This weekend the Club celebrates Maine Vidler’s 100th open-age game for the Pennant Hills Demons.
At the end of season 2023 Maine’s game tally was 99 and he was expected to play his 100th game in Round 1 in 2024. However, as things turned out, Maine was selected to play for the club in the 2024 AFL Sydney & AFL Canberra Pre-season competition. We have it on good authority (Ziks) that these games are recognised by AFL Sydney as official senior games. As a consequence, Maine’s 100th game was achieved in the Round 1 pre-season match against the Gungahlin Jets played on 9 March 2024.
This means that this weekend’s game is actually Maine’s 103rd game, however, the club will use this occasion to acknowledge his 100 game milestone.
As a junior player, Maine played one season in the Under 13s with the Kellyville/Rouse Hill Magpies. Several years later he joined Penno in 2015, playing in the Under 19s.
From 2016 to 2019 he played mainly in the Reserve grade side, however, also during this period he made his first grade debut in Round 2, 2017 against East Coast Eagles at MKO. Poor kicking by Penno resulted in a 7 point loss. 2019 was a mixed year for Maine playing prems and ressies and he missed some of the season due to injury. He came back in time to play in the Reserve grade Grand Final and was awarded Best Finals Player. From 2020 he has been a regular member of the Premier Division side playing mainly mid-field and forward.
Maine is a right foot kick, prefers jumper #7 over all others and is nicknamed Maineos. He’s a popular character at the club. Although he hasn’t won a premiership yet, he was present at the 2015 Grand Final witnessing the Prems boys defeat the cocky East Coast Eagles, one of his most memorable moments … “the atmosphere that day was unreal and gave a clear indication of how close this club really is!”
Congratulations Maine on achieving this significant milestone!
Go Penno!
