Ken Haines – Strathalbyn Football Club

SFC Hills Association Gallery

Ken Haines — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 14:46:00 +0000

The Hills Football Association was formed in 1902, however Strathalbyn did not affiliate until the commencement of the 1903 season.

Following several incidents and disputes, although winning the majority of their matches, Strathalbyn withdrew from the Association and reverted to Challenge matches for the following 2 seasons, however interest declined significantly and it was obvious that for football to flourish in Strathalbyn, it was necessary to return to the Association, which occurred in readiness for season 1906.

Strathalbyn remained affiliated with the Hills Football Association until it was disbanded, due to the great depression, in 1930 and Strathalbyn joined the Great Southern Football League for that year, and then with the Hills Central Football Association from 1931.

The onset of World War 1 saw football virtually abandoned from 1915 to 1918, however several photographs exist of the Strathalbyn Football Club teams through that period.

Competitive football in the Hills Football Association recommenced in season 1919.

STRATHALBYN FOOTBALL CLUB

1908 / 1909

Names (not in order) : (1908 / 1909) H. Allen, E. Brown, S. Bruce, J. Caldwell,

P. Coonan, J. Grinter, R. Halliday, G. Jones,

N. Nicholls, L. Rankine, H. Schedlich, G. Wylie.

(1908) L. Evans, R. Phillips, F. Saunders, E. Stirling,

T. Stirling, C. Wylie.

(1909) l. Gurr, K. Marsh, S. Prosser, K. Threadgold,

H. Tonkin, T. Walker.

STRATHALBYN FOOTBALL CLUB

INAUGURAL PREMIERSHIP 1910

Strathalbyn 6 – 12 d. Star Centrals 2 – 6 at Balhannah

Back row from left : P. Coonan, H. Wylie (Boundary Umpire), C. Cox (Trainer),

J. Buckingham, H. Schedlich, M. Tucker, G. Jones, E. Grubb,

F. Daw, J. Grinter, N. Nicholls, G. Semple, J. Edmonds.

Centre row : T. Fallon (Trainer), E. Smith (Trainer), L. Rankine, S. Bruce,

H. Allen (Vice Captain), J. Caldwell (Captain),

S. Prosser (Secretary / Treasurer), K. Threadgold, E. Brown,

E. Stirling, W. Semple (Trainer).

Front row : R. Buchanan, R. Wylie, G. Markham, G. Wylie, A. Bisenberg (Umpire),

E. Halliday, L. Gurr, E. Bowley (Goal Umpire), W. Wylie (Trainer).

Absent : M. Thomas.

STRATHALBYN FOOTBALL CLUB

PREMIERS 1911

Strathalbyn 10 – 11 d. Onkaparinga 5 – 10 at Strathalbyn

Back row left to right : W. Semple (Trainer), J. Grinter, E. Roberts, E. Stirling, M. Tucker,

N. Richardson, G. Jones, F. Kruse, G. Wylie (Trainer).

Centre row : E. Bowley (Goal Umpire), J. Milnes, F. Dingle

,S. Bruce, (Secretary / Treasurer), J. Caldwell (Captain), D. George,

L. Rankine,H. Edmonds, (Unknown).

Front row : G. Markham, H. Martin, R. Wylie, M. Thomas.

STRATHALBYN Vs MT. BARKER AT STRATHALBYN SHOWGROUNDS 1912

STRATHALBYN FOOTBALL CLUB AT THE STRATHALBYN SHOWGROUNDS 1912

STRATHALBYN FOOTBALL CLUB

RUNNERS UP 1913

Back row from left : W. Conlin, J. Caldwell (Captain), R. Gooch (Trainer), F. Pallant,

R. Wylie, F. Halliday, C. Woolfitt, P. Pinson, H. Milnes,

W. Semple (Trainer), J. Ring, H. Allen (Trainer).

Centre row : M. Thomas, J. Scougall, D. Thorpe, A. Caldwell, T. Stirling,

M. Tucker (Vice Captain).

Front row : B. Westley, D. George, T. Fallon, E. Stirling,J. Grinter.

STRATHALBYN FOOTBALL CLUB 1915

Back row left to right : F. Virgo, R. Gooch (Secretary), G. Jones, E. Roberts, N. Richardson,

J. McMillan, B. Conlon, M. Tucker, B. Westley, (Unknown).

Centre row : D. Thorpe, R. Halliday, J. Grinter, K. Threadgold (Captain),

J. Caldwell (Vice Captain), D. George, M. Thomas, W. Semple.

Front row : S. Logan, G. Wylie, J. Brown, K. Bell, C. Jarvis, E. Bartlett.

Mascot : K. Semple.

STRATHALBYN FOOTBALL CLUB

BACK to BACK PREMIERS 1919 / 1920

1919 Strathalbyn 5 – 7 d. Stirling 3 – 10 at Mt. Barker

1920 Strathalbyn 5 – 8 d. Onkaparinga 4 – 11 at Mt. Barker

Back row left to right : H. Allen, L. Strirling, H. Edmonds, A. Burgess, E. Barham,

W. Semple (Trainer).

Third row : D. Caldwell (Trainer), R. Westley, H. Grinter, F. Edmonds, E. Howard,

P. Martin, H.J. Milne, E. Harris R Clark.

Second row : F. Virgo, L. Bedson, J. Caldwell, K. Bell (Secretary 1920),

N. Richardson (Captain 1920), E. Brown (Vice Captain), S. Dance,

J. Bell (President).

Front row : C. Moore, L. Graham, C. Logan, L. Kelly, K. Threadgold (Captain 1919),

C. Jarvis, J. Raggatt (Secretary 1919).

Absent : J. Burkett, T. Finey, D. George, W. Leaker, W. May, J. Vaughan, G. Wylie (1919)

W. Walsh (1919 and 1920)

STRATHALBYN FOOTBALL CLUB

RUNNERS UP 1921

Back row left to right : R. Storey, R. Westley, H. Milnes, H. Grinter, W. May, J. Caldwell.

Centre row : L.E. Stirling, D. Caldwell, W. Semple, E. Newton, K. Threadgold,

C. Jarvis, K. Bell, E. Brown, N. Bedson, I. McRae, H. Allen.

Front row : C. Collins, J. Read, S. Nicholls, J. Raggatt, C. Moore, W. Follett.

STRATHALBYN FOOTBALL CLUB

BACK to BACK PREMIERS 1924 / 1925

1924 Strathalbyn 8 – 14 d. Mt. Barker 7 – 6 at Balhannah

1925 Strathalbyn 6 – 12 d. Mt. Barker 6 – 11 at Balhannah

Left to right : O. Clifford (Boundary Umpire), M. Spencer, C. Clifford, W. McHenry,

K. Threadgold, W. Walsh, P.G. Joy, C. Moore, L. Watson, C. Jarvis,

R. Hickey (Field Umpire), L. Hawke (Captain), K. Bell (Vice Captain),

C. Fairbairn, R. Keough, F. Drew, (Unknown), A. Wellington, R. Storey,

R. Bennett, R. Allen (Boundary Umpire).

Absent 1924 : J. Bell, M. Norman, F. Wheaton.

Absent 1925 : L. Denholm, K. Jarvis, J. Jarvis, R. Wyman.

Absent 1924 / 1925 : J. Follett, R. Jackson, R. Montgomery, J.L. Raggatt.

STRATHALBYN ROVERS FOOTBALL CLUB

1924 (RESERVES)

Back row left to right : O. Harvey, R. Jackson, J. Logan, W. Newton, K. Westley,

Clarrie Westley, J. Schunke, T. Harvey, H. Stanton, L. Watson,

R. Heading.

Centre row : H. Nisbett (Trainer), R. Metcalf, P. Wyman, W. Nisbett, J. Drew,

P. Paech, O. Clifford, J. Nisbett, F. Drew.

Front row : T. Kerslake (Boundary Umpire), A. Threadgold (Field Umpire).

STRATHALBYN ROVERS FOOTBALL CLUB RESERVES

PREMIERS 1926

Strathalbyn 4 – 7 d. Ambleside 4 – 6 at Echunga

Back row left to right : W. Lawton, R. Metcalf, K. Semple, T. Metcalf, J. Schunke,

C. Prince, Clarrie Westley, L. Grubb, H. Eckert, Clem Westley,

D. Vaughan, G. Wylie.

Front row : H. Nisbett (Trainer), W. Nisbett, J. Nisbett, W. Walsh,

R. Johnston (Secretary), K. Westley (Captain), W. Williams,

C. Roberts, P. Wyman, J. Johnston (Trainer).

Umpire : B. Read.

Inserts : A. Aworth, J. Moore, A. Burgess.

STRATHALBYN FOOTBALL CLUB

PREMIERS 1928

Strathalbyn 10 – 12 d. Mt. Barker 5 – 5 at Milang

Back row from left : J. Jarvis (Time keeper), J. Bell (President), T. Metcalf, K. Bell,

T. Harvey, J. Nettlefold, M. Weidenhofer, R. Yeates,

L. Watson (Vice Captain), G. Semple (Delegate),

F. Hopkins, H. Allen (Secretary).

Centre row : W. Semple (Trainer), K. Semple, E. Hannam, R. Montgomery,

H. Manuel, R. Tonkin, C. Westley, R. Jackson, N. Kerslake (Trainer).

Front row : L. Pope, W. Dunstan, C. Jarvis (Umpire), M. Lunney (Captain),

K. Jarvis.

Absent : J. Drew, P.G. Joy.

Photograph taken at Strathalbyn Showgrounds.

STRATHALBYN ROVERS FOOTBALL CLUB

1928

Back Row from left : C. Liccione (Secretary), J. Hutson, S. Tyler, J. Nettlefold, G. Allingham,

N. Clough, J. Schunke, R. Hall, A. Milnes, J. Johnston, L. Pope, A. Burgess.

Centre Row : M. Lunney (Umpire), H. Dewhurst, R. Allen, G. Wylie, E. Saunders,

R. Milnes, R. Johnston, C. Lintern, L. Watson (Boundary Umpire),

M. Thomas (Coach).

Front : R. Metcalf (Captain).

SFC Senior Games Played

Ken Haines — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 14:44:00 +0000

150 or more SENIOR SFC MATCHES

1. Nathan DUFFIELD 431 1994 to 2018 *

2. Allan DUNN 409 1960 to 1990

3. Perry JONES 406 1964 to 1985

4. Sam WECKERT 394 1985 to 2007

5. Allen SORRELL 334 1963 to 1981

6. Phillip EATTS 319 1994 to 2018

7. Kane SMITH 307 1994 to 2017

8. Lance WATSON 300 approx. 1922 to 1948

9. Roger WECKERT 287 1973 to 1994

10. Fred MEGAW 282 1956 to 1978

11. Andrew McFeEE 281 1985 to 2007

12 Scott HARDING 274 2001 to 2014, 2018

13. Robert WESTLEY 273 1955 to 1977

14. Trevor HEINRICH 265 1962 to 1979

15. Allan COUSINS 256 1974 to 1998

16. Noel ELLIOTT 250 1970 to 1987

17. Brad GEUE 245 1992 to 2007

18. Nick WECKERT 239 1977 to 1991

19. Mark TUCKER 238 2005 to 2018*

20. Ben WILSON 235 1998 to 2012

21. Craig LAMSHED 229 1981 to 1999

22. Chris ALLEN 228 1966 to 1982

23. Daryl LUDWIG 226 1979 to 1999

24. Paul WAGENKNECHT 219 1994 to 2007

25. David GARWOOD 217 1980 to 1996

26. Kym THYER 215 1975 to 1994

27. Bjorn WAGENKNECHT 215 1999 to 2010

28. Ben NISBETT 206 2006 to 2016

29. Chad FERGUSSON 204 1994 to 2006

30. Sam GEORGE 202 2006 to 2018*

30. Chris HUMPHRYS 202 1987 to 2003

32. Alan BELL 201 1970 to 1989

33. Jamie ALLEN 200 1991 to 2008

33. Craig WALSH 200 1994 to 2008

35. Les PEEK 184 1965 to 1978

36. Marc ELLIOTT 182 2007 to 2018*

36. Graham NISBETT 182 1949 to 1965

36. Jason OLIVER 182 1994 to 2007

39. Colin MEGAW 179 1956 to 1967

40. Michael CUTTING 175 2006 to 2018*

40. Ted YEATES 175 approx 1933 to 1953

40. Peter GILBERT 175 1967 to 1980

40. Keith JONES 175 1987 to 2001

40. Bill ROWE 175 1984 to 1997

45. Steve WECKERT 172 1973 to 1987

46. Ben COUSINS 171 2007 to 2017

47. Matthew ROGERS 170 2008 to 2018*

48. Glen RAYNER 169 1976 to 1986

49. Harry MOYLE 167 1952 to 1965

50. Randall PITT 167 1973 to 1990

51. Paul HOLDSWORTH 165 1978 to 1994

52. Bryan WAGENKNECHT 164 1961 to 1972

53. Bill RICHARDSON (Junior) 162 1952 to 1963

54. Robbie ELLIOTT 156 1975 to 1994

55. Neville WIRTH 155 1959 to 1970

56. Steven NESS 153 1984 to 1997

57. Michael Vaninetti 150 2007 to 2018 *

58. Tom MEGAW 149 1956 to 1965

58. Hartley WECKERT 149 1952 to 1961

* Currently playing at end of 2018 season.

Total number of games played by Lance Watson and Ted Yeates are the best calculations available, as SFC records from those eras are unavailable.

SFC Results 2010 to 2019

Ken Haines — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 14:42:00 +0000

2010

Premiers Played 20 Won 18 Lost 2

Strathalbyn began the 2010 season with the disappointment of their narrow Grand Final loss to Willunga from the previous year still burning.

Peter Simmons was reappointed as A Grade Coach with Keith Jones again as Reserves Coach.

Most of the players from the previous year were retained and the arrival of Jaimen Stringer, Tom Redden, Alex Bowley and Stuart Barbary together with the return of Jed Hickey further boosted the playing list.

Prior to the start of the year, the coaches enclosures were enlarged to ensure space for Interchange players and trainers as well as the coaches.

Strathalbyn began the year with a sound win over McLaren under lights, followed by good wins over Victor Harbour and then Langhorne Creek in the Anzac night match.

They were beaten by Yankalilla but then won their next six matches comfortably.

In round five they defeated Myponga / Sellicks by 125 points, their greatest ever winning margin over that club and in round nine scored a mammoth 174 point win over Goolwa / Port Elliot with Marc Elliott scoring ten goals.

In round ten on the 19^th of June, Phillip Eatts played his 300^th game for the SFC against McLaren becoming just the sixth SFC player to achieve that milestone.

Against Victor Harbour in round eleven, SFC were well behind early but stormed home to lose by just six points, which was the reality check needed.

They went on to win the remainder of their minor round matches to finish on top of the premiership table, winning sixteen matches and losing just two.

In the Second Semi Final, played in atrocious conditions, Strathalbyn built an early lead and held on to defeat Victor Harbour by 23 points.

Willunga had fought their way to the Grand Final from the Elimination Final and were looking to win their seventh successive premiership.

This would be the third successive Grand Final meeting of these two powerful clubs.

The Grand Final was scheduled to be played at Langhorne Creek, but due to heavy rain and subsequent flooding at Langhorne Creek, the match was rescheduled to be played at Goolwa.

Strathalbyn played brilliant football early and established a twenty point lead in the second quarter but Willunga responded to see scores tied at the half way mark.

In a high standard game Strathalbyn got to a six point lead at the last change but no one in attendance foresaw the drama to follow.

The last quarter saw the defences of both sides take control and it became a war of attrition. A free kick to SFC Captain, Nathan Duffield, saw him goal and Strathalbyn were in front by four points with two minutes and forty seconds left to play.

Two dubious umpiring decisions went in favour of Willunga and with just seconds remaining, a hurried kick into their forward line was marked by Mitch Portlock just 25 metres from goal but on a tight angle.

The siren sounded and Willunga knew the kick was in the best possible hands as Portlock was recognised as one of the best ever players in the GSFL.

To the amazement of all, and to the extreme relief of all Strathalbyn players, officials and supporters, his kick veered to the right, registering a point and Strathalbyn were Premiers in one of the greatest ever GSFL Grand Finals.

Strathalbyn Captain, Nathan Duffield, was voted best afield.

Strathalbyn 3-5 6-6 11-7 13-8 = 86

Willunga 1-2 6-6 10-7 12-11 = 83

Goal Scorers SFC :- Nathan Duffield, Marc Elliott 3, Ben Cousins 2, Ben Wilson, Tom Redden, Ben Nisbett, Ben Simounds, Jonathon Eagleton 1.

Best Players SFC :- Nathan Duffield, Ben Nisbett, Jaimen Stringer, Sam George, Marc Elliott, Jordan Hall.

A Grade Premiership team :-

Peter Simmons (Coach), Nathan Duffield (Captain), Marc Elliott (Vice Captain), Ben Cousins, Todd Dellatore, Jonathon Eagleton, Phillip Eatts, Sam Elliott, Sam George, Jordan Hall, Jed Hickey, Michael Kenyon, Sam McDonald, Ben Nisbett, Tom Redden, Ben Simounds, Jaimen Stringer, Wade Thorpe, Mark Tucker, Ashley Weckert, Sean Williams, Ben Wilson.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Marc Elliott, Sam McDonald (each 20), Ben Cousins, Michael Kenyon, Ben Nisbett, Mark Tucker (19), Tom Redden (18), Nathan Duffield, Phillip Eatts, Ben Simounds, Jaimen Stringer, Wade Thorpe, Ashley Weckert, Ben Wilson (17), Jonathon Eagleton, Sam Elliott, Sean Williams (15), Jed Hickey (14), Todd Dellatore, Matthew Ellis, Ben Thrum (12), Alex Bowley, (11), Jordan Hall (10).

38 players for the season

Marc Elliott, Jed Hickey, Jaimen Stringer and Mark Tucker were selected in the Victor Harbour Times Team of the Year, with Ben Cousins listed in the Interchange.

SFC Coach Peter Simmons was selected as Coach.

Bjorn Wagenknecht played his 200^th match for SFC on the 10^th April against McLaren, while Ben Wilson played his 200^th on the 1^st of May against Yankalilla.

On a sad note, Mr. John Almond, Senior Colts premiership coach of 1973 and 1974 and Club Secretary from 2006 to 2009 passed away on 17^th August.

The Strathalbyn Reserves enjoyed a good season and were in first position at the end of the minor round, winning sixteen matches and losing just two.

They lost the Second Semi Final to Willunga by fourteen points, but in the Preliminary Final against McLaren, in a tough match, they got up to win by just five points having been seven points down at the last change.

In the Grand Final Strathalbyn fought hard and were in touch at three quarter time but were overwhelmed in the last term by Willunga.

Willunga 3-3 6-6 7-11 13-12 = 90

Strathalbyn 2-2 4-4 5-5 5-5 = 35

Goal Scorers SFC :- Kane Smith 3, Michael Cutting, Michael Vaninetti 1.

Best Players SFC :- Randall Gale, Mark Abbott, Matthew Ellis, Shannon Maxwell, Kane Smith, Ben Thrum.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished in fourth position at the end of the minor round, winning fourteen matches and losing four.

They defeated Myponga / Sellicks by 72 points in the Elimination Final but were no match for eventual premiers, Victor Harbour, losing the First Semi Final by 78 points.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished third at the end of the minor round, winning fourteen matches and losing four.

They lost to Willunga in the Qualifying Final by 30 points but then defeated Yankalilla in the First Semi Final by thirteen points but lost the Preliminary Final again to Willunga by just two points.

Strathalbyn won the South Adelaide Shield as the most successful club in the GSFL in the A Grade, Reserves, Senior Colt and Junior Colt grades for 2010.

To complete his CV with the SFC, Brenton Smith filled the Bar Manager role for the year.

The SFC achieved an unusual honour when brothers Jarad and Darcy Hourigan won the GSFL Senior Colt and Junior Colt Best and Fairest Awards respectively.

