Paul Raveneau would have claimed a record on August 10 - if his brother Luke hadn’t already beaten him to it.
In Paul’s 224th senior game for the Boars, which came in a 32-20 loss to Wee Waa at Boughton Oval, he scored his 116th try, beating the mark of former great Ivan Shearer.
However, when life member Alf Scott pored over the statistics, which date back to 1955, he discovered that Luke already owned the record.
Luke, who also took to the field against Wee Waa, had scored 140 tries in 176 games.
After last weekend’s 44-24 home loss to West Lions, in which Paul and Luke played but neither scored, they are on 225 games and 177 games respectively.
A third brother, Steven, also features prominently in the local history books. He played 109 games in first grade, 70 in reserve grade and 33 in the juniors, for a combined total of 212 games, 78 tries and 24 goals.
Shearer played 218 first grade games, scoring 115 tries and kicking 384 goals.
The three brothers are proud to have played for the Boars - and with each other.
But they were surprised to learn about the record, and unsure what to make of it.
According to Luke, the news still hasn’t sunk in. He said that if it was made official in some way - such as with a trophy or a presentation - he would be able to properly digest it, and thus properly appreciate it.
However, the 27-year-old centre, who has been playing for the Boars since the Boomerangs were temporarily exiled in 1998, had no doubt about what the club meant to him.
“They’ve been very good to me,” he said. “Football is my life. I love it.”
He added that he was “very proud” to have taken to the field with Paul and Steven, including in the 2002 grand final win against West Lions, in which all three Raveneaus featured.
Another member of that team was 1991 Rothmans Medallist Ewan McGrady. Luke joked that he owed many of his 140 tries to sitting back and letting the “freak” do all the work for him.
Like Luke, Paul was surprised to discover that the Boars’ two leading try-scorers were Raveneaus.
He said that he was very happy for his brother, and pleased that he had been able to overtake a legend like Shearer - especially having played his career in the front row.
“It really means a lot to me, because I’ve been at the club since 1990,” the 36-year-old said.
As for playing with his brothers, “that’s been something that I think my parents would be proud of.”
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THE Raveneaus’ record came as just as much of a pleasant surprise to Steven, who also expressed his delight at turning out for the Boars and taking to the field with family.
“That means a lot. They’ve looked after the three of us for a number of years,” the 34-year-old said.
“It means a lot playing with your brothers.”
While the Raveneaus are modest about their achievements, Gavin Hann and Scott are vocal in their praise.
Hann, who became first grade coach this year, used to play with Paul and Steven - and possibly Luke, although he can’t be sure.
He calls Paul the “backbone” of the club, and believes that it may have folded if not for him.
“Paul has been very, very strong for the club for many years.”
Hann added that Luke had produced a lot of good football for the Boars - especially in the second half of this season.
“He’s played the best football that I’ve seen him play for a long, long time.”
Scott puts the efforts of Luke, Paul and Steven simply: “The record of the Raveneau brothers will always be spoken of and will be hard to better.”
And Scott, who arguably knows more about the Boars than anyone, thinks that Luke will occupy his unique place in Boars history for a long time to come.
“By the time he finishes playing his record should stand for many years.”
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