Errol Bourne played just thirty eight of his three hundred plus senior games of football at the Subiaco Lions, but he is well remembered at the club as a star act.

The twenty four year old from Burnie Tigers already had a couple of fairest and best runners up awards under his belt when he knocked at the door of the Subiaco Football Club, along with Tasmanian team mates Aaron Baxter and Clint Atkins, looking for a game in 1992.   

After a few runs in the reserves, Bourne was named on the bench for the West Perth clash, and stayed in the side as a wingman, winning the club’s best first year player award.  In 1993 the red head  was a driving force for the Lions, and figured as one of their best in a preliminary final loss to West Perth.   The midfielder was in dashing form, winning an outstanding player award for his season, and was equal runner up for the Sandover Medal, won by Neil Mildenhall, from West Perth, for which he was ineligible.  

“I was reported late in the year for time wasting,” he said.  “The bloody sun was in my eyes, I put my hands up to block it out and look upfield after a freekick. The umpire reversed the decision and charged me with time wasting. I was found guilty and reprimanded.”

Bourne’s form didn’t go unnoticed by the State selectors, and he was on a wing  when Western Australia hosted the Croweaters at the WACA on May 25, acquitting himself well against the opposition skipper, Adelaide AFL player David Marshall, and was named one of WA’s best in a twenty four point win. 

Just when the football world looked to be at his feet at Subiaco, Errol Bourn got the wanderlust.

“I had met this girl in Fiji some years before, and we got re acquainted and decided to travel,” he recalled. “I had full intentions of returning to the Lions and it’s the regret of my life that I didn’t.”

Errol’s form didn’t suffer one iota from a year off.

He had strong allegiances at Burnie, who in 1995 became known as the Burnie Dockers,  brothers Alistair and Marcus also playing, with another brother Noel giving great service as runner, and his parents had an involvement with the club.  

Bourne won a club fairest and best in his first year back , and became one of the stars of the Tasmanian Statewide League over the following decade, representing his State in Interstate football.  He won Lefroy Medals as best player against both the VFL and Western Australia. “The pulse of the Burnie side,” was a description of Bourne in The Examiner newspaper.

After the 2000 season, in which Errol won another fairest and best award, the Burnie Dockers joined the Northern Tasmania Football League, and proceeded to dominate the competition. Under the coaching of former Collingwood captain Mick McGuane, they were unbeaten in 2001, defeating a hapless Smithston in one game, 49.33 to 0.1, to grab the first of a consecutive five premierships.  Bourne captained the side to three of those, and coached the last one, against old rivals Devonport in 2005.

Now holding the reins at Devonport in the Tasmanian State League, Errol has overseen sharp improvement at the club, with a fourth position finish in 2009 and second last season.   He is also in the sights of ABC Sport, having been responsible for  some sparkling interviews on radio last season.

South Fremantle, West Coast, and Fitzroy rover Wally Matera was the bloke he regards as hardest to beat, while a Burnie player, Brett Wilson, was an outstanding team mate. “Brett was a great talent but never went on with it,” he said, adding: “One of the highlights of my career was watching Rod Willett knocking out his own team mates.”

Errol Bourne regrets not returning to WA after his two seasons here. Given the way his career panned out back in Tasmania, there would be a few regrets at the Subiaco Football Club as well.