Darcy also won the GSFL Junior Colt leading goalscorer award for the season.

2011

Third Played 21 Won 15 Lost 6

Peter Simmons and Keith Jones were reappointed to the A Grade and Reserves Coaching positions as the club prepared for its title defence.

Brenton Smith took on the role of voluntary Bar Manager for the year.

The recruitment of Simon Munn and Ben Dray from West Adelaide boosted confidence, however this was significantly offset by the loss of Sam McDonald, Mark Tucker, Tom Redden and Michael Kenyon coupled with the retirement of Phillip Eatts.

Phillip Eatts had played 309 senior games for the SFC, he was Captain of the 2000 A Grade Premiership Team and Deputy Vice Captain in the 2010 A Grade Premiership Team, he was awarded Life Membership of the SFC in 2005 and was also selected in the SFC Team of the Century.

He later played a few Reserves games in 2011, 2013, 2017 and 2018.

Coach Simmons warned that player depth would be tested and may prove to be an issue if injuries occurred during the season.

Strathalbyn began the season with a fortunate two point victory over Victor Harbour, followed by wins over Yankalilla and then Langhorne Creek in the Anzac match.

They were beaten by Willunga before having four successive victories and then a surprise 23 point loss to Myponga / Sellicks.

Scott Harding played his 200^th game for the SFC on the 7^th of May against Willunga.

Their only losses in the second round were to Langhorne Creek and Willunga but their form fluctuated depending on injuries and availability of key players.

At the end of the minor round they were in third position, having won fourteen matches and losing four.

Strathalbyn were defeated by Langhorne Creek in the Qualifying Final by seventeen points but bounced back to convincingly beat Yankalilla by 70 points in the First Semi Final.

In the Preliminary Final again against Langhorne Creek, in a tightly contested match they were just five points down at the last change but faded to be beaten by 29 points.

Simon Munn, after a stellar season, won the GSFL Mail Medal.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Sam George, Jordan Hall, Simon Munn, Ben Nisbett (each 21), Ben Dray, Jed Hickey, Ben Simounds (20), Rowan Chester, Sam Elliott, Shannon Maxwell, Ashley Weckert (19), Mark Abbott (18), Jonathon Eagleton (17), Michael Vaninetti, Ben Wilson (16), Austin McFarlane, Wade Thorpe, Ryan Watson (15), Lachlan Button (14), Ben Cousins (12), Grant Beaumont, Cameron Sandercock (11), Scott Harding (10).

36 players for the season.

Simon Munn, Ben Dray and Jonathon Eagleton were selected in the Victor Harbour Times Team of the Year.

Former SFC Secretary Mr. Ian (Jonno) Johnston passed away on the 3^rd of February.

The Strathalbyn Reserves were significantly affected by the injury list and subsequent player shortage and finished seventh at the end of the minor round, winning six matches, drawing one and losing eleven.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished fifth at the end of the minor round, winning eleven matches and losing seven.

They met Victor Harbour in the Elimination Final but were beaten by 56 points, Victor Harbour went on to become premiers.

The Strathalbyn Junior colts finished in second position at the end of the minor round, winning sixteen matches and losing just two.

They lost to Willunga in the Qualifying Final by four points but defeated Myponga / Sellicks by 24 points in the First Semi Final.

In the Preliminary Final they came from behind at the last break to defeat Willunga by seven points but in the Grand Final found the unbeaten Victor Harbour too strong.

Victor Harbour 3-2 5-2 6-4 8-8 = 56

Strathalbyn 2-0 2-2 3-2 4-6 = 30

Goal Scorers SFC :- Leigh Black, Mitchell Blenkiron, Cody Blight, Jake Pichl 1.

Best Players SFC :- Caleb Vears, Mitchell Blenkiron, Liam Vanzati, Nick Gowling, Lachlan Hourigan, Caleb Hodgson

During the season former SFC Colts player Darcy Hourigan was selected in the South Australian Under 16 Team to play in a Carnival being held in Sydney.

He made the best players in several games, and on his return to South Adelaide was elevated to play in their Under 18 Team for the remainder of the season.

On the 10^th September he made his debut with the South Adelaide league team, to become the youngest ever South Adelaide league SANFL player at just fifteen years of age.

Former SFC player Nick Murphy bought further honour to the club when he was announced as the South Adelaide League team Captain.

On the 18^th June a dinner was held in the SFC clubrooms in recognition of the service given by retired player Phillip Eatts and also of the long service with the Ladies Auxiliary by Marlene Megaw and Rhonda Duffield.

Sadly, Rhonda passed away suddenly on the 22^nd of September. She first became involved in the SFC in 1978 when son Cary began playing in the Mini Colts, and she later became Secretary of the Colts Committee.

In1989 she started cooking meals on Thursday nights and on Saturdays and became involved with the Ladies Auxiliary and went on to be Vice President and then President for a number of years.

She was awarded Life Membership of SFC in 2003 and would be a huge loss to the football club in total.

The Football Club kitchen facility has been named after her, as a mark of respect.

2012

Eighth Played 18 Won 6 Lost 12

Peter Simmons was reappointed as A Grade Coach, with Keith Jones as Assistant Coach and Travis Wiese as Reserves Coach.

Playing stocks were significantly weakened with the loss of Lachlan Button, Jonathon Eagleton, Marc and Sam Elliott, Jed Hickey, Cameron Sandercock and Ryan Watson and colts players were regularly called on to top up player numbers for the A Grade and Reserves teams.

The season started badly with a 51 point loss to Victor Harbour and was followed by a 26 point loss to Goolwa/Port Elliot.

Worse was to follow when Langhorne Creek handed out a 114 point thrashing in front of a large crowd in the Anzac Day match. Five more losses saw Strathalbyn slump to the bottom of the table but to the surprise of many they defeated McLaren to record their first win for the year.

The return of Michael Kenyon, Jaimen Stringer and Mark Tucker substantially strengthened the team.

Incredibly they slowly turned their form around with successive wins over Victor Harbour and Goolwa before a credible loss to Langhorne Creek.

Ben Wilson played his 235^th and final game for the SFC on the 28^th of July against Myponga / Sellicks.

Strathalbyn won three of their last six matches, reflecting the effort put in to restore club fortunes.

Strathalbyn finished in eighth position at the end of the minor round, winning six matches and losing twelve.

The following played 10 or more Senior games for the season :-

Scott Harding, Simon Munn, Ben Nisbett, Mark Tucker (each 18), Josh Marton, Cameron McFarlane, Jaimen Stringer (17), Ben Cousins, Sam George, Michael Vaninetti (15), Austin McFarlane, Ben Simounds, Wade Thorpe (14), Michael Cutting, Joel Donaldson, Shannon Maxwell (13), Jordan Hall (12), Mark Billington, Rowan Chester, Ben Dray, Reuben Stutley (11).

42 players for the season.

At the conclusion of the season Coach Peter Simmons announced his retirement from coaching the SFC. In his five years at the helm he had guided Strathalbyn into the Grand Final on three occasions, achieving a Premiership in 2010.

Mr. John Elliott, former player, Life Member, long term SFC Trainer and Head Trainer in the Team of the Century, passed away on the 28^th of February.

The Strathalbyn Reserves finished the season in seventh position at the end of the minor round, winning just five matches, drawing one and losing twelve.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished in fifth position at the end of the minor round, winning ten matches, drawing one and losing seven.

They were beaten by Willunga in a tightly contested Elimination Final by fourteen points. Willunga went on to reach the Grand Final and lost the premiership to Goolwa / Port Elliot by just one point.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts also finished in fifth position at the end of the minor round, winning ten matches and losing eight.

They defeated Willunga in the Elimination Final by four points but lost the First Semi Final to Myponga / Sellicks by fifteen points.

2013

Third Played 21 Won 13 Lost 8

Tony Burgess was appointed as Non Playing Coach with Simon Munn, Ben Dray and Ben Nisbett as Assistant Coaches and Travis Wiese was appointed as Reserves Coach.

Tony had played with West Adelaide from 1980 to 1994, excluding 1985 and 1986 when he played at Collingwood and was previously Assistant Coach of South Adelaide, Coaching Director at West Adelaide as well as involvements at Glenelg and Broadview Football Clubs.

Strathalbyn began the season with sound wins over Mt Compass and McLaren before a narrow loss to Langhorne Creek in the Anzac Day match by six points.

In round five they were almost six goals down at three quarter time against Willunga but came home strongly to get within four points with just seconds to play. In a last gasp effort they shot the ball into the goal mouth and Wade Thorpe took an incredible mark over the pack and then slotted the goal after the final siren to score a memorable victory.

They received a reality check in round nine when well beaten by Encounter Bay by 99 points and by Langhorne Creek by a similar margin in round twelve.

Inexplicitly they lost to bottom placed Yankalilla in round seventeen which ultimately cost them third position and the double chance.

Strathalbyn finished in fourth position at the end of the minor round, winning eleven matches and losing seven.

They met Victor Harbour in the Elimination Final and in a high scoring game were victorious by seventeen points.

In another high scoring match, they defeated Langhorne Creek in the First Semi Final by thirteen points but were defeated by premiership favourites, Encounter Bay, in the Preliminary Final by 34 points.

The following played 10 or more Senior games for the season :-

Ben Cousins, Scott Harding, Josh Marton, Ben Simounds, Ashley Weckert (each 21), Sam George, Austin McFarlane (20), Simon Munn (19), Wade Thorpe (18), Chris Clark, Mark Tucker (17), Michael Cutting, Tim Larcombe, Ben Nisbett, Michael Vaninetti (16), Sam McDonald, Cameron Sandercock (15), Jason Schulz, Reuben Stutley, Ben Thrum (13), Russell Tucker (12), Ben Dray, Randall Gale (10).

39 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves finished in eighth position at the end of the minor round, winning just five matches, drawing one and losing twelve.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished in fifth position at the end of the minor round, winning ten matches and losing eight.

They lost the Elimination Final to Goolwa / Port Elliot by thirty points but inaccuracy did little to help their cause.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts also finished in fifth position at the end of the minor round, winning ten matches and losing eight.

They were defeated by Willunga by 21 points in the Elimination Final.

During the season the SFC celebrated 50 years in the GSFL together with a 50 year reunion of the 1964 A Grade and Reserves Premierships on the 11^th of August against Myponga.

In those fifty years, the SFC A Grade had contested 23 Grand Finals for 11 Premierships, the SFC Reserves 16 Grand Finals for 5 Premierships, the SFC Senior Colts / Colts 23 Grand Finals for 16 Premierships and the Junior Colts 21 Grand Finals for 15 Premierships.

The SFC Junior Colts only entered the GSFL competition in 1968.

These results confirm the Strathalbyn Football Club’s position as an extremely powerful and successful entity within the GSFL and a credit to the Strathalbyn community.

Mr. Roy Hagger, SFC Life Member, former long term committeeman and club handyman passed away on the 4^th of July.

Mr. Barry Beckman, former Premiership Captain Coach passed away on the 27^th of August. Many good judges rate Barry as the best player ever to represent the Strathalbyn Football Club and he was a unanimous choice as Centreman in the SFC Team of the Century.

2014

Premiers Played 22 Won 18 Lost 4

Tony Burgess was reappointed as A Grade non playing coach, Rob Donaldson as Fitness Director and Travis Weise as Reserves coach for the season.

The return of former players Marc and Sam Elliott together with the recruitment of Brad James, Daniel and Wayne Batson saw playing stocks significantly bolstered although player depth would be an issue if injuries or unavailability arose.

Ben Dray, Cameron Sandercock, Daniel Simounds, Wade Thorpe, Ben Thrum and Russell Tucker were, however, substantial losses

The season began well with four victories, including a two point close call in the annual Anzac Day match against Langhorne Creek before suffering their first loss to Goolwa / Port Elliot, by one point bought about by Strathalbyn’s inaccuracy in kicking for goal.

They won their next nine matches but inaccuracy continued to be a problem. In that run they defeated Mt Compass by four points, 9 goals 19 points to Mt Compass 11 goals 3 points.

Losses to Encounter Bay in round fifteen by 34 points and Willunga in round seventeen by 59 points were reality checks and saw them lose top position on percentage to Encounter Bay.

Strathalbyn finished in second position at the end of the minor round, winning fifteen matches and losing just three.

Strathalbyn met Langhorne Creek in the Qualifying Final, played at Langhorne Creek, and again inaccuracy cost them dearly.

Langhorne Creek led by eleven points at three quarter time but SFC dominated play in the final term but wasted many opportunities after taking the lead late in the game.

Two late goals saw Langhorne Creek advance to the Second Semi Final against Encounter Bay, winning by seven points.

Strathalbyn met Goolwa / Port Elliot in the First Semi Final and, after a tight first quarter steadily drew away to win by 24 points.

Strathalbyn and Langhorne Creek met again in the Preliminary Final played at Willunga.

After an error ridden first quarter, Strathalbyn trailed by twelve points at the break but in a stunning reversal of form, they scored an amazing ten goals four points to just one point in the second quarter to virtually ensure victory with a 50 point half time lead.

They went on to win by 70 points with six goals from Marc Elliott and four from Brad James with the Strathalbyn ruck brigade proving the dominant factor.

In the first GSFL Grand Final to be played at Myponga, Encounter Bay began the match as firm favourites.

In a tightly contested match, Encounter Bay got to a five point lead at the first break in a low scoring affair. The Bays defence shut down the SFC forwards and with their ruck work improving they steadily ground their way to a seventeen point lead at half time.

With a lift from Daniel Batson and James in ruck, providing more system with forward entries, Munn and Marc Elliott started to become prominent as Strathalbyn built a lead of five points at the last change.

With more run in their legs, SFC slowly asserted themselves and were three points clear when Marc Elliott scored his fourth goal. Encounter Bay had an opportunity but a shanked kick was cleared away and Stutley scored the final goal of the game to see Strathalbyn home by eight points in a very low scoring Grand Final.

Strathalbyn 1-2 1-4 5-5 7-8 = 50

Encounter Bay 2-1 4-3 4-6 6-6 = 42

Goal Scorers SFC :- Marc Elliott 4, Simon Munn 2, Rueben Stutley 1.

Best Players SFC :- Jordan Hall, Simon Munn, Marc Elliott, Daniel Batson, Ben Nisbett, Michael Vaninetti.

Jordan Hall was awarded the West End Medal as best on ground and Simon Munn, strangely playing in his first Grand Final, played brilliantly for Strathalbyn while Marc Elliott was the dominant forward of the match with his four goals proving decisive and taking his season’s tally to 70.

A Grade Premiership Team :-

Tony Burgess (Coach), Simon Munn (Captain), Daniel Batson, Wayne Batson, Adam Clark, Ben Cousins, Nathan Duffield, Marc Elliott, Sam Elliott (Vice Captain), Sam George, Jordan Hall, Brad James, Xavier Larcombe, Josh Marton, Sam McDonald, Austin McFarlane, Ben Nisbett (Vice Captain), Daniel Pegler, Rueben Stutley, Mark Tucker, Michael Vaninetti, Ashley Weckert.

The following played 10 or more Senior games for the season :-

Daniel Batson, Sam Elliott, Xavier Larcombe, Sam McDonald, Austin McFarlane (each 21), Mark Tucker (20), Jordan Hall (19), Sam George, Ben Nisbett, Michael Vaninetti (18), Wayne Batson, Nathan Duffield, Marc Elliott, Brad James, Simon Munn (17), Rueben Stutley (16), Daniel Pegler, Ashley Weckert (15), Chris Clark (14), Adam Clark, Josh Marton (12), Rowan Chester, Ben Cousins (11), Lachlan Burns (10).

38 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves finished in seventh position at the end of the minor round, winning six matches and losing twelve. Lack of player depth was an issue all season and they were unable to develop any consistency.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished in sixth position at the end of the minor round, winning seven matches and losing eleven. Their inconsistent form never allowed them to consolidate a claim to a finals berth but a number of promising players in Kym Tyler, Beau Walkom, Caleb Hodgson, Jacob Wright and Caleb Smith were developing.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished in second position at the end of the minor round, winning fourteen matches, drawing one and losing three.

Strathalbyn held on to defeat Goolwa / Pt Elliot in the Qualifying Final by eight points in a close game after leading by sixteen points at three quarter time.

They lost the Second Semi Final to Willunga by sixteen points, paying the penalty of a poor second quarter.

They met McLaren in the Preliminary Final and inaccuracy cost them dearly as they lost by six points, McLaren seven goals six points to SFC five goals twelve points.

Barnett’s Furniture Transport were the SFC Major Sponsor for the year with other sponsors being Garwood Earthmovers, Phillips Builders, Raine and Horne, Victoria Hotel, AAA Asphalt and Maidments Meat Service and Brenton Smith continued on in the role of Bar Manager.

During the season Nathan Duffield played his 350^th game for SFC on the 10^th of May against Goolwa / Pt Elliot and Kane Smith played his 300^th game for SFC on the 19^th of July against Myponga / Sellicks.

Mr. Hartley Weckert, SFC Life Member, former great player and Captain Coach and club Vice President and President passed away on the 11^th of March.

He was selected as Full Back in the SFC Team of the Century.

Hartley left an indelible mark on the SFC and his funeral, conducted at the Strathalbyn Football Club, was attended by a huge crowd, indicative of the esteem in which the Weckert family is held.

Sadly, the SFC suffered another blow when Mr. Bob Kelly passed away on the 31^st of March. Bob was the long term Patron of the SFC and was the inaugural Chairman of the Strathalbyn Oval Controlling Committee and during his term, many of the ground improvements enjoyed by the players of today were instigated.

2015

Fourth Played 20 Won 9 Lost 11

Tony Burgess was reappointed as Senior Coach for the SFC’s title defence with Rob Donaldson as Chairman of Selectors and Ron Blight as Reserves Coach.

Unfortunately work commitments prevented Ron from taking up the role and Keith Jones stepped in to fill the position at very short notice.

Following a considerable period of planning and negotiations, spearheaded by President Andrew Batten, Brenton Smith and Greg Billington, work finally commenced on the long awaited clubroom upgrade project and quickly the interior was gutted,with all furnishings being placed into storage, as internal walls were rearranged, new front windows, followed by the new facilities for the umpires and the fitout of the professional standard new kitchen.

The footings for the extensive two story section of the new complex were poured in February which signalled to all members and supporters that the project was underway, under the watchful eye of Project Manager, Brenton Smith.

To facilitate these alterations and subsequent disruptions, the SFC had its first 3 matches programmed away which, however, did little to help the on field performance.

The loss of premiership players Ashley Weckert, Jordan Hall, Rowan Chester and Josh Marton was only partly offset by the return of Xavier Larcombe, Ben Nisbett and Daniel Pegler and the elevation of promising Adam Clark.

Pre season trial form did little to instil confidence and it was obvious that with limited playing depth, injuries would determine the success of the season.

Strathalbyn began the season with a 22 point loss to Encounter Bay in the grand final replay and the club went on to lose their first 5 games.

A win over McLaren was morale boosting but substantial losses to Goolwa and then Mt Compass saw the club in free fall.

A narrow win over Myponga and a sound victory over Yankalilla saw them in eighth position at season’s half way point.

Winning 5 of their next 6 matches saw their stocks rise however a 36 point loss to Mt Compass and a narrow loss in a quagmire at Myponga saw them dependant on other results to participate in the finals.

Strathalbyn did little to help their cause with a narrow loss to lowly Yankalilla in the final round, but survived to fight another day when Victor Harbour defeated Myponga to ensure Strathalbyn a place in the finals.

Ironically Strathalbyn met Victor Harbour in the Elimination Final, with their straight goal kicking keeping them in it and, at the final siren scores were level, with extra time required.

Strathalbyn scored 2 goals early in the first period of extra time and held on to win by 13 points.

In the First Semi Final the following week, it was Strathalbyn’s inaccuracy which was to cost them dearly, eventually losing to Goolwa by just 2 points, bringing a frustrating season to a close.

