It is with great pride that the Marcellin Old Collegians Cricket Club announces Joel Donnellan as our newest Life Member.
Since debuting in the 2005/06 season, Joel has been one of the club’s most committed and respected players who has gone on to play 205 games, including an incredible 194 First XI appearances, placing him among the most capped First XI players in club history.
His playing record speaks for itself:
4x First XI Premiership Player, including the 2015 /2016 Wright Shield where he took 5/41 in a Grand Final-winning performance and was not awarded best on ground.
242 wickets at 21.21 (with a few more if the catches had stuck!)
1683 runs with a high score of 49*
20 run outs (many of them direct hits)
From his early days as a toddler watching his dad and uncles play cricket on the Marcellin fields and socialising post game in the infamous “Dungeon” to now playing alongside lifelong mates and watching his own kids run around the boundary, Joel’s journey has come full circle. His commitment and dedication to MOCCC, spanning nearly two decades, is what every club hopes for in a player and clubman. Whether it’s a quiet word of advice with a young player, having to bowl another selfless over into the wind, or quietly muttering a dubious LBW decision not given, Joel represents everything that makes this club special.
Joel’s influence goes well beyond wickets and runs. He has been a committee member, club sponsor, social event organiser and the unofficial cricket trip host. He’s played alongside his brother, cousins and uncle over the years, and now brings his own kids to the club, passing on the same love for the game and the place that’s been a second home for him. He is universally respected by teammates, opponents, umpires, club members and supporters.
Joel Donnellan is a fierce competitor, a loyal teammate, a generous clubman and now, fittingly, a Life Member of the Marcellin Old Collegians Cricket Club. He joins his father, Paul “Chooka” Donnellan, as the club’s first ever father–son Life Member pairing, a truly special milestone for the Donnellan family and the club alike.