DJ Brox, Feed The Brox; Leigh has been A Man for All Seasons.
When Michael Lynch first encountered Leigh Broxham, the latter was being named Victoria's U15 PotY. Now, at the end of a legendary Melbourne Victory career, Lynch reflects on 'The Brox'
There may have been some better, big-name players in the A-League than Leigh Broxham, but few can have left such an enduring mark as the diminutive utility, Â a cornerstone of Melbourne Victory since the club's first season in the competition.
It is difficult these days to find players anywhere in the world who remain at one club for a decade or more, never mind the 18 years that Broxham has been with Victory.
In so doing he has chalked up a formidable list of achievements: total games played, games played for one club, Asian Champions League appearances, Championships and Premierships won.
But it is highly unlikely that anyone will equal his collective record with Victory, whom he joined as a teenage hopeful who could only dream of having the sort of career that he has carved out for himself.
He was an early developer - the first time I came across his name was at a Victorian Football Federation Gold Medal Night more than 20 years ago when he was named the state's under-15 player of the year.
Little was I, or anyone else, to know that he would become synonymous with the fledgling competition the A-League as it sought to establish itself as a credible successor to the old National Soccer League, which wound up in 2004.
Broxham's big break came when Victory's inaugural coach, Ernie Merrick, gave him a job as what might be best described as the first team squad's dogsbody when he was just 17.
The polite term was gear steward, but Broxham was there to help out in any way he could, including making up the numbers at first team training sessions if required. Merrick once joked that such was his youth and willingness to learn - to be toughened up for the rigours of professional life - that Broxham was the only player in the Victory set-up whom he allowed legendary captain Kevin Muscat to kick during training matches!
From that early job came the offer of a contract as one of the club's under-20 players and an early taste of the big time when he made an appearance off the bench in Victory's amazing 6-0 win over Adelaide United in the club's first Grand Final triumph in 2006.
Ever since he has been a quiet, unassuming, dependable member of the first team squad under every coach who has ever been with the club, from Merrick through Mehmet Durakovic, Jim Magilton, Ange Postecoglou, Kevin Muscat, then Marco Kurz, Carlos Salvachua, Grant Brebner, Steve Kean and now Tony Popovic.
A very diverse bunch of coaches, but all have found Broxham to be an indispensable part of the set-up, a player willing to take on any task or responsibility demanded of him no matter what the circumstances. For many, he was rarely in their plans when they arrived: by the time of their departure, they were lauding his praises as not just a great club man but as a key member of the squad.
While a midfielder by inclination, he cemented his spot in various starting lineups as either a right back or, quite often, as a central defender. Despite his lack of inches his positional awareness and understanding of the game, especially as he aged, allowed him to compensate for his height by anticipating where the ball would be and where danger might threaten.
Broxham - or DJ Brox, as he was sometimes known by his teammates for his penchant for spinning the discs in the dressing room  - has enjoyed plenty of highs as well as the inevitable lows that defeat in crucial games can bring.
A particular memory of him is in that Grand Final of 2015 at AAMI Park when Victory, already 2-0 up against Sydney and cruising to the title, began another attack in the game's dying moments. There was Broxham, galloping down the right flank from his fullback position to smash home the third and final goal of a glorious night for Victory, Â at that time the competition's most successful team.
If the definition of success is making the most of your opportunities and taking every chance you get while helping others and gaining the respect of your teammates, then Leigh Broxham's A-League career has been a towering success.
While never fashionable, he has achieved more than anyone else who has played at club level in the domestic game. And he also earned the honour of representing his country at senior level, his sole cap coming on a waterlogged pitch in steamy Singapore as Graham Arnold (yes, he was Socceroos boss back then too) prepared an extended national team squad for the 2007 Asian Cup.
It was the only time he ever represented Australia, but it was a proud moment for the boy from Knox and his family. He will not be lost to the game, as he plans to stay involved in coaching, but will relish the extra time he now has to spend with his young and growing family.
Along the way he has got to watch those top coaches at close quarters and play with some of the finest men to have appeared in the A-League: Carlos Hernandez, Matthieu Delpierre, Kevin Muscat, Ola Toivonnen, Harry Kewell and Keisuke Honda are just a few of the names that first came to mind when I asked him who were the standouts.
But Victory fans can rest assured - if a sudden injury crisis or bout of sickness occurs and Broxham is pressed into duty during the finals he will not let them down. He never has in the past, and he will not want to start now...Â
*Michael Lynch covered Leigh Broxham's first season in the A-League and is delighted to be covering his last after a lengthy and successful career for one of Australian soccer's quiet achievers.