The following played 10 or more Senior games for the season :-

Lachlan Burns, Sam Elliott, Simon Munn, Ben Nisbett (each 20), Adam Clark, Marc Elliott (each 19), Chris Clark, Austin McFarlane (each 18), Nathan Duffield, Mark Tucker (each 16), Xavier Larcombe, Brad James, Aaron Noske (each 15), Steven Williams (14), Sam McDonald (13), Sam George, Josh Maloney, Lachlan Middleton, Rueben Stutley (each 12), Daniel Pegler (11), Daniel Batson, Wayne Batson, Jordan Hall, Jason Puatti (each 10).

42 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Football Club suffered a blow when Grant (Nosey) Lyon, a former A Grade Coach, passed away on the second of April, while Life Member and Ladies Auxillary stalwart Dawn Peek also passed on that same day.

With playing depth a major issue and further injury issues as the season progressed, the Strathalbyn Reserves had a difficult and disappointing season, winning just 4 matches, drawing 1 and losing 13 , to finish the season in ninth position.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts, under Coach Chris Simounds, began the season with promise and, playing good football, were in second position at the half way point of the season.

They lost their next 3 matches but regrouped to win their last 6 games of the minor round to finish in second position, inexplicably they lost both of their finals matches by significant margins to be eliminated, finishing fourth in an extremely disappointing conclusion to their season.

Similarly, the Strathalbyn Junior Colts began their season well but were plagued by inconsistency.

Well placed at the half way mark of the season, they lost 5 of their next 6 games to finish the minor round in fourth position.

A narrow 3 point loss to Encounter Bay in the Elimination Final bought their season to a close.

After coaching Strathalbyn for 3 years and reaching the finals in each season with a premiership in 2014, Tony Burgess announced his retirement from the position of Coach of the Strathalbyn Football Club.

Former player Ashley Golding, known to many as Grill, passed away on the 9th of September.

He filled the position of club Treasurer in 1978 and was actively involved with the SFC Social Club for a number of years.

Work was continuing on the new clubroom complex with steady progress, requiring numerous working bees and considerable resources however it was obvious that this enormous project would continue well into the future causing significant disruption to SFC football events in the coming season or two.

Overall, the SFC and Brenton Smith, as project manager, were well pleased with progress and the interest and generosity it had established within the general community.

The inclusion of the Strathalbyn RSL Branch in the project was also of significant importance.

In recognition of the immense contribution made to the Strathalbyn Football Club, the Strathalbyn Cricket Club and to sport generally in Strathalbyn, Brenton Smith and Perry Jones were each recognised with an end of the Strathalbyn Oval being named in their honour.

2016

Third Played 21 Won 15 Lost 6

The season began with renewed optimism, with substantial progress being made with the new clubroom facility. During the summer break most of the ground floor works had been progressed to the stage of being ready for use in the coming season, with the steelwork for the 2 story part of the project also now in place.

Ms. Cate Goodall, President of the Strathalbyn Sub Branch of the RSL, announced the sale of their old hall in High Street where they had been domiciled since 1943, with the proceeds going directly towards the new Football Club / RSL / Council development. All of their memorabilia will go into their section of the building when that is completed.

Andrew Batten was re elected as President for his tenth year in that position, representing an outstanding contribution to the SFC.

Michael Simmons was announced as Coach, having previous coaching experience at Victor Harbour, Langhorne Creek and at GSFL level, with Todd Dellatore as Reserves Coach.

The recruitment of Ross Christie to boost ruck stocks and the return of Ben Simounds, Ben Cousins and later, Jed Hickey gave rise to hopes of a successful season.

Good trial game form and the completion of the new changerooms and gymnasium complimented the SFC expectations.

Other appointments were Darcy Springhall as Junior Player Development Manager and Scott Harding as Runner.

The season kicked off with a sound win over Encounter Bay, followed by substantial wins over Myponga and Langhorne Creek but suffered a reality check when they lost to Mt Compass by 59 points. Three further victories, including a win at Willunga, a ground where they had little success over the years, followed, before a surprise loss to Victor Harbour.

In the match against Goolwa in Round 7, Ben Simounds played his 100th game for the SFC and celebrated by scoring 11 goals.

At the half way mark of the season, Strathalbyn were well placed in second position behind Mt Compass.

They continued on in the second half winning 7 matches with only narrow losses to Encounter Bay and Mt Compass , finishing the minor round in second position on the ladder.

The two key forwards in Ben Simounds and Marc Elliott, caused opposition teams significant problems as they scored 71 and 62 goals respectively for the year.

In the Qualifying Final, the SFC squandered an early substantial lead, to lose to Encounter Bay by just 5 points, with inaccuracy costing them dearly.

A week later in the First Semi Final, they again established a big lead early, only to see Willunga steadily close the gap and it was only a goal to Ross Christie late in the match that ensure victory by just 9 points.

Their season came to an extremely disappointing conclusion when beaten by Encounter Bay by just 1 point in the Preliminary Final, particularly as they missed numerous opportunities late in the game.

The following played 10 or more Senior games for the season :-

Chris Clark, Mark Tucker (each 21), Marc Elliott, Brad James, Simon Munn, Ben Nisbett, Aaron Noske (each 20), Nathan Duffield, Sam George, Austin McFarlane, Todd Price (each 19), Adam Clark, Ben Simounds (each 18), Michael Vaninetti (17), Ben Cousins (16), Ross Christie, Sam Elliott, Sam McDonald (each 15), Alex Lyon (13), Daniel Pegler (12), Matthew Miller (11), Jed Hickey, Jason Turner (each 10).

38 players for the season

Ben Nisbett played his 200th game for the SFC on 29th of July against Mt Compass, he has been an erstwhile defender for SFC for a number of years and, incredibly, is the fifth generation of the Nisbett family to represent the SFC on the field.

The SFC Reserves had a most disappointing season, winning just 3 matches drawing 2 and losing 13 to finish ninth on the ladder.

A number of narrow losses did not help the cause but they gave rise to optimism of better times ahead when they won 2 and drew 1 of their final 3 games of the season.

The SFC Senior Colts had an interesting season, at times playing very good football but were hampered by inconsistency and suffered a few narrow losses, which, ultimately, caused them to miss the finals.

A number of very promising players emerged with several getting experience on occasions in senior football.

They won 9 matches, drew 1 and lost 8 to finish in sixth position.

The SFC Junior Colts had a difficult and disappointing season, having lost a number of players from the previous year to the higher grade.

They persevered well and displayed potential for further development into the future.

Overall they won 2 games and lost 16 to finish in ninth position.

The SFC Mini Colts enjoyed a very successful season , with good numbers available which augurs well for the future of the club.

Under Coach Sam Sherriff, they went on to defeat Goolwa in a high standard grand final, their first win at this level for some years.

The John Almond Club Person was awarded to Brenton Smith for his incredible service to the club over many years, but particularly for his current role of project managing the new clubroom complex which was rapidly taking shape.

It is anticipated that the facility will be sufficiently advanced to facilitate an official opening some time later in 2017.

2017

Seventh Played 18 Won 9 Lost 9

The new season saw Andrew Batten step down after 10 years as President, during which time he had been a driving force in the planning and development of the new clubroom complex, the establishment of the very successful Anzac Day matches with Langhorne Creek and A Grade premierships in 2010 and 2014.

Rob Donaldson, former SFC Coach and West Adelaide player, stepped into the President’s position, with Andrew Batten as Vice President

Marcia Evans was appointed as Facility Manager of the new complex which was now progressing rapidly.

The ceilings, bar facility, bathrooms and other areas downstairs were nearing completion, soon to be followed by new floor coverings.

The club suffered a setback when several burglaries occurred but the culprits were soon apprehended.

Michael Simmons was reappointed as Coach and the club hoped to build on the disappointment of last year.

Ben Nisbett had retired and Wayne Batson was a loss of significance but was balanced by the recruitment of Josh Lawson and Tom Caesarowicz.

Trial games against Hatherleigh and Scotch Old Collegians were successful but almost immediately the club was beset by injuries, a curse that continued for much of the season.

The season began with a loss to Encounter Bay, then a sound win over last year’s premiers, Mt Compass.

As the injury toll rose, Strathalbyn were to lose 6 of their next 7 matches, to be a very disappointing eighth at the half way mark of the season.

SFC Life Member, Ms. Zel Thyer passed away on 15th April, Zel had been a driving force with the Ladies Auxillary for many years and was a highly regarded person around the club.

She was President of the Ladies Auxilliary from 1979 to 1988.

On the 6th of May against Willunga, Nathan Duffield played his 400th game for the SFC, becoming just the third SFC player to accomplish that feat.

Later that evening, former Coach, Harvey Chenoweth, conducted a very humorous interview of Nathan, giving the large crowd in attendance a good laugh.

The club also conducted reunions of the 1977 Reserves Premiership and the 1987 A Grade Premiership on that same day, with many former players in attendance.

With the return of a few players from injury, Strathalbyn were able to field a stronger team and began the second half of the season with a sound 46 point win over Victor Harbour, to retain the Kym Smith Cup.

Two heavy losses to Mt Compass by 62 points and Langhorne Creek by 46 points virtually finished any finals aspirations for 2017.

However a come from behind and very fortunate 1 point victory over Goolwa restored confidence and, with playing stocks strengthening, they scored a morale boosting and surprising 22 point win over Willunga the following week, also retaining the Ivan Cross Cup.

In the match against Willunga, Ben Simounds played an outstanding game, also scoring 7 goals.

Also in that same game, Nathan Duffield played his 410th game for SFC, surpassing the record previously held by Allan Dunn.

He relegated Perry Jones into third place on the all time SFC games record when he had played his 407th game against Mt Compass on June 29th.

Strathalbyn won their next 4 matches quite convincingly , to finish the season in seventh position behind Victor Harbour on percentage and just a draw behind fifth placed Goolwa, having won 9 games and losing 9.

At their best, Strathalbyn had demonstrated that they could match it with any team, but injuries and poor early season form, in reality, meant that the season could well be summarised as a wasted opportunity.

The following played 10 or more Senior games for the season :

Brad James, Mark Tucker, Jacob Wright (each 18), Adam Clark, Nathan Duffield, Sam George, Jed Hickey, Josh Lawson (each 17), Ben Simounds, Beau Walkom (each 16), Ben Cousins, Aaron Noske, Jason Turner (each 15), Marc Elliott (14), Tom Caesarowicz, Ross Christie, Michael Vaninetti (each 13), Josh Maloney (12), Sam McDonald, Simon Munn, Daniel Pegler, Joseph Slattery (each 10).

36 players for the season.

The significant injury list that plagued the SFC during the season, directly impacted of the fortunes of the Reserves team and it was frequently necessary to draw on the Senior Colts players to make up numbers.

Never the less, the SFC Reserves performed creditably during the season, being more than competitive when their full playing list was available.

They won 9 matches and lost 9 to finish sixth, missing the finals by a small percentage margin, and if most of the list can be retained, participation in the finals is a real possibility next season.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts began their season with style winning their first four matches, but then went through a lean period, before regrouping late in the season.

The significant injury list in the senior playing group, meant that they were frequently called upon to top up the senior teams, much to their detriment.

Overall they won 10 matches and lost 8 to finish fourth at the end of the Minor Round.

They scored an impressive 57 point win over Encounter Bay in the Elimination Final and then scored a surprise and impressive win over Myponga by 23 points.

Ultimately they lost the Preliminary Final to Willunga by 44 points bringing their season to a close, however they had represented their club well and include a number of players of quality that bodes well for the future of the SFC.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts again had a mixed year but came home strongly to win their last 3 matches of the year.

Overall, they won 7 games and lost 11 to finish seventh but were steadily developing as the season progressed.

Promising player, Isaac Birt, finished second in the GSFL Junior Colts Best and Fairest and won the SFC Junior Colt Best and Fairest award.

During the year SFC entered a team in the Adelaide Womens Football League Division 5, which was coached by Darcy Springhall with Paul Thomas as Assistant Coach.

They developed and improved as the year progressed, finishing in the top bracket and, after losing the Second Semi Final, fought back well to win the Preliminary Final and then the Grand Final to claim the inaugural Premiership Trophy for that Division.

A number of very good players emerged, with Bree Liebhardt being the standout, winning both the Best and Fairest Award and the Goalkicking with a total of 22 goals.

The SFC’s Head Trainer, Paul Holdsworth, was awarded GSFL Trainers Life Membership during the season, becoming just the second from Strathalbyn to win that honour.

Paul had been Head Trainer at SFC for 12 years, President of the GSFL Trainers Association for 6 years and was previously a player at Strathalbyn for a number of years.

On a sad note, Mr. Clem Harley passed away on 19th September 2017.

At the time, Clem was the SFC’s oldest Life Member, played for Strathalbyn in the 1930’s, later being Committeeman, Secretary and Vice President.

He had been awarded Life Membership of the SFC in 1967.

Although not complete, in respect to displays of SFC photograph and memorabilia, the new clubroom complex was advanced sufficiently for it to be officially opened on Sunday 12th November 2017.

Mr Leon Bignell, Minister for Sport and Recreation in the SA State Government officially declared the outstanding new facility open before a crowd in excess of 300 people.

Supporting statements from Ms Rebecca Sharkey, Member for Mayo, Mr. David Fawcett, Federal Senator for SA, Mr Keith Parkes, Mayor of Alexandrina Council, Councillor Anne Woolford, President of the Strathalbyn Oval Controlling Committee and Mr Gordon Tonkin, President of the GSFL.

President, Rob Donaldson compered the days proceedings and former President Mr Andrew Batten gave an overview of the project, starting from failed applications for funding from the Department of Sport and Recreation, ongoing applications, the involvement of the Strathalbyn Sub Branch of the RSL and District Council of Alexandrina, the appointment of Mr Brenton Smith as Project Manager, the community of Strathalbyn for their support and involvement in working bees and investments all culminating in the magnificent facility that the SFC now calls home.

All speakers paid due respect for the incredible time and energy that Brenton Smith has imparted towards the successful completion of this project.

2018

Played Won Lost

The new season commenced with significant impetus, following the official opening of the new complex.

Rob Donaldson stepped down as President and Brenton Smith was appointed into the role, this being a club record third term in that position, Andrew Batten continued as Vice President with Josh Pegler as Secretary.

Current player Todd Price was appointed as Senior Coach for season 2018, having had previous successful coaching experience at Lucindale and Paskeville, with Ron Blight taking on the role as Reserves Coach.

The following played 10 or more Senior games for the season :-

Ross Christie, Marc Elliott, Sam Elliott, Brad James, Mark Tucker, Beau Walkom, Jacob Wright (each 18), Richard O’Grady, Todd Price (each 17) Sam George, Riley Clamp (each 16), Adam Clark, Aaron Noske, Michael Vaninetti (each 15), Josh Lawson (13), Hayden Hirschausen, Joseph Slattery (each 12), Nathan Duffield (11).

35 players for the season.

2019

Played Won Lost

SFC Results 2000 to 2009

Ken Haines — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 14:41:00 +0000

2000

Premiers Played 22 Won 14 Lost 8

Harvey Chenoweth was appointed as A Grade Coach for season 2000 with Rob Donaldson Assistant Coach and Keith Jones again coach of the Reserves.

Harvey Chenoweth had playing experience at Central Districts and had coached North Clare to back to back premierships in 1981 / 1982 and had represented South Australian Country in the inaugural interstate country match against Western Australia at Subiaco in 1983, while Rob Donaldson had a successful playing career at West Adelaide and coaching experience at Plympton and West Adelaide Under 19’s.

Paul Holdsworth was appointed as Head Trainer, assisted by Allan Cousins, Sharon Brogan, Sally Michelmore and Adrian Mercer.

Strathalbyn showed promising form in their pre season trial match against Mannum and with new players in Daryl Turner, Glen Semple, Peter Lovell, Dillon Stephenson and brothers Adam and Matthew West, looked to have greater playing depth than previous seasons.

A twelve goal loss to Victor Harbour in the first match of the season was not the start the SFC were anticipating but they regrouped to win their next four matches before a shock 54 point loss to Port Elliot gave them a reality check.

Two more wins were followed by a 19 point loss to Langhorne Creek, which saw Strathalbyn in third place at the season half way mark.

With a long injury list the SFC struggled for consistency, losing to Yankalilla and Mt Compass who were below them on the ladder and finished in fourth place at the end of the minor round having lost three of their last four matches.

Strathalbyn defeated Myponga in the Elimination Final by sixteen points after leading by 43 at three quarter time.

In the First Semi Final they showed greatly improved form with a 53 point victory over Victor Harbour and building momentum, defeated Langhorne Creek by 26 points in the Preliminary Final.

Their relentless finals campaign was rewarded when they defeated Willunga by eight points in the Grand Final. They became only the second team in GSFL history to win the premiership from the Elimination Final, in what was a triumph for Coach Harvey Chenoweth.

Strathalbyn ruckman Peter Lovell, in a dominating display, was awarded the Best on Ground Medal.

Strathalbyn 3-2 4-2 7-8 7-12 = 54

Willunga 0-0 2-1 2-1 7-4 = 46

Goal Scorers SFC :- Andrew Newland 4, Kane Smith, Nathan Duffield, Ben Wilson1.

Best Players SFC :- Peter Lovell, Andrew Newland, Phillip Eatts, Shane Clonan, Simon Vivian.

A Grade Premiership team :-

Harvey Chenoweth (Coach), Phillip Eatts (Captain), Robert Brooks, Shayne Clonan, Nathan Duffield, Robert Horne, Nick Johansen, Peter Lovell, Andrew Newland, Ben Princi, Brenton Pudney, Phil Ryan, Chris Sellan, Glen Semple, Kane Smith (Vice Captain), Dillon Stephenson, Brett Sutherland, Craig Turner, Daryl Turner, Simon Vivian, Marc West, Ben Wilson.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Robert Brooks, Kane Smith (each 22), Andrew Newland, Daryl Turner (21), Phil Ryan, Chris Sellan, Glen Semple (20), Nathan Duffield, Phillip Eatts (19), Robert Horne, Nick Johansen, Brad Walker (18), Shayne Clonan, Peter Lovell (17), Marc West (16), Paul Coombe (15), Paul Wagenknecht, Ben Wilson (14), Adam West (12), Dillon Stephenson (11), Brett Sutherland (10).

43 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves finished second at the end of the minor round, winning twelve matches and losing six.

They lost the Qualifying Final to Willunga but scored an impressive 52 point victory over Victor Harbour in the First Semi Final. This was followed by a narrow four point win over Willunga in the Preliminary Final but they were no match for Myponga in the Grand Final.

Myponga 1-1 4-3 8-9 9-9 = 63

Strathalbyn 0-2 1-3 1-4 2-7 = 19

Goal Scorers SFC :- Steven Schofield , Grant Beaumont 1.

Best Players SFC :- Nick Johansen, Will Ness, Chris Humphrys, Justin Neumann.

Andrew McFee played his 200^th game for SFC on 15^th April against Willunga.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished fifth at the end of the minor round, winning twelve matches and losing six.

They were defeated by Mt Compass in the Elimination Final by 26 points.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts also finished fifth at the end of the minor round, winning eleven matches and losing seven. They were beaten by Encounter Bay in the Elimination Final by just two points.

During the year Steve Koerner took on the onerous task of Bar Manager.

The Strathalbyn Mini colts participated in the Carnival played at Encounter Bay on the 2^nd of August and won their matches against Yankalilla , Goolwa and Willunga all by more than ten goals before losing to eventual winners, Victor Harbour by six points in the Semi Final.

2001

Third Played 21 Won 16 Lost 5

Harvey Chenoweth was reappointed as Coach with Rob Donaldson as Assistant Coach and Keith Jones as Reserves Coach.

Goolwa and Port Elliot clubs amalgamated to become the Saints, playing in red, black and white colours and McLaren Football Club affiliated with the GSFL to maintain a ten team competition.

