THERE's no question Josh Newman has black, white and red blood flowing through his veins – and if the Frankston skipper has anything to do with it, so do all his teammates.

As a proud Peninsula boy from the Mornington Bulldogs, Newman is fiercely passionate about having a VFL club in the region and wasted no time returning to Frankston Park after a season at Williamstown during the Dolphins' 2017 exile and a 2018 surfing trip to South America.

It was those experiences that moulded him into the prolific midfielder and professional he is as he prepares for his 100th VFL match against Richmond at Skybus Stadium on Sunday.

"(Frankston) is where I started my career in the VFL and I have the fond memories of playing with my brother (Carlton and former Sydney defender Nic)," Newman said.

"I thought it was really important there was a state league team, and a relevant team, in Frankston on the doorstep of the Peninsula where there's so much talent and so many kids that love their footy, and to think there wouldn't be a club here at that level …

"When I took that time off and went overseas (in 2018) I thought about things – the club was in their first year back in the competition and I just took a liking to the way things were going and the journey they were starting after being put into administration.

"I thought it was a pretty amazing story of all the great people that got behind the footy club to get them up and running again.

"I'd been away for a while obviously living in Williamstown, but my partner lived in Frankston and my family were on the Peninsula, so I thought it was time to come back … and I really wanted to be a part of that journey.

"I was pretty passionate about being one of those people who thought they could make a difference and join that journey – it's been a great one so far and we're starting to reap the rewards."

The esteem with which the 26-year-old is held at Frankston was never more evident than when he was voted in as captain in 2019, despite having been away for two years.

"It probably caught me by surprise a little bit because I'd had that year at Williamstown and then taken a year off football completely," Newman said.

"But I guess my changing attitude and the way I wanted to come back and be a part of changing the culture and work hard on my own performance and prove I was still up to the level and still had better footy in front of me – I guess it reflected on the group.

"I stopped drinking that year – having been overseas spending the whole year eating and drinking across South and Central America I had to make some drastic changes to get myself back in the physical condition of a VFL footballer."

Newman said it was an honour to reach 100 VFL matches.

"You don't ever think about how many games you are going to play, you just take it week-by-week – and it has crept up on me," he said.

"It's obviously really humbling and a great achievement because it is a really high level of footy.

"When you first start you just want to get on a list and play games and it all snowballs from there, so to look back and see what I've been able to do and string together 100 games of footy is pretty cool."

Newman rates Frankston's resurgence this season, with the Dolphins in contention for their first finals appearance since 2008, alongside his first full year in 2014 when he shared the half-back line with Nic.

"The year (Nic) got drafted was one of my favourite years – we're really competitive this year and we're playing good footy, but to play with your older brother who you look up to a lot for a full year …," he said.

"We'd been on the list together at Frankston for a couple of years but never got to play too much together – we were going up and down in the ones and the twos and both of us were struggling for spots at times, but that 2014 season we both played pretty much every game in the ones together.

"Nic had a really good year and got picked up, but towards the back end of that year I started playing some really good footy as well – it is one of the memories I'll cherish for a long time."

Newman said the Dolphins' 6-4 record provided a great sense of achievement, and he wouldn't put a lid on where it might end.

"I loved playing at Williamstown, but we went in expecting to win and everyone knew they were a powerhouse in the VFL and probably the most professional club outside the AFL, so it was exactly what I expected," he said.

"The beauty of this year is it is a reward for all the hard work everyone has done behind the scenes and it's great to see how happy that has made other people.

"There have been times where we've doubted whether it was worth it or whether we're doing the right things to be a prominent club in the VFL, so for it to come to fruition and see those results and relationships everyone has built – from the playing group all the way through to the bloke on the door on game day – there's a huge respect for everyone and the roles they play.

"We're just trying to take everything one week at a time and there's obviously so much uncertainty around everything – the competition, coronavirus, the 22 teams all in different states.

"There's a lot that can change, but … we’re a young, humble and hungry team that will continue to do everything to give ourselves every opportunity to extend our season and hopefully go into finals, which would be amazing."

Twitter: @BRhodesVFL

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