullants (then called the Northern Blues) to a stirring victory over the Borough.

Wilson, now with Collingwood’s VFL team, wasn’t playing, having injured an ACL, but in the changerooms after the match he was quick to celebrate with his young teammate. A pressman grabbed a photo of the happy pair.

“This is the stuff dreams are made of,’’ Velissaris said. It was Jean-Luc’s lucky day.

From the day he joined Northern from the Calder Cannons at the end of the 2017 season, Velissaris looked up to Wilson, his captain. And when the skipper left for the Magpies, Velissaris assumed his mantle as the club’s leading player, replacing him in the midfield and winning the 2023 and 2024 best and fairests.

There’s a good chance he’ll win it this year too: he’s averaged 27.5 disposals from his 17 matches and kicked 16 goals.

This for a team that was on the end of some thumping defeats in the first half of the season but has grabbed two wins in the past month, over Sydney and Williamstown.

The Bullant they call “JL’’ had 28 disposals and kicked three goals against the Swans. A week later he had 26 against Willy.

Unfortunately for Velissaris, he’s experienced far more losses than victories since 2022; only seven times has he bunched with teammates to sing the club song.

This season has been particularly trying for the Ants.

Coach Rohan Welsh suffered a severe leg infection late in the pre-season and watched Round 1 from a hospital bed.

Not long after his return, he was stood down for a few days after a verbal clash with a director no longer at the club. Later, a new board headed by Melbourne barrister Neil Howard took over and is working assiduously to keep the historic club going.

Velissaris, 26, says the Welsh situation and board unrest were disruptive.

“Some of the things we’ve had to face as a playing group, I don’t think any player should have to worry about or deal with.

“You should only have to worry about what’s going on, on the field, but unfortunately we couldn’t control any of it.

“Yeah, a lot of turmoil but at the same time if you can get through that, and I feel like we have, then we can handle anything that’s thrown us. But definitely some of those weeks dragged on. It was difficult, there’s no doubt about that. The group stuck together. Not a lot of blokes dropped out. I reckon that’s a sign of the culture we’ve got.’’

Velissaris acknowledges the hard times since the club was left standing on its own when Carlton pulled out of the alignment in 2020.

“Not being able to hang on to players has been tough when you’re trying to build a playing group that’s going to end up having success. I’ve played with a lot of players. I’ve seen a lot of blokes come and go. It’s hard to deal with, because you feel like it’s a reflection on you, whether it is or not. They think the grass is greener on the other side.’’

Bullants captain and former Collingwood AFL-lister Liam Mackie admires Velissaris as a player and loyal clubman.

He says he “wears his heart on his sleeve, as a lot of people can see’’.

“He’s very passionate in everything he does. He doesn’t like to lose. He likes to be the best. Good teammate as well, and an awesome friend.’’

Mackie calls Velissaris’s 100-game milestone “massive’’.

“He’s got a lot of talent. He’s a star. You can rely on him every week to get his hands on the footy,’’ he says.

Two years ago, Velissaris spoke of his “dream’’ to play in the AFL.

But he accepts now that his chance has gone. He says he’s setting himself up in other areas of his life, chiefly his work; he is close to finishing his electrical apprenticeship.

As for the milestone, the thing that most pleases him is that he’s played all but two of his 99 games with the Bullants.

“That’s been special, being at the club for a while,’’ he says. “I’ve definitely enjoyed it.’’

He appeared briefly for Coburg as a 19-year-old Calder Cannons player in 2017 but coach Josh Fraser lured him to Cramer St.

Velissaris says Fraser had a big influence on his football.

“I had four years under him. In the early days he set me on the right path,’’ he says. “When I was younger I wanted it to all happen at once. I was in a bit of a rush. He really dialled me in.’’

Wilson, he says, was a touchstone: “He was in his prime at the time. I hung off him, probably a bit more than he would have liked at times.’’

What’s beyond the century of games for Velissaris?

He’s unsure.

“I’ll get through this week and reassess. Talk to my family and my friends and see what happens. Whether I go on in the VFL or not, as I said, I’m not too sure. I might be moving on with the next part of my life. But I do love this level of football and what it takes to be competitive.’’