Steve Spencer was again appointed as Bar Manager as was Paul Holdsworth as Head Trainer, assisted by Allan Cousins, Sharon Brogan and Michael Oertel.

New recruits were Cale Ellison, Matthew Jones, Michael Cook, Ben Semple, while Scott Harding and Jason Lehmann returned, but Peter Lovell and Matthew West were departures.

The season began very promisingly with solid victories over Willunga, Encounter Bay, Victor Harbour and new side McLaren before Mt Compass scored 56 point surprise win over SFC.

Strathalbyn steadied with two more wins but losses to Langhorne Creek and Willunga, both by comfortable margins, showed there was much work still to be done.

SFC continued on, winning their last eight games including a 114 point win over McLaren and a 136 point win over Victor Harbour in the final two games of the minor round.

At the end of the minor round Strathalbyn finished in third position, winning fifteen matches and losing just three.

In the Qualifying Final they continued on with their good form while scoring an eight point victory over Langhorne Creek.

Unfortunately the run came to an end with a 38 point loss to Willunga in the Second Semi Final and, to the surprise of most, they were eliminated by Langhorne Creek in the Preliminary Final by 24 points.

It was an extremely disappointing conclusion to a season that had promised much.

The following played 10 or more Senior games for the season :-

Shayne Clonan, Nathan Duffield, Chris Sellan, Glen Semple (each 21), Andrew Newlands, Daryl Turner (20), Michael Cook, Phillip Eatts, Simon Vivian (19), Grant Beaumont, Robert Horne, Ben Semple (18), Jason Lehmann (17), Scott Harding, Brenton Pudney (16), Aaron Martin, Kane Smith (15), Matthew Jones, Phil Ryan, Ben Wilson (14), Cale Ellison, Nick Frahn (11).

38 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves finished in fourth position at the end of the minor round, winning ten matches and losing eight.

They narrowly defeated Mt Compass by just three points in a very low scoring Elimination Final but then lost to Myponga in the First Semi Final.

Sam Weckert played his 300^th game for the SFC in round five against Mt Compass on the 12^th of May.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished in sixth position at the end of the minor round, winning six matches and losing twelve.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts also finished in sixth position at the end of the minor round, winning nine matches and losing nine, missing the finals series on percentage.

At season’s end, Greg Tucker retired, having coached the SFC Mini Colts for three years and then the Junior Colts for six years.

Former outstanding player Kym Smith, passed away in February, aged just 44 years.

He was later selected in the SFC Team of the Century even though he only played two seasons at Strathalbyn.

He played for Sturt and Glenelg in the SANFL, then successfully coached at Robe in the Mid South East League and later at Victor Harbour.

Kym won the Mail Medal while playing for Strathalbyn in 1979 and also won the Mail Medal in 1982, 1983,and 1984 while playing for Robe.

The Kym Smith Cup is named in his honour and Strathalbyn and Victor Harbour compete for that trophy each year.

2002

Fourth Played 20 Won 14 Lost 6

Harvey Chenoweth was unable to continue as Coach due to employment circumstances, which led to the appointments for the season of Lynton Bishop as A Grade Coach with Rob Donaldson as Assistant Coach and former North Adelaide player Chris Pelle as Reserves Coach.

In other appointments, Clipsal were again the SFC main sponsor and Alan George took on the Bar Manager position,

New recruits were Matthew Drum, David Carnavale and Mark Harrington but Shayne Clonan, Jason Lehmann Chris Sellan and Craig Turner represented major losses.

The SFC began the season losing to Willunga by 25 points but then settled down and playing good football, won their next four matches. A 30 point loss to Encounter Bay was followed by six wins to ensure a finals position.

They won four of the last six matches but, significantly those two losses were to teams they would face again in the finals.

It was a very stable season from a playing perspective with eight SFC A Grade players participating in every match, with twelve playing in eighteen matches or more.

At the end of the minor round Strathalbyn were in second position, winning fourteen matches and losing four.

They were well beaten by Langhorne Creek in the Qualifying Final by 37 points, with worse was to follow when they were eliminated by Encounter Bay by thirteen points in the First Semi Final.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Michael Cook, Phillip Eatts, Nathan Duffield, Scott Harding, Glen Semple, Bjorn Wagenknecht, Paul Wagenknecht, Ben Wilson (each 20), Matthew Drum, Matthew Jones (19), Aaron Martin, Daryl Turner (18), Cale Ellison, Robert Horne (16), Grant Beaumont, Scott Beaumont, David Carnavale (14), Steven Fox, Nick Frahn (12), Justin Neumann (10).

35 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves finished in fourth position at the end of the minor round, winning ten matches and losing eight.

Their season ended with a 47 point loss to Encounter Bay in the Elimination Final.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished in fifth position at the end of the minor round, winning ten matches and losing eight.

Their season ended with a 29 point loss to Victor Harbour in the Elimination Final.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished in second position at the end of the minor round, winning fourteen matches and losing four.

They won the Qualifying Final convincingly, defeating McLaren by 54 points and then scored an upset 28 point win over Willunga in the Second Semi Final.

They won the Premiership with an impressive performance, beating Willunga in the Grand Final by 32 points.

The coaching skills of Greg Billington played a significant role in the team success.

Strathalbyn 2-4 4-7 5-10 6-10 = 46

Willunga 1-0 1-1 1-1 2-2 = 14

Goal Scorers SFC :- Daniel Pegler 2, Sam George, Sam Elliott, Justin Chenoweth, Adam Lee 1.

Best Players SFC :- Sam Elliott, Justin Chenoweth, Daniel Pegler, Sam George, Mark Billington.

During the season a letter was written to the Strathalbyn District Council advising them that the SFC was extremely reluctant to be relocated to the “Lodge” development , should that development proceed.

The SFC enjoyed a most successful season with the GSFL awards for 2002.

Michael Cook enjoyed an outstanding season and won the GSFL Mail Medal as Best and Fairest while Cale Ellison was the GSFL A Grade leading goal scorer with 64 goals for the season.

Promising Senior Colt Russell Tucker was the GSFL Senior Colt Grade leading goalscorer with 58 goals for the season.

Mr. Ivan Cross, former SFC player, President and Life Member, passed away the 6^th of January.

Strathalbyn and Willunga vie for the Cross Trophy each year which is named in Ivan’s honour.

2003

Second Played 20 Won 17 Lost 3

Lynton Bishop, Rob Donaldson and Chris Pelle were all reappointed as A Grade Coach, Assistant Coach and Reserves Coach respectively for season 2003.

Other Club appointments being, Alan George again as Bar Manager, Paul Holdsworth as Head Trainer and Ms. Elly Cousins as President of the Ladies Auxiliary.

The recruitment of Luke Jones, Damian Newham and the return of Shayne Clonan, Nick Johansen and Paul Gerstlauer strengthened the playing list significantly however

Ben Semple, Brett Sutherland, Marc and Adam West, Brenton Pudney and Andrew Newlands all departed.

Strathalbyn started the season well with good wins over the Saints (amalgamation of Goolwa and Port Elliot) and Myponga before suffering a 45 point loss to Willunga.

They regrouped and went on to win the remainder of their first minor round matches, most by significant margins, to be in second position at the halfway mark of the season.

Strathalbyn won the inaugural Daish Cup when they defeated Langhorne Creek in round eight.

Their only loss in the second minor round was a 21 point loss to Yankalilla but they were playing good team football and, in defeating Willunga by eight points in round 17, showed they were in Premiership contention.

Strathalbyn finished in top position at the end of the minor round, winning sixteen matches and losing just two.

In a high class Second Semi Final they just outlasted Willunga to win by six points and, to the surprise of most, McLaren eliminated Willunga in the Preliminary Final, again by six points.

Strathalbyn started the Grand Final as hot favourites and by quarter time were well ahead but McLaren fought back to be all square at half time and Strathalbyn lead by just one point at the last break.

McLaren finished the better to win by twelve points but from a SFC point of view this was certainly one premiership that got away.

McLaren 2-2 6-8 10-10 16-12 = 108

Strathalbyn 6-2 7-2 11-5 15-6 = 96

Goal Scorers SFC :- Robert Brooks, Nathan Duffield, Cale Ellison, Robert Horne 2, Grant Beaumont, Shayne Clonan, Michael Cook, Scott Harding, Luke Jones, Justin Neumann, Russell Tucker 1.

Best Players SFC :- Cale Ellison, Ben Wilson, Nathan Duffield, Scott Harding, Robert Horne.

In an unusual twist, SFC player Shayne Clonan won the Mail Medal clearly with 30 votes but was ineligible, having been reported and suspended for one match during the season. The medal reverted to Nathan Duffield, also of SFC, who scored 25 votes.

The following played 10 or more Senior games for the season :-

Nathan Duffield, Ben Princi, Russell Tucker, Ben Wilson (each 20), Shayne Clonan, Cale Ellison, Robert Horne, Paul Wagenknecht (19), Phillip Eatts, Scott Harding, Luke Jones (18), David Carnavale, Michael Cook, Damien Newham, Daryl Turner (17), Todd Eaton, Grant Beaumont (16), Nick Johansen (15), Aaron Martin (13), Justin Neumann (11).

42 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves finished in fourth position at the end of the minor round, winning thirteen matches and losing five.

Strathalbyn defeated Myponga by 25 points in the Elimination Final but lost to McLaren in the First Semi Final by 31 points.

Chris Humphrys played his 200^th game for SFC on against Langhorne Creek on the 2^nd of August.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished in third position at the end of the minor round, winning thirteen matches and losing five.

They defeated Willunga in the Qualifying Final by just two points but lost the Second Semi Final to McLaren by ten points.

Willunga reversed the result in the Preliminary Final to eliminate Strathalbyn by 24 points.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts had an excellent season and finished in top position at the end of the minor round, winning seventeen matches and losing just one.

They scored a solid thirteen point victory over McLaren in the Second Semi Final but in the Grand Final were much too strong and defeated McLaren comfortably.

Strathalbyn 4-2 5-5 6-7 7-9 = 51

McLaren 0-0 0-1 1-1 1-1 = 7

Goal Scorers SFC :- Brendan Saunders 4, Ben Cousins, Marc Elliott, Darcy Springhall 1.

Best Players SFC :- Brendan Saunders, Ben Cousins, Nick Murphy.

Nick Murphy went on to become Captain of South Adelaide in the SANFL.

2004

Seventh Played 18 Won 7 Lost 11

Lynton Bishop and Rob Donaldson were both reappointed as A Grade and Assistant Coaches, and Justin Neumann was appointed as Reserves Coach for 2004.

Club appointments included Alan George as President with Keith Jones as Vice President, Vic Hardy as Bar Manager and Paul Holdsworth as Head Trainer.

Significant players in Shayne Clonan, Cale Ellison, Nick Johansen, Russell Tucker and Ben Princi were lost to the club while James Sitters, Adam Dormand, and Tom Allen were recruited and Glen Semple returned..

Strathalbyn, still smarting from the previous season’s Grand Final loss, lost their first five matches of the season, including a Grand Final replay loss to McLaren.

Eventually they broke the ice with a fifteen point victory over Mt Compass, lost to Encounter Bay and then followed good wins over Yankalilla and Victor Harbour.

For the remainder of the season they scored alternate wins and losses, never building any momentum.

Strathalbyn were in seventh position at the end of the minor round, winning seven matches and losing eleven, in what was an extremely disappointing season.

Nathan Duffield played his 200^th game for the SFC on the eighth of May against McLaren.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Michael Cook, Scott Harding, Robert Horne, Ben Wilson (each 18), Phillip Eatts, Aaron Martin, Paul Wagenknecht, Darth Westaway (17), Jamie Sitters, Kane Smith, Bradley Walker (16), Nathan Duffield (15), Dwayne Ludwig (14), Adam Dormand, Clinton Smith (11), Grant Beaumont, Bjorn Wagenknecht (10).

44 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Football Club Team of the Century was selected during early July and announced on the 17^th July.

The Strathalbyn Reserves finished in fourth position at the end of the minor round, winning thirteen matches and losing five.

Inaccuracy cost them dearly when they lost the Elimination Final to Langhorne Creek by twelve points.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished in second position at the end of the minor round, winning sixteen matches and losing two.

They defeated the Saints by sixteen points in the Qualifying Final but were no match for McLaren in the Second Semi Final, losing by 39 points.

In a tight struggle, they lost the Preliminary Final to the Saints by seven points in a very low scoring affair.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished in second position at the end of the minor round, winning fourteen matches, drawing one and losing three.

They defeated McLaren in the Qualifying Final by fourteen points but their very inaccurate goal scoring did not help their cause.

Willunga gave Strathalbyn a 64 point thrashing in the Second Semi Final but they bounced back to beat Langhorne Creek by 51 points in the Preliminary Final.

Given little chance of winning the Grand Final, they surprised Willunga with an excellent first quarter and had them playing catch up football for the remainder of the match.

Coach Allan Cousins had done his homework well and the SFC held on to win by 22 points which was an amazing turn around from two weeks earlier.

Strathalbyn 4-3 4-3 5-3 7-4 = 46

Willunga 0-1 2-4 3-6 3-6 = 24

Goal Scorers SFC :- Darcy Springhall, Ashley Weckert 2, Ryan Maxwell, Mark Billington, Reece Perry.

Best Players :- Ashley Weckert, Luke Cousins, Michael Vaninetti, Jordan Hall.

This was their third successive Premiership.

A GSFL Mini Colts Carnival was conducted at Encounter Bay on the 15^th of August and, after defeating Willunga, Langhorne Creek, Yankalilla and the Saints, Strathalbyn reached the Grand Final.

They scored a comfortable twenty point victory over Encounter Bay in an impressive performance.

On the weekend of the 17^th and 18^th of July, the 125^th anniversary of the formation of the SFC, and the 40^th anniversary of the SFC 1964 A Grade and Reserves Premierships were duly celebrated and capped off with the announcement of the Strathalbyn Football Club Team of the Century.

Long term Secretary / Treasurer, Ms. Shirley Richards announced her retirement at the season’s end. She had become the SFC longest serving Secretary and Treasurer, also having previously held the role of Bar Manager.

Shirley was awarded SFC Life Membership at the conclusion of the 2004 season and her secretarial expertise would be sorely missed

The Strathalbyn Football Club, as well as the entire GSFL, was shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of Mr. George McFee on the 2^nd of July 2004.

George held the position of President of the GSFL for an incredible 18 years, having previously been SFC Colts Committee President and Committeeman and Senior Colts Coach as well as a long time SFC General Committeeman and GSFL Delegate.

Although he displayed neutrality to the various clubs of the GSFL, George always remained a staunch and proud member of the Strathalbyn Football Club.

2005

Eighth Played 18 Won 4 Lost 14

At the start of the season Rob Donaldson was appointed as A Grade Coach, having been Assistant Coach for the past three seasons and Justin Neumann was reappointed as Reserves Coach.

Rob had played 170 games for West Adelaide in the SANFL from 1973 to 1982.

Claus Hansen joined the SFC but the loss of Matthew Drum, Clint Smith, James Sitters, Ben Princi and Luke Jones substantially weakened the club.

The season began with a narrow three point loss to Langhorne Creek but two thrashings followed when beaten by Willunga by 161 points and McLaren by 63 points.

They lost their first seven matches of the season, before scoring a rather surprising 99 point win over Victor Harbour. A good win over Mt Compass followed and, a last kick of the day goal, win over Langhorne Creek, gave cause for some hope that the season could be salvaged. After another loss to Willunga by a substantially reduced margin, they defeated the Saints but that was their last victory of the year, losing their last six games.

Strathalbyn finished in eighth position at the end of the minor round, winning just four matches and losing fourteen. This was their equal worst result, together with 1994, since affiliating with the GSFL in 1963.

Phillip Eatts played his 200^th game for SFC on the 23^rd April against McLaren and Brad Geue played his 200^th on 21^st May against Encounter Bay.

A well attended function was held on the 31^st July where the Team of the Century Presentations were conducted.

The Mail Medal won by Vic George in 1952 and the inaugural Jones Medal, won by Barry Beckman in 1957 were presented back to the SFC for their display and safekeeping.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Nathan Duffield, Phillip Eatts, Ben Wilson (each 18), Claus Hansen, Aaron Martin, Kane Smith (17), Grant Beaumont, Michael Cook (16), Mark Tucker, Bradley Walker (15), Damien Newham (14), Todd Eaton, Glen Semple (13), Justin Chenoweth, Dwayne Ludwig, Darth Westaway (11), Brad Donaldson, Ryan Fox, Scott Harding, Robert Horne, Daniel Simounds, Russell Tucker (10).

46 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves finished in fourth position at the end of the minor round, winning twelve matches and losing six.

They defeated Langhorne Creek by 31 points in the Elimination Final and the won the First Semi Final against Victor Harbour by 36 points in a high scoring match.

Their season concluded when they lost to Willunga by 19 points in the Preliminary Final.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished in third position at the end of the minor round, winning fourteen matches and losing four.

In the Qualifying Final they scored a resounding 62 point victory over Willunga and backed this up with an upset 25 point win over Langhorne Creek in the Second Semi Final.

Unfortunately a third quarter lapse in the Grand Final cost them dearly win losing to Langhorne Creek by thirteen points.

Langhorne Creek 1-1 3-3 5-5 5-6 = 36

Strathalbyn 1-1 3-3 3-3 3-5 = 23

Goal Scorers SFC :- Justin Chenoweth 2, Ben Cousins 1.

Best Players SFC :- Martin Gladwin, Lachlan Heinrich, Braden Wray.

Former SFC Colts player, Sam Elliott was chosen to represent South Australia in the Under 18 Carnival and performed very well. He was later drafted to the Adelaide Crows rookie list.

Adam Lee was also selected to represent South Australia in the SANFL Under 16 team.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished in second position at the end of the minor round, winning fifteen matches and losing three.

They scored a sound 52 point win over Willunga in the Qualifying Final but were well beaten by 30 points in the Second Semi Final by McLaren.

A narrow three point loss to Encounter Bay in the Preliminary Final was a disappointing conclusion to their season.

Daniel Pegler won the GSFL Senior Colts Best and Fairest and Luke Cousins won the GST Junior Colt Best and Fairest Awards while Ben Simounds won the GSFL Junior Colt Goal scoring award.

Former player, Secretary and Life Member, Mr. Ron Rayson passed away on the 18^th of April.

2006

Third Played 21 Won 15 Lost 6

Rob Donaldson and Justin Neumann were reappointed as A Grade and Reserves Coach roles for season 2006.

Michael Cook departed for Happy Valley, representing a great loss as he had been an excellent player in the time he was at SFC.

Jonathon Eagleton, Jed Hickey, Ben Nisbett, Jayce and Matt Richardson were all valuable recruits and the SFC playing strength appeared much improved.

The SFC began the season with a sound win over Yankalilla but then was defeated by Langhorne Creek by 70 points. They regrouped quickly to record six wins out of their next seven matches several by substantial margins. Their only loss was to Willunga by 39 points and, although Strathalbyn seemed to be in the top three, there appeared to be a significant difference between Willunga and Langhorne Creek and the rest.

The second round began with another loss to Langhorne Creek and again in round twelve to Willunga. Along the way the SFC won their other seven matches albeit with narrow victories over Myponga / Sellicks and Encounter Bay.

At the end of the minor round Strathalbyn were in third position, having won fourteen matches and losing four.

On the 20^th May Kane Smith played his 200^th game for SFC against the Saints and on 27^th May Chad Fergusson played his 200^th game against Myponga / Sellicks.

In the Qualifying Final Strathalbyn were no match for Willunga, losing by 80 points, however they bounced back to win a nail biter against Encounter Bay in the First Semi Final by just five points. Encounter Bay scored a point with the last shot of the day.

In the Preliminary Final Strathalbyn suffered their worst ever finals defeat in losing to Langhorne Creek by 106 points.

Former player and Life Member Mr. Joe Lee passed away on the 15^th of August.

