NATHAN O'Brien firmly believes Lockington-Bamawm United has the building blocks in place for another era of success.
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O'Brien - who plays his 150th game for the Cats on Saturday - was one of the dozen players who were part of LBU's four-peat of Heathcote District league flags between 2011 and 2014.
Of those 12 four-time premiership players, O'Brien is now just one of three, along with Lachlan Collins and Liam Main, still playing with the Cats and he's confident the rebuild the club has undertaken over the past four years will reap its rewards.
"Absolutely... I said after our loss in the elimination final to Colbinabbin last year that this group has all the things brewing that we previously had in 2011," O'Brien said this week.
"We're certainly a lot younger than we were back then, but the feeling around the club and the way we're progressing, there's certainly a lot of similarities to what we had back then.
"There's an enormous amount of potential in the group at the moment, which is really exciting."
O'Brien, who has just turned 33, will notch senior game No.150 for the Cats against Elmore.
He was a captain of three of the Cats' premierships during their four-peat dynasty, following in the footsteps of his father, Shane, who was the skipper of Lockington's 1987 flag.
"At the time you probably take the success we had for granted a bit and it's not until now when you look back and realise just how special it was," said O'Brien, who played all his junior football with the Cats.
"To be a premiership captain is certainly a great honour... my old man captained a premiership, so there's a rich family history with the club."
O'Brien earned the best-on-ground medal in the 94-point 2012 grand final romp against North Bendigo.
O'Brien - who works as an event manager for the Australian Open - starred off half-back that day in a role he is well known for throughout his time in the Heathcote District league.
O'Brien, whose footy career also includes stints in the VFL with Werribee, Uni Blacks in the Amateurs and an injury-riddled year with Eaglehawk, has played his entire senior career with the Cats while being based in Melbourne.
From his home in Elsternwick to Lockington, it's a round trip of more than 400kms.
"It's basically three hours door-to-door, so the travel is very challenging," O'Brien said.
"But when we have a group like we do, and have had for so long, and being the great club that Lockington is, it makes it a lot easier to make the drive."
O'Brien returned to football midway through last season following a two-year hiatus from the game.
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