When Ben Nisbett took the field against Yankalilla on the 8^th of April, he became the fifth generation of the Nisbett family to play football for the SFC, in itself a remarkable achievement.

Ben followed in the footsteps of father Ashley, grandfather Graham, great grandfather Jack and great great grandfather Harold.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Jonathon Eagleton, Randall Gale, Jayce Richardson, Russell Tucker (21), Nathan Duffield, Matt Richardson (20), Damien Newham, Ben Nisbett (19), Claus Hansen, Jed Hickey, Aaron Martin, Mark Tucker (18), Phillip Eatts (17), Ben Wilson (16), Glen Semple (15), Kane Smith, Daniel Simounds (14), Justin Chenoweth (13).

35 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves finished in fourth position at the end of the minor round, winning ten matches and losing eight.

They recorded a sound 56 point victory over Victor Harbour in the Elimination Final but were thrashed by Willunga in the First Semi Final to the tune of 118 points.

Paul Wagenknecht played his 200^th game for the SFC on the 2^nd of September in the Elimination Final against Victor Harbour.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished in top position at the end of the minor round, winning seventeen matches and losing just one.

In the Second Semi Final they scored a convincing 23 point win over Victor Harbour and repeated the dose with a 40 point win over Victor Harbour again in the Grand Final.

Strathalbyn 5-4 8-5 12-6 12-9 = 81

Victor Harbour 2-2 2-3 5-5 6-5 = 41

Goal Scorers SFC :- Ben Simounds 5, Cameron Wray 3, Braden Wray 2, Tristan Chenoweth, Martin Gladwin 1.

Best Players SFC :- Martin Gladwin, Cameron Wray, Michael Vaninetti, Ben Simounds.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished in top position at the end of the minor round, winning seventeen matches and losing just one.

They won the Second Semi Final against McLaren by 21 points and went into the Grand Final as hot favourites but faded in the second half to be beaten by nine points by Willunga.

Willunga 1-1 3-2 6-3 6-3 = 39

Strathalbyn 2-3 4-4 4-4 4-6 = 30

Goal Scores SFC :- Jarad Cooney, Matthew Hagger, John Blackeby, Luke Duffill 1.

Best Players SFC :- Nathan Pelle, Matthew Pethick, Matthew Shaddick.

On the 20^th May the Strathalbyn Junior Colts played Goolwa in the curtain raiser match at AAMI Stadium prior to the Port Power / Brisbane Lions AFL match.

2007

Third Played 21 Won 11 Lost 10

At the commencement of the season Rob Donaldson was reappointed as A Grade Coach and, after a break of some years, Keith Jones was appointed as Reserves Coach with Andrew McFee as Assistant Coach.

Mr. Andrew Batten was appointed as SFC President following the retirement of Mr. Alan George.

Andrew Batten had been President of the SFC Colts Committee from 2003 to 2006, and he has continued in the role of SFC President until 2016, making him the second longest serving SFC President, with numerous club improvements and achievements occurring during his term in office.

Terramin Australia were announced as the SFC major sponsor for 2007 and Brenton Smith was appointed as Bar Manager and Paul Holdsworth as Head Trainer.

Wade Thorpe, Adam Parry and Luke Walsh were recruited but the loss of Claus Hansen was significant.

The season began badly with an eight goal loss to Mt Compass followed by a 17 goal thrashing from Langhorne Creek and a narrow loss to Willunga.

The SFC stabilised their season in winning four of their next five matches including a huge 140 point win over the Saints with Nathan Duffield scoring ten goals.

A narrow loss to Victor Harbour saw them in sixth place at the midway point of the season.

They won five out of their next seven games but lost the last two matches of the minor round to Encounter Bay and then Willunga which was far from an ideal finals preparation.

Strathalbyn finished the season in fourth position at the end of the minor round, winning nine matches and losing nine.

Strathalbyn scored a comfortable sixteen point victory over Myponga / Sellicks in the Elimination Final although inaccuracy did little to help their cause.

They followed this with a twelve point win over Mt Compass in the First Semi Final after trailing at three quarter time.

Their season came to an abrupt closure when they were well beaten by Willunga, the eventual premiers, in the Preliminary Final.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Jonathon Eagleton, Marc Elliott, Ben Nisbett, Adam Parry, Daniel Simounds, Russell Tucker (each 20), Nathan Duffield, Jed Hickey, Wade Thorpe, Luke Walsh (19), Jayce Richardson, Matthew Richardson, Ben Wilson (18), Grant Beaumont, Randall Gale, Aaron Martin (15), Damian Newham, Mark Tucker (14), Luke Cousins, Kane Smith (12), Phillip Eatts (11), Ben Cousins (10).

39 players for the season.

A well attended reunion of the 1977 Reserves, 1982 and 1987 A Grade Premiership team was held on the 25^th of August.

Nathan Duffield played his 250^th game for the SFC on the 11^th of August.

During the season Roger Goldfinch was presented with a retrospective GSFL Mail Medal, having lost to Mike Rabbitt of Goolwa on a countback in season 1975.

Former player and Life Member Mr. Graham Butler passed away on the 15^th of April in Western Australia. Graham won the Reserves Grade Jones Medal in1958.

Former player and Life Member Paul Vanborg also passed away in May. Paul had the unusual distinction of having played in the 1952 Reserves Grade Premiership team and then was included as a reserve in the A Grade Premiership team on the same day, thus making him a dual SFC Premiership player.

At the A Grade Jones Medal count, Johnathon Eagleton and Wade Thorpe tied, and were announced as joint winners with each player being presented with a medal.

The Strathalbyn Reserves had an excellent season, finishing in second position at the end of the minor round, winning fourteen matches and losing four.

They scored a good fifteen point win over Willunga in the Qualifying Final but then inexplicably suffered heavy losses to Langhorne Creek in the Second Semi Final and to Willunga in the Preliminary Final.

Again this was an extremely disappointing conclusion to a season that had promised much.

Four long serving players retired at season’s end, all having given excellent service to the SFC over a long period of time.

Sam Weckert played his 394^th and final game for the SFC in the Preliminary Final against Willunga while Andrew McFee played his 281^st and final game for the SFC in the Qualifying Final against Willunga.

Brad Geue played his 245^th and final game for the SFC in the Preliminary Final against Willunga and Paul Wagenknecht also retired at the conclusion of the 2007 season, having played 219 games for the SFC.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished the season in second position at the end of the minor round, winning thirteen matches and losing five.

They defeated Willunga by fifteen points in the Qualifying Final but then lost to McLaren in the Second Semi Final by 22 points after leading at the last change.

Sadly, they lost the Preliminary Final to Willunga by just one point, again after leading at three quarter time.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished the year in fourth position at the end of the minor round, winning thirteen matches and losing five.

Strathalbyn scored a sound 21 point win over Victor Harbour in the Elimination Final and followed this with a 24 point victory over Willunga in the First Semi Final.

They then scored a surprise 37 point victory over Langhorne Creek in the Preliminary Final but suffered a twelve point Grand Final loss to McLaren in what had been a season of great promise.

McLaren 1-1 3-1 4-5 6-7 = 43

Strathalbyn 1-3 2-6 2-7 4-7 = 31

Goal Scorers SFC :- Matthew Abbott 3, David Gardiner 1.

Best Players SFC :- Jarad Hourigan, Nathan Pelle, Adam Whelland

The Strathalbyn Mini Colts participated in the Minis Carnival held at Encounter Bay on the 11^th of August. They scored a three point win over Victor Harbour, a twelve point win over Langhorne Creek, a twenty five point win over the Saints and a twenty nine point win over Mt Compass to reach the final.

In the Final they defeated McLaren, scoring 3 goals one point to zero in an impressive performance.

Former Hawthorn star, AFL Legend and AFL Auskick Ambassador, Robert Di Pierdomenico conducted training for all grades and was then Guest Speaker at a promotional function at the SFC on the 2^nd of August.

2008

Second Played 22 Won 16 Lost 6

Former North Adelaide player Peter Simmons was appointed as A Grade Coach and Keith Jones reappointed as Reserves Coach.

Matt Richardson and James Walsh were losses but the recruitment of Sam McDonald, Chris Sanders and Matthew Burgess meant that SFC should be in contention.

Following good pre season trial match form, Strathalbyn got off to a good start, registering sound wins against the Saints (Goolwa / Pt Elliot) and then Myponga.

They met Langhorne Creek in the inaugural Anzac Day match at Strathalbyn, played before an enormous crowd but were beaten by 26 points.

Randall Follett from Langhorne Creek won the Smith / Follett Medal as best afield.

Two losses in the next three matches quickly focussed the club and with greater adherence to the coach Simmons game plan, they went from strength to strength.

They won their next ten matches before a narrow loss to Encounter Bay ended their run.

They defeated Willunga by just two points at Strathalbyn in the last match of the minor round, which built belief that success could be achieved.

Strathalbyn finished in second position at the end of the minor round, winning fourteen matches and losing four.

In the Qualifying Final against Langhorne Creek they established a fifteen point lead at three quarter time but were unable to hold on and lost by five points.

Strathalbyn coach Simmons was reported for umpire abuse at the conclusion of the match but was subsequently cleared.

Strathalbyn played excellent football in the First Semi Final against Mt Compass to win easily by 50 points.

In the Preliminary Final against Langhorne Creek, Strathalbyn played a devastating first quarter and the game was virtually over as they led by 39 points at the first break and went on to win each quarter with the final margin being a comprehensive 68 points.

Strathalbyn were no match for Willunga in the Grand Final which was controlled by Willunga from the start. Their big man strength was over powering with Steele and Glass dominant and 10 goals to full forward Hams ensured that they would win their fifth straight premiership.

Willunga 5-4 8-5 12-7 16-8 = 104

Strathalbyn 1-2 2-3 3-5 5-8 = 38

Goal Scorers SFC :- Daniel Pegler, Ben Cousins, Wade Thorpe, Matt Ellis, Mark Tucker 1.

Best Players SFC :- Sam McDonald, Callum Low, Marc Elliott, Wade Thorpe, Phillip Eatts.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches during the season :-

Nathan Duffield, Marc Elliott, Ben Wilson (22), Jonathon Eagleton, Jed Hickey, Daniel Pegler, Chris Sanders, Mark Tucker, Russell Tucker (21), Aaron Martin, Wade Thorpe (20), Sam McDonald (19), Matthew Ellis (18), Tom Allen, Ben Cousins, Phillip Eatts, Callum Lowe, Jayce Richardson (17), Ben Nisbett (15), Matthew Burgess, David Hart, Damien Newham (14), Glen Semple, Kane Smith (13).

33 players for the season

On May 31^st Phillip Eatts played his 250^th game for SFC and was later awarded the framed guernsey that he wore during that match against Victor Harbour by SFC President Andrew Batten.

On a sad note , the first lady to be awarded SFC Life Membership, Mrs. E. M. (Molly) Richardson passed away on the 12^th August. Molly was a highly respected person within the SFC but also in the wider community of Strathalbyn.

The Strathalbyn Reserves had a very good season and finished the minor round in second position, having won seventeen matches and losing just one.

In the Qualifying Final they demolished Langhorne Creek by 55 points and in the Second Semi Final repeated the dose when they overwhelmed Willunga by 69 points.

Unbelievably, they saved their worst for the Grand Final and were well beaten by Willunga whom they had thrashed just two weeks earlier.

Willunga 2-3 6-6 8-8 8-11 = 59

Strathalbyn 0-5 0-6 1-8 1-9 = 15

Goal Scorer SFC :- Michael Cutting 1.

Best Players SFC :- Bjorn Wagenknecht, Kane Smith, Stephen Batten.

Craig Walsh played his 200th and final game for SFC on 23^rd August while Jamie Allen also played his 200^th game on 20^th September

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished on top at the end of the minor round, winning thirteen matches and losing five.

They won the Second Semi Final against Mt Compass by 15 points after being three goals behind at half time.

The Grand Final against McLaren was a tight and torrid affair. After an even first half McLaren took control and had a twenty two point lead at the last break.

Holding McLaren scoreless in the final quarter, Strathalbyn slowly got back into the game and scored the final goal from Ben Simounds with just 36 seconds left.

Strathalbyn 2-1 4-5 4-6 8-8 = 56

McLaren 2-6 3-8 7-10 7-10 = 52

Goal Scorers SFC :- Jarad Cooney, Jarad Hourigan 2, Matt Abbott, Jack Graham, Matthew Hagger, Ben Simounds 1.

Best Players SFC :- Ryan Maxwell, Jack Graham, Daniel Gutilla.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished eighth at the end of the minor round, winning five matches and losing thirteen.

Coached by Ron Blight, the Strathalbyn Mini Colts participated in the annual GSFL Mini Colt Carnival held at Encounter Bay.

They reached the final after defeating Encounter Bay, Saints, Victor Harbour and Langhorne Creek along the way, with an aggregate score over those games of seventeen goals seventeen points to just one goal four points.

They defeated Yankalilla in the final by five goals four points to three goals zero points to win the carnival back to back.

At the GSFL delegates meeting the Strathalbyn Football Club successfully nominated Mr. Gordon Tonkin as President of the league.

2009

Second Played 22 Won 15 Lost 7

Peter Simmons was reappointed as Senior Coach with Keith Jones assisted by Ron Blight as Reserves Coach.

Mark Tucker, Jed Hickey, Jayce Richardson and Chris Sanders were lost to the club, while erstwhile recruits from the SFC junior ranks being, Ben Thrum, Michael Vaninetti, Jordan Hall, Ashley Weckert and Michael Kenyon.

On the 28^th of March the SFC Walk of Honour in front of the barbeque area was officially opened by Mr. Gordon Tonkin, the President of the GSFL.

The club was anxious to build on the momentum generated through the previous year final series without dwelling on their substantial Grand Final loss to the powerful Willunga team.

Losses to Victor Harbour and then Goolwa / Pt Elliot was not the start they anticipated but the club then settled down and Coach Simmons soon had them winning well.

They scored four impressive successive victories including a ten point win over Langhorne Creek in the Anzac match which was the inaugural game played under the new lights at Langhorne Creek.

Again this match drew an enormous crowd, with Nathan Duffield winning the Smith / Follett Medal.

Nathan Duffield played his 300^th game for the SFC on the 16^th of May against Yankalilla and was presented with his framed Guernsey from that match by SFC President, Andrew Batten at a function on the 27^th of June.

Willunga bought the SFC run to an end with a crushing 118 point demolition but they quickly regrouped, winning their next six matches, all by significant margins.

Losses to Langhorne Creek, Willunga and Mt Compass in their last five games did not augur well for the upcoming finals series.

At the end of the minor round Strathalbyn were in fourth position, winning twelve matches and losing six.

In the Elimination Final they dominated Victor Harbour, winning by 99 points with Marc Elliott scoring eight goals.

They performed well in the First Semi Final to defeat Mt Compass by 55 points, again with a good contribution from Marc Elliott with six goals.

Continuing their good finals record against Langhorne Creek, Strathalbyn scored a solid twenty four point win in the Preliminary Final to set up another Strathalbyn / Willunga Grand Final.

Using all their Grand Finals experience, Willunga had worked to a 22 point lead at half time and looked to be in control. Strathalbyn put in an incredible third quarter, scoring eight goals to three, to lead by eight points at the last break.

Unfortunately the break gave Willunga an opportunity to regroup, and utilising their finals experience, they slowly got on top.

Strathalbyn regained the lead late in the game but the last goal of the game saw Willunga one point ahead when the siren sounded.

A point scored after the siren by Willunga was of no significance.

Willunga 2-3 6-7 9-9 12-13 = 85

Strathalbyn 1-1 3-3 11-5 13-5 = 83

Goal Scorers SFC :- Marc Elliott 5, Sam McDonald, Ashley Weckert 3. Jonathon Eagleton, Ben Simounds 1.

Best Players SFC :- Mark Tucker Daniel Simounds, Jordan Hall, Sam McDonald, Marc Elliott.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Daniel Pegler (22), Nathan Duffield, Jonathon Eagleton (21), Phillip Eatts (20), Marc Elliott, Sam George, Sam McDonald (19), Michael Kenyon, Ben Cousins, Ben Nisbett, Ashley Weckert, Ben Wilson (18), Ben Simounds (17), Kane Smith Michael Vaninetti (16), Matthew Ellis (15), Jordan Hall (14), Ryan Maxwell (13), David Hart, Mark Tucker (12), Tom Allen (10).

35 players for the season.

Marc Elliott performed very well through the finals series with scores of eight, six, three and five goals through the respective finals matches for a total of twenty two.

Although Strathalbyn had not won the Premiership they now knew that the gap between them and Willunga had narrowed considerably and they looked to the future confidently.

The Strathalbyn Reserves finished in third position at the end of the minor round, winning fourteen matches and losing four.

They lost the Qualifying Final to McLaren by ten points in a very low scoring game but then overcame Mt Compass to win the First Semi Final by 26 points.

Starting as underdog they scored a sound twenty four point win over Langhorne Creek in the Preliminary Final.

Inaccuracy cost them dearly in a tightly fought Grand Final against McLaren.

McLaren 2-1 4-3 5-3 6-4 = 40

Strathalbyn 0-1 3-4 3-7 4-9 = 33

Goal Scorers SFC :- Michael Cutting 2, Adam Lee, Lionel Wilson 1.

Best Players SFC :- Ben Thrum, Randall Gale, Peter Siddall, Stephen Batten, Bjorn Wagenknecht, Mark Billington.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished in fourth position at the end of the minor round, winning fourteen matches and losing four.

They won the Elimination Final against Victor Harbour by 29 points and then defeated Langhorne Creek in the First Semi Final by 25 points but were extremely inaccurate in doing so.

They were again off target in losing the Preliminary Final to Myponga / Sellicks by ten points.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished in sixth position, winning six matches and losing twelve.

After a poor first round, they were much improved in the second round, building confidence for the following season.

On the 18^th of April, Nathan Duffield and Phillip Eatts were presented with their GSFL Life Membership medallions by Mr. Gordon Tonkin, President of the GSFL and to Mrs. Glenys McFee, widow of the late Past GSFL President, Mr. George McFee..

Kane Smith played his 250^th game for SFC on the 4^th of April against Victor Harbour and he, also was awarded GSFL Life Membership on the 29^th August.

SFC Results 1990 to 1999

Ken Haines — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 14:38:00 +0000

1990

Seventh Played 18 Won 8 Lost 10

Former North Adelaide player, Bob Morcom was appointed as A Grade Coach and Chris Pelle as Assistant / Reserves Coach.

Bob had played SANFL for North Adelaide and had coaching experience in the Norwood / North Adelaide Football Association and also at Walkerville Football Club as well as having coached the SFC Senior Colts in 1988.

Peter Simounds was again appointed as Playing Coach of Nhill in the Wimmera League in Victoria and was a big loss to the SFC.

Peter went on to win the Wimmera League Best and Fairest Award for 1990.

Sharon Brogan was appointed as Club Secretary with her mother, Ms. Shirley Richards appointed to the Bar Manager role, a position she would capably fill for the next three years.

With a number of players lost including Greg McIntyre, David Norton. Tim Megaw and Alan Bell, the SFC were looking to the development of their Colts players during the season.

Their pre season trial match form was unconvincing and they began the season with a 51 point loss to Victor Harbour, followed by a demoralising 139 point thumping from Willunga.

As playing stocks improved they were able to record wins over Yankalilla, Port Elliot and Goolwa and at the half way point of the season were in eighth position.

In the second round they won five matches, including good wins over Langhorne Creek and Willunga which was a remarkable turnaround from their first meeting.

At the end of the minor round they finished in seventh position, winning eight matches and losing ten.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

David Garwood, Keith Jones, Brenton Shapter (each 18), Simon Mardle, Steven Ness (17), Jared Wescombe, Bill Rowe (16), Nick Weckert (15), Peter Elliott, Sam Weckert (14), Brett Boling, Craig Dell, Wayne Gilgen (13), Greg Bannan, Roger Weckert (12), Paul Holdsworth (11), Cary Duffield, Craig Lamshed, Bob Morcom (10).

37 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves finished in eighth position at the end of the minor round, winning just four matches and losing fourteen.

On the18th August against Mt Compass, Allan Dunn played his 409^th and final game for SFC, a club record at the time and his senior career, amazingly, began way back in 1960.

During his long career with the SFC he played in the Reserves Premiership teams in 1963, 1964, 1965 and 1977.

He was Reserves Captain from 1965 until 1972 and was awarded Life Membership of the SFC in 1969.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished the minor round in second position, winning fifteen matches and losing three.

They defeated Goolwa by 28 points in the Qualifying Final and then scored a narrow five point victory over an inaccurate Willunga in the Second Semi Final.

In the Grand Final they fought their way to a twenty point lead at three quarter time but were unable to hold on against the wind in the final term.

Willunga 2-0 2-2 2-2 7-5 = 47

Strathalbyn 2-1 2-4 5-4 5-4 = 34

Goal Scorers SFC :- Darren Stephens, Jamie Allen, Mark Gevers, Brad Geue, Matthew Hoffman 1.

Best Players SFC :- Anthony Martin, Chris Simmons, Jeremy Blackmore.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished the year in third position at the end of the minor round, winning thirteen matches, drawing one and losing four.

In the Qualifying Final they defeated Yankalilla by fifteen points but then lost the Second Semi Final to Willunga by fourteen points after leading by one point at three quarter time.

Their season concluded when they lost the Preliminary Final in a close match with Yankalilla.

Early in the season a sub committee was appointed to investigate the possibility of upgrading the oval lights.

They reported their findings on the 20^th August, with committee approval forthcoming.

Wiring for the new lighting was completed in October and $26,000 was committed for the installation of three lights each on six poles.

Long term Head Trainer and Life Member, Mr. Norm Kerslake passed away on the 29th of May.

The SFC Social Club conducted a 100 Club during the year with the major prize being a return trip for two people to Singapore.

Life Member, Mr. Ron Catford, was very pleased to accept the winning prize when his number was drawn out of the barrel.

1991

Seventh Played 18 Won 5 Lost 13

Season 1991 saw the reappointment of Bob Morcom as A Grade Coach and Chris Pelle as Assistant / Reserves Coach and also with Sharon Brogan as Secretary and Shirley Richards as Bar Manager and Peter Gevers as Head Trainer with assistance from Jo Clark and John McLaren..

Nick Downward, Alan Mills and Tony Harris were recruited while Peter Simounds returned to the club after a coaching stint with Nhill in the Wimmera League in Victoria, while Simon Mardle left the club.

Early in the season, Club Secretary, Sharon Brogan tendered her resignation and Ms Cheryl Budden was nominated to fill the role.

The opening of the new oval lights was conducted on the 11^th of April with the first lady Life Member of the SFC, Mrs Mollie Richardson, officially switching the new system on.

Roy Hagger was proposed a vote of thanks for his significant input to this new and valuable innovation for the SFC which would subsequently enable competition night football matches to be played at the venue.

Pre season trial match form was very disappointing and was indicative of a difficult season ahead.

The season began against Goolwa and after being well behind, Strathalbyn stormed home to lose by just one point.

A comprehensive loss to Port Elliot was off set when successive victories over Langhorne Creek and Willunga stabilised the early part of the season but another heavy defeat by Victor Harbour was a significant setback.

A narrow win over Mt Compass was followed by six successive losses in mid season, which saw their finals chances disappear and they never seriously challenged the better teams for the remainder of the season.

At the end of the minor round they were in seventh position, having won just five matches and losing thirteen.

Nick Weckert played his 239^th and final match for Strathalbyn on 29^th August.

He was awarded GSFL Player Life Membership on the 26^th of July..

He scored 453 goals for the SFC in those games, had played in the 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1987 A Grade Premiership teams, had been Captain and Vice Captain as well as a Jones Medal winner and had been an excellent all round clubman and was later to be selected in the SFC Team of the Century.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

David Garwood, Andrew Gevers, Craig Lamshed (each 18), Peter Elliott (17), Cary Duffield, Paul Pike (16), Justin Hoffman, Peter Simounds (15), Keith Jones (14), Ray Jackson, Roger Weckert, Jared Wescombe (12), Tim Brumfield, Daryl Ludwig, Brenton Shapter, Chris Simounds (10).

47 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves finished in third position at the end of the minor round, winning twelve matches, drawing one and losing five.

They lost the Qualifying Final to Willunga by 27 points and were eliminated when they were beaten by Encounter Bay in the First Semi Final by 45 points.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished in second position at the end of the minor round, winning twelve matches and losing four.

They defeated Goolwa in the Qualifying Final by 23 points but then lost the Second Semi Final to Willunga by eleven points.

A narrow three point win over an inaccurate Mt Compass in the Preliminary Final saw them through to the Grand Final where they lost to Willunga in a tight game.

Willunga 1-3 3-3 6-5 7-7 = 49

Strathalbyn 0-1 2-2 3-3 4-5 = 29

Goal Scorers SFC :- Daniel Clarke 2, Mark Gevers, Andrew Vivian 1.

Best Players SFC :- Mark Patching, Andrew Roberts, Ewen Cullen.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished in sixth position at the end of the minor round, winning nine matches and losing nine.

Langhorne Creek were unable to field either a Senior or Junior Colt team for the season.

Life Members, Mr Jack Westley and Mr. Chris Marrett passed away on the 14^th of April and the 9^th of November, respectively.

Mr. Lance (Toey) Watson passed away on the 11^th July 1991. He was the first SFC player to reach 300 games for the club and was a former Captain, Vice Captain and Committeeman.

He was awarded Life Membership of the SFC in 1938, later celebrating the 50 year anniversary of receiving that award in 1988.

He wrote the football reports in the Southern Argus under various pseudonyms and in retirement often submitted football comments by “Old Rooster”.

He retired from playing football in 1948, playing a few games in that year with his sons, Allan and Brian.

1992

Fifth Played 19 Won 11 Lost 8

Phil Rogers was appointed as A Grade Coach for the season with Tony Peek as the Assistant. Phil had played for Glenelg in the SANFL and had coaching experience at Kybybolite in the Mid South East Football League, while Tony also had played at Glenelg.

New players recruited were Sam Allen, Angus Forbes, Andrew Geary, Greg Kemp, Nathan McGregor, Brent and Damon Mayes and Nathan Vowels while Nick Weckert, Peter Simounds, Nick Downward, Greg McIntyre and Ray Jackson departed.

Shirley Richards resigned from the position of Bar Manager, with Cheryl Budden taking over that role.

With the retention of most of the previous year’s playing group the SFC were hoping for an improved showing and the club began the season well with an eleven point win over Myponga and then a 77 point victory over Goolwa.

In a high scoring match, they lost to Willunga by six goals, followed by good wins against Mt Compass and then Pt Elliot.

Two heavy losses to Yankalilla and the Encounter Bay were reality checks, before recording a solid win over the previously unbeaten Victor Harbour and then, as if to highlight their inconsistency, lost to Langhorne Creek by 19 points.

They started the second round with good wins over Myponga and Goolwa but then lost their next three matches including a surprise loss to lowly Port Elliot.

With a number of players returning from injury, they won their last four matches, including a one point win over Mt Compass and a three point win over Goolwa.

They finished the minor round in fifth position, having won eleven matches and losing seven.

The SFC met Yankalilla in the Elimination Final and worked their way to a thirteen point lead at the last break but faded to lose by five points.

This concluded a frustrating season, marred by inconsistency and numerous injuries.

During the season the SFC submitted two applications for Department of Recreation and Sport building grant applications, seeking clubroom extension and improvements, on the 27^th of April and again on the 28^th of September, however both applications were unsuccessful.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Keith Jones (18), Mark Gevers, Phillip Gilbert, Justin Hoffman, Craig Lamshed, Bill Rowe (each 17), Nathan McGregor, Phil Rogers, Sam Weckert (16), Sean Naylon, Tony Peek, Chris Simounds, Peter Simounds (15), Andrew Gevers (14), Angus Forbes, David Garwood (13), Robbie Elliott, Greg Kemp (12), Jamie Allen (10).

38 players for the season.

On a sad note, former player and SFC Life Member, Mr. Harold (Buck) Lillee passed away on the 28^th of February.

The Strathalbyn Reserves finished in sixth position at the end of the minor round, having won six matches, drawn one and lost eleven.

The SFC Senior Colts finished in fourth position at the end of the minor round, having won ten matches and losing eight.

They scored a resounding 113 point victory over Yankalilla in the Elimination Final but their season concluded with a thirteen point loss to an accurate Victor Harbour in the First Semi Final.

Neither Myponga or Port Elliot entered a Senior Colt team for the season.

The SFC Junior Colts were in a development stage and had a difficult season, finishing in ninth position and winning just two matches and losing sixteen.

David Garwood and Allan Cousins both played their 200^th game for the SFC on the 23^rd of May against Yankalilla, both having given excellent service to the club.

1993

Sixth Played 18 Won 9 Lost 9

Season 1993 began with a poor attendance at the AGM, when Phil Rogers and Tony Peek were announced as A Grade and Reserves Coaches respectively.

Playing stocks were boosted with the arrival of Glenn Carty, Scott Bond, Mark Dominish, Chris Morgan, Matthew Trowbridge and the return of Rick Clark but the loss of Chris Simounds through injury was significant.

Club appointments saw John Elliott as Head Trainer assisted by Erica Brumfield, Pat Leinert and Stephen Toth while Jody Boye took over as Bar Manager from Cheryl Budden.

The SFC installed a fully ducted air conditioning system in the clubrooms which provided a much appreciated improvement to the facility.

The number of junior players in many GSFL clubs was becoming an issue as Port Elliot were unable to field either Junior or Senior Colts teams and Strathalbyn and Langhorne Creek clubs held a meeting early in the season to look at ways of managing the number of junior players. During the season five Senior Colts matches were played on Friday evenings, under lights at Strathalbyn.

The season began with the first match ever in the GSFL being played under lights when Strathalbyn defeated Port Elliot by nine points.

Following an eight point loss to Goolwa they won their next three matches but there after Strathalbyn seemed unable to generate any consistency with victories over more fancied opposition but interspersed with unexpected losses.

Injuries were taking their toll as Strathalbyn suffered three consecutive losses in midseason which saw them ultimately miss the finals.

During the season they inflicted two huge defeats on a hapless Yankalilla but suffered the indignity of a 106 point loss to Victor Harbour in round seven.

Daryl Ludwig played his 200^th game for SFC on the 5^th of June against Yankalilla.

The SFC finished a frustrating season in sixth position, having won nine matches and losing nine.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Anthony Martin, Phil Rogers, Matthew Trowbridge (each 18), Glenn Carthy, Chris Morgan, Sam Weckert (17), Mark Dominish, Bill Rowe (16), Andrew Gevers, Matthew Hoffman (15), Rod Caust, Brent Mayes (14), Justin Hoffman (13), Rick Clark (11), Scott Bond, Angus Forbes (10).

48 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves began the season playing great football but the club injury list inevitably reflects on the Reserves results and they slipped to fourth at the end of the minor round, winning eleven matches and losing seven.

They demolished Goolwa in the Elimination Final by 96 points and followed this with a 33 point win over a strong Victor Harbour team.

Starting as underdogs, they scored an impressive 56 point win over Willunga in the Preliminary Final with a great second half.

They went on to win their first premiership for sixteen long years when they defeated Encounter Bay in the Grand Final.

The astute coaching of Tony Peek was influential in their great victory.

Strathalbyn 2-2 5-6 8-10 13-11 = 89

Encounter Bay 3-2 4-4 7-7 10-9 = 69

Goal Scorers SFC :- Cary Duffield 4, Nick Woods 3, Jamie Allen, Brad Geue, David Hayes, James Jolly, Matthew Hoffman, Andrew Vivian.

Best Players SFC :- Cary Duffield, James Jolly, Sam Allen, Greg McIntyre.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished second at the end of the minor round, winning thirteen matches, drawing one and losing four.

They defeated Yankalilla by 31 points in the Qualifying Final and then scored a six point victory over Victor Harbour in the Second Semi Final in a tight match.

A slow start cost them dearly when they lost to Victor Harbour in the Grand Final.

Victor Harbour 4-2 4-5 8-8 9-11 = 65

Strathalbyn 1-1 2-5 5-5 6-5 = 41

Goal Scorers SFC :- Sam Sherriff 4, Paul Clark, Nigell Hurrell 1.

Best Players SFC :- Paul Clark, Nigell Hurrell, Kane Smith, Steven Hender, Robert Blackmore.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts were second at the end of the minor round, winning fifteen matches and losing three.

They lost the Qualifying Final to Encounter Bay by just four points but then scored an emphatic 53 point victory over Goolwa in the First Semi Final.

They had a significant turnaround with a dominant 47 point victory over Encounter Bay in the Preliminary Final but were demoralised by Willunga in the Grand Final.

Willunga 3-2 7-2 12-4 16-4 = 100

Strathalbyn 0-1 0-4 0-4 1-5 = 11

Goal Scorer SFC :-Nick Allen 1.

Best Players SFC :- Aaron Martin, Nick Allen, Michael Allen.

In a new innovation the Annual Presentation was conducted as a “Chicken and Champagne Brunch” with triple AFL Premiership player for Hawthorn and later West Adelaide Coach, Andy Collins, as guest speaker.

On the 19^th November a rate payers meeting of Queen Street residents was held in regard to the noise and brightness of the lights at the SFC.

In its response the club resolved to control the use of the lights and to reduce vehicle speed around the oval.

1994

Ninth Played 18 Won 4 Lost 14

Former Sturt and North Melbourne Under 19’s player Paul McWilliam was appointed as A Grade Coach, with Michael Morgan as Reserves Coach and Brenton Smith took over as SFC President following the retirement of Bob Simounds.

The loss of key players Glenn Carthy, Scott Bond, Phil Rogers, Mark Dominish and Matthew Trowbridge was somewhat offset by the arrival of Paul Gerstlauer and Jason Oliver but was indicative that the Strathalbyn player depth would be a major issue during the season however playing stocks were boosted with the arrival of twins Craig and James Walsh and Don Petherick.

Long standing Head Trainer, John Elliott was reappointed to the position, however ill health caused him to tender his resignation early in the season, with Peter Gevers taking over the role.

Strathalbyn started with two narrow losses to Willunga and Yankalilla but wins over Mt Compass and Myponga balanced the ledger. Losing their next four matches, the season was rapidly slipping away but when they defeated Willunga and Yankalilla narrowly in consecutive matches, supporters still were hopeful.

Both of these games were won with goals from the last kick of the day, with Bill Rowe scoring the winning goal against Willunga and Nathan Duffield doing similar against Yankalilla.

With a long injury list and flu rampaging through the club, it became necessary to call on Colts and retired players to even get a Reserves team on the ground late in the season.

Both the A Grade and Reserves were to lose their last seven games of the season, many by huge margins. The losses to Encounter Bay by 235 points, Victor Harbour by 181 points, Goolwa by 167 points and Port Elliot by 163 points all represented to the SFC’s greatest losing margin to each of those clubs respectively.

For the SFC players, officials and supporters the season could not finish quickly enough, it being, by some margin, the worst season in the time the SFC had been in the GSFL.

At the end of the minor round Strathalbyn was in ninth position, having won just four matches and losing fourteen.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Nathan Duffield, Kane Smith, Sam Weckert (each 18), Jamie Allen, Robert Blackmore, Anthony Martin, Andrew Vivian (17), Michael Morgan, Jason Oliver (16), Jeremy Blackmore, Paul Gerstlauer, Paul McWilliam (15), Rod Caust, Andrew Gevers, Adam Phillips (14), James Jolly, Bill Rowe (12), David Hayes, Nick Woods (11).

43 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves had an extremely difficult season being greatly affected by the injury list and player shortage. They drew their first match and then won the next two but won only once more for the season.

They finished eighth at the end of the minor round, winning just three matches, drawing one and losing fourteen.

Roger Weckert played his 287^th and final game for the SFC on the 20^th August against Mt Compass.

He had an outstanding career and was a member of the Strathalbyn Premiership teams of 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1987, won the GSFL Senior Colt Best and Fairest award in 1974 and had been awarded both SFC and GSFL Player Life Memberships.

Kym Thyer played his 215^th and final match for SFC on the 13^th August against Goolwa and, like Roger, was a member of the SFC Premiership teams of 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1987.

Kym was Vice Captain in the 1987 Premiership team and was awarded SFC Life Membership in 1988. He later served a considerable term, very capably, as Club Treasurer.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished second at the end of the minor round, winning thirteen matches and losing three.

In a fiery Qualifying Final Strathalbyn defeated Encounter Bay by 30 points and followed this with an upset seven point victory over Victor Harbour in the Second Semi Final.

They kept the SFC flag flying with a gutsy three point win over Victor Harbour again in the Grand Final.

Strathalbyn 1-4 4-4 9-8 10-9 = 69

Victor Harbour 1-3 5-3 6-4 10-6 = 66

Goal Scores SFC :- Paul Clark 5, Simon Vivian 4, Matthew Jones 1.

Best Players SFC :- Simon Vivian, Nathan Vowels, Paul Clark, Phillip Eatts.

Again Port Elliot was unable to field a Senior Colt team.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished in fourth position at the end of the minor round, winning twelve matches and losing six.

They held Victor Harbour at bay to win the Elimination Final by thirteen points and then, with a few key players missing, were beaten by Yankalilla by sixteen points in the First Semi Final.

With the exception of the Senior Colts, in most respects 1994 had been a disastrous one for the SFC.

During the season the club lost four men who were all Life Members and who each made significant contributions to the SFC.

Mr. Ron “Silver” Gilbert, long standing A Grade Goal Umpire and club character, passed away on the 1^st of January.

Mr. Les Peek, former player, five year Junior Colts Coach and also five year SFC Secretary passed away on 10^th of March, aged just 47.

Mr. Lorenz (Lorrie) Zilm, the longest serving SFC Gatekeeper, passed away in August while Mr. Ken Pearson, former SFC President from 1949 to 1951 and again in 1967 passed away on the 9^th of September.

Ken also held the position of President of the Hills Central Association and was the first SFC member to hold such a position.

On the 11^th August the SFC celebrated the 15^th Anniversary of their 1979 Centenary Premiership with a dinner and the following day the players from that team played a football match against the Southern Super Cocks Over 35 team. In what seemed like a good idea at the time, the 1979 team won the match by five points but Peter Gilbert and Russell Hagger both suffered snapped Achilles tendons and ended up in hospital!

At the dinner, the entertainment was provided by the “Pink Panther” Band, who regrouped for the occasion some thirteen years since their disbanding.

The band members, David Cross, Gary Heading, Robbie Elliott, Kym Tucker and Peter Guthberg had all been involved with the SFC in various roles.

During the season Nathan Duffield, Phillip Eatts and Kane Smith each began their A Grade careers and they were all to play significant roles into the future while Jody Boye moved to W.A. and Christine Richardson took over as Bar Manager.

Former outstanding Adelaide Crows and Hawthorn Premiership player Tony Hall was the Guest Speaker at the SFC Annual Presentation “Brunch”.

1995

Seventh Played 18 Won 8 Lost 10

Following the difficult season of 1994, the SFC showed confidence in reappointing Paul McWilliam as A Grade Coach and Michael Morgan as Reserves Coach.

Having previously been the SFC Bar Manager for several years, the club was pleased to appoint Ms Shirley Richards to the important role of Secretary.

Other club appointments were Ms. Kathy Webb as Head Trainer, Wayne McMurtrie, Brenton Moar and Paul Holdsworth as Trainers and Mr. Phil Stephens as Bar Manager.

A significant sponsorship deal was negotiated with Clipsal who were in the process of establishing a major manufacturing plant in Strathalbyn.

The SFC were indebted to Mr. Nigel Ronksley from Clipsal and the local Clipsal factory manager Mr Steve Spencer for facilitating this invaluable sponsorship.

New players Phillip Wear, Scott Bond, Leigh Backhouse and Jason Lehmann gave the club renewed hope of an improvement in its on field fortunes

The season began with two sound wins over Willunga and Yankalilla but then losses to Myponga and a rampart Victor Harbour were stark reminders of a difficult season ahead.

During the season Strathalbyn inflicted two humiliating defeats on the hapless Port Elliot team. In the first match on 3^rd June Strathalbyn scored 42 goals 17 points to 1 goal 3 points and on the 29^th July Strathalbyn scored 50 goals 23 points to 2 goals 2 points with Sam Weckert scoring 12 goals, Jason Lehman 11 and Phillip Wear 10.

It was becoming obvious that Port Elliot Football Club were in deep trouble as they were also having difficulty in fielding Colts teams.

SFC suffered five successive losses in mid season which ended their finals aspirations.

At the end of the season Strathalbyn finished in seventh position, winning eight matches and losing ten.

The following played10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Leigh Backhouse, Paul Gerstlauer, Phillip Wear (each 18), Steven Hender, Jason Lehmann, Michael Morgan (17), Jamie Allen, Adam Phillips, Sam Weckert (16), Paul McWilliam, James Jolly (15), Rod Caust, Phillip Eatts, Mark Gevers, Jason Oliver (14), Paul Clark (13), Andrew Gevers, Matthew Hoffman, Anthony Martin (12).

36 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves had a poor season finishing in ninth position at the end of the minor round, winning just three matches, including two against Port Elliot, and losing fifteen.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished in sixth position at the end of the minor round, winning six matches and losing ten.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished in fifth position at the end of the minor round, winning nine matches and losing seven.

They defeated Victor Harbour in the Elimination Final by 24 points but then lost the First Semi Final to Yankalilla by 23 points.

Adam Kidd had an outstanding season to clearly win the GSFL Junior Colt Best and Fairest award.

On the 8^th September the SFC was shocked to learn of the death in a road accident of Nathan Vowels, aged just 18, who was a very promising player.

1996

Second Played 22 Won 12 Lost 10

Former Goolwa coach Sean Jackson was appointed as SFC A Grade coach with Phil Rogers as Assistant and Reserves coach.

On a positive start to the year, a major sponsorship deal was finalised with Clipsal which was in the process of establishing a major presence within Strathalbyn.

Phil Stephens took on the Bar Manager role for the year while Wayne McMurtrie, Brenton Moar, Darryn McFee and Paul Holdsworth were appointed as Trainers.

New recruits were Nick Sward, Des Hicks, Jason Rothall, Randall Jolly, Craig Lambert, Scott Harrington and Craig Shearer whilst Andrew and Mark Gevers departed.

The season began disastrously with a 92 point loss to Encounter Bay but in a form reversal the SFC defeated Langhorne Creek the following week.

With five successive losses, the SFC was looking to build some momentum and Port Elliot provided that opportunity.

The Pt Elliot Football Club was really struggling and, as in the previous year, Strathalbyn inflicted two huge defeats on them in 1996.

In the first game played on 1^st June, Strathalbyn scored a GSFL record score when they won 65 goals 39 points to nil with Craig Shearer scoring 18 goals.

Shearer only played two A Grade matches for the season!

On 27^th July Strathalbyn scored 63 goals 37 points to just 2 goals with the promising Paul Clark scoring twelve goals.

Strathalbyn won seven of their last nine matches to finish in fourth position at the end of the minor round, having won nine matches and losing nine.

With confidence building Strathalbyn scored an impressive 91 point victory over Mt Compass in the Elimination Final and followed this with a 35 point win over Yankalilla in the First Semi Final.

Although SFC had been well beaten by Victor Harbour in both minor round meetings, they reversed this with a hard fought three point win in the Preliminary Final, having been 25 points down at three quarter time.

Unfortunately they were no match for Encounter Bay in the Grand Final, losing by forty points.

Encounter Bay 4-0 8-2 9-3 14-8 = 92

Strathalbyn 2-6 3-11 5-16 6-16 = 52

Goal Scores SFC :- Randall Jolly 2, Leigh Backhouse, Paul Gerstlauer, Craig

Lambert, Simon Vivian 1.

Best Players SFC :- Phillip Eatts, Nathan Duffield, John Sward, Paul Clark.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Leigh Backhouse, Phillip Eatts, Jason Lehmann (each 22), Nathan Duffield, Paul Gerstlauer (21), Phil Rogers, Nick Sward, Sam Weckert (20), Paul Clark, Simon Vivian (19), Des Hicks, Craig Lambert, Jason Oliver (18), Sean Jackson (17), Kane Smith (16), Jason Rothall (15), Scott Harrington (14), Phillip Wear, Craig Lamshed (13), Jamie Allen (12), Randall Jolly (11), James Jolly, Anthony Martin (10).

34 players for the season.

During the season Sean Jackson was selected as coach of the GSFL team in the Lovelock Shield competition.

Jason Lehmann was runner up in the GSFL Mail Medal.

Sam Weckert played his 200^th game for SFC on the 18^th May against Mt Compass and Craig Lamshed also played his 200^th in the Elimination Final against Mt Compass on 25^th August.

David Garwood played his 217^th and final game for the SFC on the 13^th of July also against Mt Compass. David had been a member of the SFC Premiership teams of 1981, 1982 and 1987 and was awarded Life Membership in 1992.

The Aldinga Football Club made an application to join the GSFL but Strathalbyn was the only club to support the proposal and they remained affiliated with the Southern Football League.

The Strathalbyn Reserves finished in eighth position at the end of the minor round, winning just four matches and losing twelve. Port Elliot was unable to field a Reserves side during the season.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished in top position at the end of the minor round, winning fifteen matches and losing just one.

In the Second Semi Final, Strathalbyn lost to Goolwa by four points after extra time was needed to separate the teams.

Strathalbyn scored an impressive 95 point win over Myponga in the Preliminary Final but in the Grand Final against Goolwa they were overrun in the final quarter.

Goolwa 1-3 3-6 4-6 9-11 = 65

Strathalbyn 0-3 2-4 4-7 5-8 = 38

Goal Scorers SFC :- Chris Kidd 4, Eric Ranford 1.

Best Players SFC :- Adam Kidd, Tom Hughes, Travis Hester

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts in their worst season in the GSFL finished in ninth position at the end of the minor round, winning just one match and losing fifteen.

Port Elliot did not field either Senior or Junior Colt teams for the season.

1997

Fourth Played 20 Won 11 Drawn 1 Lost 8

At the AGM Grant Lyon was announced as A Grade Coach with Keith Jones as Reserves Coach.

President elect, Brenton Smith, also gave special recognition of Nigel Ronksley and Steve Spencer for the facilitation of the invaluable sponsorship of the SFC by Clipsal.

Again Phil Stephens was appointed as Bar Manager but advised the club he would not be able to continue in 1998.

Wayne McMurtrie took on the Head Trainer role for the season with support from Paul Holdsworth, Brenton Moar and Janet Buttle.

New recruits were Ray Jones, Peter Daniels, Matthew Neumann and Ben Princi while Randall Jolly, Phillip Wear, Jason Rothall and Des Hicks were important departures.

Strathalbyn began the season with alternate losses and wins before drawing with Myponga. A last kick of the match, scored a point for the SFC but was disallowed. Two more wins saw them well placed at the halfway point of the season in third position.

Losses to Victor Harbour and Yankalilla were a setback but they steadied to win six of their last seven matches, with their only loss being to Willunga in round 16.

At the end of the minor round they were in third position, having won eleven matches, drawn one and lost six.

Inaccuracy cost them dearly when they lost the Qualifying Final to Encounter Bay by a point and again, when they were eliminated by Myponga in the First Semi Final by eleven points. This was a very disappointing conclusion to a season that promised much.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Paul Clark, Phillip Eatts (each 20), Jason Lehmann, Simon Vivian, Sam Weckert (19), Kane Smith (18), Ray Jones, Jason Oliver (17), Paul Gerstlauer, John Sward (16), Scott Harrington (15), Leigh Backhouse, Peter Daniels, Phil Gilbert (14), Jamie Allen, Adam Phillips (13), Nathan Duffield, Mark Gilbert, Matthew Neumann (11), Craig Lamshed, Andrew Vivian (10).

43 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves finished in second position at the end of the minor round, winning fourteen matches, including their last six, and losing four.

They were unable to keep their run going however, and lost the Qualifying Final to Langhorne Creek by 54 points. Their season, yet again, came to an abrupt end when they lost the First Semi Final to Yankalilla by sixteen points.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished in seventh position at the end of the minor round, winning five matches and losing eleven.

Again Port Elliot did not field a Senior Colt team for the season.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished in fourth position at the end of the minor round, winning twelve matches and losing six.

They scored a surprise seven point win over Mt Compass in the Elimination Final with a good performance but were eliminated by Langhorne Creek in the First Semi Final by seventeen points.

Nathan Duffield was selected in the Southern Zone squad for the South Australian Country Championships.

The SFC was well represented in the GSFL Honours list with Jason Lehmann winning the Mail Medal as Best and Fairest while Craig Shearer was the GSFL Reserves Grade leading goal scorer with 69 goals for the season.

Mr. Tony Aschberger, former SFC Coach, player and Life Member passed away on the 19^th ofApril.

On 13^th May Gary Maddern resigned as Treasurer and Shirley Richards took on the role and was now Secretary / Treasurer.

The GSFL advised clubs that a salary cap scheme would be introduced in 1998.

On the 9^th November, the Strathalbyn Football Club was devestated to learn of the tragic death in a road accident of its rising star, Paul Clark.

Paul commenced his football career at Strathalbyn as a mini colt player and progressed through the junior grades asserting himself at all levels.

In consultation with the Clark family, Paul’s guernsey and number were held in recess for the 1998 season and also, as a mark of respect, a minutes silence in remembrance of Paul was observed at the AGM.

1998

Third Played 21 Won 15 Lost 6

Grant Lyon was reappointed as A Grade Coach as was Keith Jones as Reserves Coach and other club appointments were Wayne McMurtrie as Head Trainer and Shane Munce as Bar Manager.

New players were Scott Cameron, Robert Horne, Chris Lee and Brenton McDonald, while the return of Nathan Duffield boosted playing stocks.

Club Patron, Mr John Scotcher advised the club he was retiring in his business, Scotcher Petroleum, and that the SFC Sponsorship he provided would continue for 1998. He had been Patron of the SFC since 1987 and Major Sponsor since 1985.

The SFC was shocked when Committeeman Dennis Hughes passed away on the 23^rd of February whilst on holiday in Tasmania, and Chris Humphrys volunteered to fill the committee vacancy for the remainder of the season.

The Clark family offered to donate the SFC A Grade Most Improved Trophy for the next five years as the “Paul Clark Memorial Trophy” which was gratefully accepted by the club.

Strathalbyn played their first three games under lights and were successful in winning all three. With confidence on the rise, the SFC built momentum and won their following six matches to be unbeaten at the end of the first round.

In that run they defeated Port Elliot by 99 points and Goolwa by 192 points.

Yankalilla bought the unbeaten run to an end and Strathalbyn were also beaten by Encounter Bay, Willunga and Myponga before winning their last three matches including thrashing Goolwa by 41 goals 21 points to 3 goals 1 point.

Strathalbyn finished in second position at the end of the minor round, winning fourteen matches and losing four.

Strathalbyn defeated Yankalilla by 16 points in the Qualifying Final in a great game but in the Second Semi Final, after a competitive first half SFC fell away badly to be beaten by Willunga by 68 points.

Their season, which had started with much promise, was abruptly ended in the Preliminary Final, when Yankalilla overran them in the final quarter to win by six points.

Craig Lamshed retired at the end of the season, after a magnificent playing career of 229 games and scoring 247 goals.

He won the GSFL Junior Colts Best and Fairest award and the SFC Junior Colts Presidents trophy in 1977 and 1978, the GSFL Senior Colt Best and Fairest in 1981, the SFC Senior Colt Evergreen Glenn in 1980 and 1981, and is the only four time winner of the A Grade Jones Medal in 1985, 1990, 1991 and 1992.

The following played 10 or more Senior Matches for the season :-

Brendan McDonald, Adam Phillips, Kane Smith (each 21), Scott Cameron, Phillip Eatts, Paul Gerstlauer, Sam Weckert (20), Robert Horne, Matthew Neumann, John Sward (19), Peter (Jack) Daniels, Ray Jones, Jason Lehmann, Jason Oliver, Simon Vivian (18), Steven Hender (16), Craig Lamshed, Aaron Martin (14), Tim Rogers (13), Mark Gilbert (12), Phil Ryan (10).

31 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves finished in sixth position at the end of the minor round, winning nine matches, drawing one and losing eight.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished in ninth position at the end of the minor round, winning just two matches and losing sixteen. It was their poorest season since Strathalbyn affiliated with the GSFL.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished in third position at the end of the minor round, winning fourteen matches and losing four.

In the Qualifying Final Strathalbyn scored a narrow four point victory over Goolwa but were well beaten by Encounter Bay in the Second Semi Final by 34 points.

They regrouped to score a solid 26 point victory over Goolwa in the Preliminary Final.

They were competitive in the Grand Final before Encounter Bay drew away to win by thirty five points.

Encounter Bay 3-1 4-4 5-5 8-7 = 55

Strathalbyn 1-1 2-1 3-2 3-2 = 20

Goal Scorers SFC :- Matthew Bampton, Chris Higgins, Tyrone McInerney 1.

Best Players SFC :- Stephen Saunders, Chris Higgins, Dean Joy.

On 11^th August Meritorious Service Awards were presented to Roy Hagger and John Scotcher for their much valued service to the SFC over many years.

During the year the club acquired a cold room and Garwood Earthmovers generously excavated the area for the floor of the coolroom at no cost to the SFC.

Allan Cousins played his 250^th game for the SFC on the 5^th of April against Yankalilla, he also played his 256^th and final game on the 1^st of August against Langhorne Creek.

1999

Seventh Played 18 Won 8 Lost 10

Trevor Vowels took on the role of A Grade Coach and Keith Jones again as Reserves Coach.

Other appointments were Paul Holdsworth as Head Trainer, Allan Cousins, Sharon Brogan, Sally Michelmore and Adrian Mercer as Trainers and Shane Munce again as Bar Manager.

Significant recruits were Shayne Clonan, Robert Brooks, Brad Walker, Wade Barber, Chris Sellan and Marc West but this was balanced against the loss of Scott Cameron, Paul Gerstlauer, Craig Lamshed, Jason Lehmann and Brendan McDonald.

A 75 point loss to Willunga was not the start to the season that the SFC anticipated, although they won their following three matches.

With only one win in their next five games the season was quickly slipping away.

They scored three good wins over Willunga, Goolwa and Yankalilla before a 35 point loss to Encounter Bay finished any finals aspirations.

This game was played at Strathalbyn in a thick blanket of fog.

Alternate wins and losses followed but the season concluded with four more losses.

Strathalbyn A Grade finished in seventh position at the end of the minor round, winning eight matches and losing ten which represented a disappointing season.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Phillip Eatts, Jed McMahon, Kane Smith (each 18), Chris Sellan (17), Nathan Duffield, Will Ness (16), Steven Hender, Robert Horne, Andrew Newlands, Simon Vivian (15), Wade Barber, Shayne Clonan, Steve Pomery, Matthew Ween, Marc West (14), Adam Phillips, Paul Wagenknecht (13), Bjorn Wagenknecht (12), Ben Princi, Mark Gilbert (10).

39 players for the season.

Daryl Ludwig played his 226th and final game for the SFC on the 3rd of July against Yankalilla.

He was a member of the SFC Premiership teams of 1981, 1982 and 1987, won the A Grade Jones Medal in 1993 and was awarded Life Membership in 1994.

The Strathalbyn Reserves finished in sixth position at the end of the minor round, winning eight matches and losing ten.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished in fifth position at the end of the minor round, winning eight matches and losing ten.

They played Victor Harbour in the Elimination Final but were beaten by 34 points.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished in top position at the end of the minor round, winning seventeen matches and losing just one.

They were beaten by Goolwa in the Second Semi Final by thirteen points in a surprise result and only narrowly won the Preliminary Final against Willunga by six points.

They met Goolwa again in the Grand Final and the result was in doubt until the final siren. With just seconds remaining, Russell Tucker scored a goal to put Strathalbyn ahead and they maintained possession to win by just two points

Strathalbyn 2-3 2-5 5-7 6-8 = 44

Goolwa 1-3 4-6 5-6 6-6 = 42

Goal Scorers SFC :- Tyrone McInerney 2, Matthew Bampton, Adam Darcy, Dwayne Ludwig, Russell Tucker 1.

Best Players :- Dwayne Ludwig, Todd Eaton, Ryan Thyer, Russell Tucker.

Former champion player, Mr. E.J. (Tassie) Nettlefold, passed away on the 19^th of July.

He was a dual Premiership player, dual Mail Medallist and Life Member of the SFC and was later a unanimous selection as Ruck / Follower and Vice Captain in the SFC Team of the Century.

Mr. Arthur Peek, also a Life Member of the SFC, passed away on the 28th of August.

On the 18^th of July a reunion was held to celebrate the 120^th year of the SFC, 40 years of the Ladies Auxiliary and the inaugural Junior Colt Premiership of 1969 as well as the 20^th anniversary of the clubs Centenary Year success.

The SFC was greatly saddened with the passing of Mr. Brian “Bluey” Holdsworth on the 20^th of September. Brian was a former player, Colts Trainer and Team Manager, General Committeeman for many years and SFC Secretary, and was awarded SFC Life Membership in 1992.

He was a tireless worker for the SFC and would be greatly missed.

SFC Results 1980 to 1989

Ken Haines — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 14:36:00 +0000

1980

Second Played 22 Won 16 Lost 6

The euphoria of the Centenary year premiership continued for some time but the AGM held on 29^th November signalled the start of the new season and the realities it would bring.

A vote of thanks was proposed to John Lamshed and Ken Haines on the achievement of the long awaited SFC Clubrooms and plans were announced for the upgrading of the oval and the installation of a new watering scheme.

Brenton Smith was re appointed as Captain Coach but the loss of Ashley Nisbett, Russell Hagger and Kym Smith coupled with the lengthy suspensions given to Peter Gilbert and Dennis Bronca were only partly offset by the return of Kevin Wray and Randall Pitt and the elevation of promising former colts Alistair Wray and Chris Pethick.

The GSFL introduced the final five system of finals matches for season 1980.

Strathalbyn began the season well, convincingly winning their first eight matches, including an impressive twenty goal victory over Mt Compass.

A twenty eight point loss to Myponga ended a twenty match winning streak for the SFC and two late season losses to Myponga again and Langhorne Creek emphasised that the premiership race was wide open.

During the season, Allan Sorrell was made a presentation in recognition of his 300th game milestone on 28^th April and Jason Schofield scored eleven goals against Langhorne Creek in round three.

The Strathalbyn A Grade finished the minor round in second position, winning fourteen matches and losing four.

They lost the Qualifying Final to Langhorne Creek by forty points but then eliminated Goolwa by 83 points in the First Semi Final.

In a form reversal SFC soundly defeated Langhorne Creek in the Preliminary Final by ten goals.

It was to be a replay of the 1979 Grand Final but Mt Compass got off to a dominating first quarter and was never seriously challenged.

Mt Compass 8-5 9-9 12-11 13-11 = 89

Strathalbyn 3-2 5-5 5-6 8-11 = 59

Goal Scorers SFC :- Dennis Bronca, Peter Gilbert 2, Doug Abbott, Chris Allen, Robbie Elliott, Alistair Wray 1.

Best Players SFC :- John Lindsay, Chris Cordwell, Peter Gilbert, Chris Pethick

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Doug Abbott, Noel Elliott, Randall Pitt, Glen Rayner, Kym Thyer, Roger Weckert (each 22), Robbie Elliott, Brenton Smith, Alistair Wray ( 21), Chris Allen, Chris Cordwell, Nick Weckert ( 20), Graeme Vivian (18), Leon Braley (17), Stephen Weckert (16), Chris Pethick (15), Kevin Wray (14), Peter Overall (13), John Lindsay (12), Dennis Bronca, Peter Gilbert ( 11), Steve Highett, Jason Schofield (10).

37 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves finished on top at the end of the minor round, winning 16 matches and losing just two. They lost the Second Semi Final to Yankalilla by 19 points and then defeated Victor Harbour by 34 points in the Preliminary Final but were again beaten by Yankalilla in the Grand Final.

Yankalilla 0-2 3-6 5-6 8-8 = 56

Strathalbyn 0-4 2-4 5-5 5-8 = 38

Goal Scorers SFC :- Trevor Berriman 3, Greg Tucker, Geoff Harvey 1.

Best Players SFC :- Greg Tucker, Peter Overall, Alan Bell, Dennis Hart, Geoff Harvey.

Perry Jones played his 300^th game for SFC on 7^th of June against Pt Elliot.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts were unbeaten all year and defeated Goolwa by 29 points in the Second Semi Final and again comfortably in the Grand Final.

Strathalbyn 0-3 3-4 6-6 11-6 = 72

Goolwa 1-2 2-4 3-4 4-5 = 29

Goal Scorers SFC :- Brenton Shapter 3, Rob Clark, David Ball 2, Tim Phillips, Layne Abbott, Michael Franklin, David Clayton 1.

Best Players SFC :- Paul Pike, Craig Lamshed, Brenton Shapter, Rob Clark, Michael Franklin, Clive Berry.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished top at the end of the minor round, winning 17 matches and losing one. They narrowly beat Victor Harbour in the Second Semi and the Grand Final was again a close match.

Strathalbyn 0-2 1-2 2-4 3-5 = 23

Victor Harbour 0-0 3-0 3-0 3-0 = 18

Goal Scorers SFC :- Bevan Golding, David Norton, Chris Simounds 1.

Best Players SFC :- All played well.

This was the SFCs 12^th consecutive Junior Colt Grand Final for eight premierships.

1981

Premiers Played 22 Won 19 Lost 3

Brenton Smith was reappointed as Captain Coach but the return of Kym Smith from Sturt was offset by the loss of Alan Bell, Graeme Vivian and the retirement of Peter Gilbert who had led the ruck division for many years.

Peter had a magnificent career with Strathalbyn having played 175 games and scoring 126 goals. He was Captain Coach in the 1971 SFC Premiership and an integral player in the 1979 Centenary Premiership team.

Peter won the Mail Medal in 1970 and the Jones Medal in 1970 and 1977, he was a regular GSFL representative and also played 57 matches for West Torrens in the SANFL.

He was a unanimous selection as First Ruckman for the SFC Team of the Century.

The season began in an unconvincing manner with a fortunate one point victory over Langhorne Creek followed by a home loss to Myponga.

The steady improvement of the many former colts players, saw SFC go on to win their next six matches before losing to last years premiers Mt Compass.

The club suffered a major setback when it was announced that President Ken Haines was being transferred in his employment to Melbourne however Vice President Hartley Weckert took the reins, in a smooth transition.

At the same time, former Sturt player Ian Pfeiffer joined the club and had an immediate and significant influence on the clubs fortunes over the next three seasons.

On the 2nd August SFC recorded their highest score and greatest winning margin against Victor Harbour with a 33 goals 18 points to 11 goals 11 points, with Ian Pfeiffer scoring thirteen goals.

Strathalbyn won all nine of their matches in the second round, most by significant margins.

Brenton Smith won the GSFL Mail Medal to compliment the four that he had won in the Hills League.

At the end of the minor round Strathalbyn were second behind Myponga on percentage, having won sixteen matches and losing just two.

They narrowly defeated Goolwa in the Qualifying final by two points but lost the Second Semi Final to Myponga by 26 points.

A powerful display saw them defeat Goolwa by 44 points in the Preliminary Final and they went on to record a solid Grand Final victory over Myponga the following week in very wet conditions.

Strathalbyn 5-5 7-5 8-11 9-14 = 68

Myponga 2-1 5-5 6-6 7-7 = 49

Goal Scores SFC :- Kym Smith 3, Ron Williams 2, Brenton Smith, Doug Abbott, Randall Pitt, Chris Allen 1.

Best Players SFC :- Chris Pethick, Brenton Smith, Nick Weckert, David Garwood, Kym Smith, Daryl Ludwig.

A Grade Premiership team :-

Brenton Smith (Captain Coach), Randall Pitt (Vice Captain), Doug Abbott, Chris Allen, Noel Elliott, Robbie Elliott, David Garwood, Steve Highett, John Lindsay, Daryl Ludwig, Chris Pethick, Ian Pfieffer, Paul Pike, Glen Rayner, Kym Smith, Kym Thyer, Nick Weckert, Roger Weckert, Steve Weckert, Ron Williams.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Doug Abbott, David Garwood, Daryl Ludwig, Paul Pike, Brenton Smith, Nick Weckert (each 22), Robbie Elliott, Steve Highett, John Lindsay, Randall Pitt (21), Kym Thyer (20), Chris Pethick (19), Chris Allen, Noel Elliott (18), Stephen Weckert, Ron Williams (17), Greg Tucker (14), Kym Smith (11), Michael Franklin, Glen Rayner (10).

35 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves finished fourth at the end of the minor round, winning eleven matches and losing seven.

They were defeated by Encounter Bay by 27 points in the Elimination Final.

Popular player and clubman Allen “Red” Sorrell retired after the game, having played 334 games for SFC and being a member of the 1966 and 1968 A Grade Premiership teams and also the 1964,1965 and 1977 Reserves Premiership teams.

He won the Reserves Jones Medal in 1971, 1972, 1974 and 1979 and was awarded SFC Life Membership in 1973.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished on top at the end of the minor round, winning sixteen matches and losing two.

They easily won the Second Semi Final against Mt Compass by 58 points and defeated Victor Harbour by eight points to win the Grand Final.

Strathalbyn 1-2 2-4 6-4 6-5 = 41

Victor Harbour 0-0 2-1 3-2 5-3 = 33

Goal Scorers SFC :- David Norton 2, Rob Clark, James Martin, Leo Redden, David Clayton 1.

Best Players SFC :- Craig Dell, James Martin, David Norton, Craig Lamshed, Bevan Golding, Greg Pike.

This was the SFC Senior Colts sixth straight premiership.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished third at the end of the minor round, winning fourteen matches and losing four.

They defeated Encounter Bay by two points in the Qualifying Final but lost the Second Semi Final by 34 points against Victor Harbour.

When they lost the Preliminary Final to Encounter Bay by nine points this ensured that for the first time since 1968 that they would not contest the Grand Final.

During the season the GSFL introduced the “Send Off” rule.

At the SFC presentation night each A Grade player was awarded an inscribed premiership medallion.

1982

Premiers Played 20 Won 19 Lost 1

Brenton Smith was again appointed as Captain Coach of the SFC A Grade and Ian Pfeiffer as coach of the Reserves.

Although Kym Smith left to be appointed as Captain Coach of Robe, the return of Peter Simounds and Alistair Wray, coupled with the recruitment of Ian Roberts and Geoff Peters ensured that Strathalbyn would be in strong contention for premiership honours.

Strathalbyn began the season with two decisive victories over Goolwa and then Mt Compass, before a surprise one point loss to Encounter Bay bought them back to reality.

Driven on by coach Smith, and with Ian Pfeiffer scoring many goals, Strathalbyn forged on to win all remaining games for the year, many by huge margins.

During the season Pfeiffer scored one tally of sixteen goals, one of eleven and five of ten goals to become the first SFC A Grade player to score 100 goals in a season.

He scored 106 goals during the minor round and ended the season with 116 and was presented with an inscribed tray by the SFC to commemorate the achievement.

(Kevin Wray with 100 in 1974 and Layne Abbott with 112 in 1979 had previously scored 100 goals in a season in the Senior Colts).

On the 13^th May Chris Allen played his 200^th game and on the 20^th May Allan Dunn played his 350^th game and scored a goal (one of the few in his long career).

Both players had made significant contributions to the SFC over many years and in both playing and official roles.

On the 17^th of July, reliable defender Noel Elliott played his 200^th game for the SFC against Yankalilla.

In June, Brenton Smith became the first coach to lead the GSFL to Lovelock Shield success which was further testimony to his playing and coaching abilities.

At the end of the minor round SFC were on top, winning seventeen matches and losing just one.

In a powerhouse display Strathalbyn crushed Encounter Bay in the Second Semi Final by a remarkable 101 points, led by Pfeiffer, Doug Abbott and Alistair Wray who scored sixteen goals between them.

Chris Allen was injured in the first half of the match and, subsequently was unable to take his place in the Grand Final side.

To the surprise of many, Encounter Bay held on to beat Myponga in the Preliminary Final but after a hard fought first half were overrun by Strathalbyn in the second half of the Grand Final.

Strathalbyn 3-3 6-8 15-12 23-18 = 150

Encounter Bay 5-5 9-10 11-14 12-15 = 87

Goal Scorers SFC :- Geoff Peters 7, Nick Weckert, Alistair Wray 4, Ian Pfeiffer, Brenton Smith, Doug Abbott 2, Randall Pitt, Peter Overall 1.

Best Players SFC :- Glen Rayner, Daryl Ludwig, Brenton Smith, Geoff Peters, Chris Pethick.

A Grade Premiership team :-

Brenton Smith (Captain Coach), Randall Pitt (Vice Captain), Doug Abbott, Layne Abbott, Noel Elliott, Robbie Elliott, David Garwood, Craig Lamshed, Daryl Ludwig, Peter Overall, Geoff Peters, Chris Pethick, Ian Pfeiffer, Glen Rayner, Ian Roberts, Peter Simounds, Kym Thyer, Nick Weckert, Roger Weckert, Alistair Wray,

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Ian Roberts, Brenton Smith, Alistair Wray (each 20), Doug Abbott, Noel Elliott, Craig Lamshed, Daryl Ludwig, Chris Pethick, Ian Pfeiffer, Kym Thyer (19), Peter Simounds, Nick Weckert (18), Randall Pitt (17), Peter Overall (15), Roger Weckert (14), John Lindsay, Geoff Peters (13), Chris Allen, Glen Rayner (12), Layne Abbott, Robbie Elliott, David Garwood (11).

34 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves finished second at the end of the minor round, winning fourteen matches, drawing one and losing three.

They lost the Qualifying Final to Yankalilla by just one point but defeated Goolwa to win the First Semi Final by ten points.

They were eliminated by Yankalilla in the Preliminary Final by 36 points in a disappointing conclusion to the season.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished second at the end of the minor round, winning fifteen matches and losing one.

They scored an easy 69 point victory over Langhorne Creek in the Qualifying Final

but in the Second Semi Final, Strathalbyn were no match for Victor Harbour and were well beaten by 39 points.

They comprehensively defeated Encounter Bay by 75 points in the Preliminary Final and in a surprise result, Strathalbyn outplayed Victor Harbour in the Grand Final to win by eighteen points led by the astute coaching of Dean Caust.

Strathalbyn 3-0 5-3 5-4 8-8 = 56

Victor Harbour 2-2 2-3 4-8 5-8 = 38

Goal Scorers SFC :- Rick Clark 2, Bradley Saunders, Simon Maxwell, Nathan Lloyd, Bevan Golding, Craig Ward, Craig Dell 1.

Best Players SFC :- Chris Simounds, Nathan Lloyd, Steven Ness, Rick Clark, David Norton, Bevan Golding, David Knight.

Port Elliott did not field a Senior Colts team during the season.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished second at the end of the minor round, winning fourteen matches and losing four.

They lost the Qualifying Final to Goolwa by fourteen points and were eliminated in the First Semi Final by Encounter Bay by 45 points.

During the season Mr. Max Phillips President of the SFC Colts committee was elected to become the President of the GSFL Colts committee.

Mr. Cyril Moore, SFC premiership player from the 1919 and 1920 teams and Life Member passed away on the 10^th of September.

The Strathalbyn Football Club won the Sturt Shield as the most successful club in the GSFL across the four grades.

The SFC Ladies Auxiliary committee lifted the morale of the club significantly when they paid off the outstanding balance of the clubroom loan on 29^th November 1982.

1983

Second Played 22 Won 15 Lost 7

Yet again Strathalbyn commenced the season targeting a hattrick of premierships as happened in 1912, 1921, 1926 and 1965, all unsuccessfully.

At a Special General Meeting held on 5^th October 1982, Brenton Smith had queried the lack of intensity around the club, citing poor AGM attendance, lack of competition for committee places and lack of club long term planning.

However he accepted the A Grade Playing Coach role for 1983 and Ian Pfeiffer was reappointed as Reserves Coach.

During the year, new coach’s enclosures were erected with materials generously donated by the Lamshed family.

The arrival of Brett Boling was offset by the loss of Peter Simounds, Geoff Peters, Paul Pike and Peter Overall.

Strathalbyn began the season slowly with losses to Victor Harbour and Myponga in their first three matches, but then settled into form winning their next eight games, all by significant margins.

A twelve point loss to Encounter Bay ended their run but on the 23^rd July Strathalbyn scored a GSFL record score when they defeated Milang 52 goals 20 points to 4 goals 3 points with Ian Pfeiffer scoring fourteen goals and Alistair Wray nine.

This enormous defeat did not bode well for the future prospects for Milang to remain in the GSFL.

Late season losses to Yankalilla, and again to Myponga, was not an ideal preparation for the finals although their fire power in Ian Pheiffer, Doug Abbott and Alistair Wray continued to score heavily.

At the end of the minor round Strathalbyn were second, winning thirteen matches and losing five. They lost the Qualifying Final to Encounter Bay by seventeen points although a disastrous third quarter and overall inaccuracy did not help their cause.

In a high scoring match, Strathalbyn finished all over Victor Harbour to win the First Semi Final by 27 points.

During this match a series of incidents occurred, as described by the Southern Argus football writer, ” Tankosic from Victor Harbour copped five minutes on the bench from the umpires but returned to the scuffle, before being banned for good by the umpires. Strath’s Robbie Elliott was also banned for five minutes. In the meantime Victor’s Robert Muir (former VFL player) had jumped the fence and was sorting out a few of his problems with the spectators, copping a deck chair for his troubles”.

Following derogatory comments about the Strathalbyn Captain Coach by the GSFL on Radio 5MU after the game, the SFC held a meeting and corresponded their rejection and concern of this conduct to the league.

Their response is not minuted, however the GSFL declined to send representatives to the SFC annual presentation night for 1983.

In their best performance of the year, Strathalbyn defeated Encounter Bay by 80 points in the Preliminary Final.

They met Myponga in the Grand Final and had lost to them in both minor round matches. Yet again Myponga proved too strong after a tight first half and went on to win by 53 points.

Myponga 4-4 9-5 14-12 18-14 = 122

Strathalbyn 3-3 7-4 9-4 10-9 = 69

Goal Scorers SFC :- Brett Boling, Ian Pfeiffer 3, Chris Allen 2, Doug Abbott, Alistair Wray 1.

Best Players SFC :- Glen Rayner, Steve Highett, Brenton Smith, Doug Abbott, Brett Boling.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Doug Abbott, Daryl Ludwig, Glen Rayner, Ian Roberts, Brenton Smith, Kym Thyer, Roger Weckert, Alistair Wray (each 22), Robbie Elliott, Craig Lamshed, Ian Pfeiffer, Kelvin Smith (21), David Garwood (19), Layne Abbott, Brett Boling (18), Randall Pitt (17), Chris Pethick, Nick Weckert (16), Steve Highett (14), Brenton Shapter (11).

31 players for the season.

The Grand Final loss brought to an end the five year term of Brenton Smith as Captain Coach of Strathalbyn and he was to announce his resignation at the AGM. During his time he took the club to five consecutive grand finals for three premierships and the club played in 104 matches, winning 84 and losing 20.

His inspirational play and significant influence had transformed the club and he was later a unanimous choice as Captain Coach in the SFC Team of the Century.

The 1983 Grand Final was also the last match that Chris Allen played for the SFC.

He began his career as a colts player at SFC, then had two seasons with Sturt Reserves before returning to Strathalbyn. He was a member of the SFC 1971, 1979 and 1981 Premiership teams, unluckily, injury prevented him from playing in the 1982 Premiership. He was Vice Captain in the 1979 Premiership team and was SFC Secretary in 1975, was a committee man for several years and played 228 games for the club. He was awarded Life Membership of the SFC in 1982.

The Strathalbyn Reserves finished fifth at the end of the minor round, winning ten matches and losing eight. Their season ended when they lost to Mt Compass in the Elimination Final by 25 points.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished on top having been unbeaten in the minor round. To the surprise of all, they lost the Second Semi Final to Goolwa by nine points and in the Preliminary Final against Encounter Bay were down by 13 points at half time but regrouped to win by 16 points.

In the Grand Final they regained form to comprehensively defeat Goolwa by 48 points.

Incredibly, this was their eighth successive premiership.

Strathalbyn 4-2 5-6 10-7 12-9 = 81

Goolwa 1-0 1-0 4-2 5-3 = 33

Goal Scorers SFC :- Rick Clark 4, Rod Caust 3, Simon Maxwell 2, Brett Bowden, David Norton, Bevan Golding 1.

Best Players :- Steve Ness, Rick Clark, Chris Simounds, David Norton, Craig Dell, Glen Donaghay, Bevan Golding, Tim Megaw.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished sixth, winning seven matches and losing eleven.

Mr. V.R. (Reg) Tucker former player and Life Member of the SFC passed away on the 5^th of July 1983.

Former player from the 1910 and 1911 Premiership teams, Mr. R.M. (Mervyn) Tucker passed away on 10^th October 1983.

A meeting was held on 11^th November to discuss clubroom extensions and retiring long time committee members Roy Hagger and George McFee were each presented with an inscribed tray in recognition of their outstanding service to SFC.

At seasons end the SFC successfully nominated George McFee to become the President of the GSFL, a position he was to hold for an incredible eighteen years.

1984

Third Played 21 Won 13 Lost 8

After a protracted exercise, Michael Perrey from Langhorne Creek was appointed as playing Captain Coach of the A Grade and Des Roffey coach of the Reserves teams.

With the retirement of Brenton Smith and Chris Allen, coupled with the loss of Ian Pheiffer, Alistair Wray, Dennis Bronca, Steve Highett and Chris Pethick the club did appear significantly weaker than in recent seasons.

The recruitment of Bill Rowe and the return of Russell Hagger helped but a lot would depend on the ability of the young players Craig Lamshed, David Norton, Rick Clark and Bevan Golding to shoulder the load.

The GSFL introduced the Three Interchange rule for season 1984.

Strathalbyn got the season off to a good start with a crushing victory over Milang but there after seemed unable to string victories together.

Following a good win over Victor Harbour by 34 points, they scored sound victories over Myponga, Goolwa, Pt Elliot and Yankalilla to ensure a finals appearance.

Encounter Bay and Myponga were the stumbling blocks as each defeated Strathalbyn comfortably, twice during the minor round.

On 16^th June SFC scored 36 goals 18 points to Port Elliot 8 goals 4 points, with Doug Abbott scoring ten goals and Bevan Golding eight.

The unevenness of the completion was exemplified on 25^th August, when SFC scored 50 goals 25 points to Mt Compass a meagre 3 points, with Doug Abbott scoring fifteen goals and Ian Roberts thirteen.

Former Captain Coach Brenton Smith played the last eight matches of the season.

The GSFL introduced the Two Umpire system for the A Grade finals series.

Strathalbyn finished in third position at the end of the minor round, winning twelve matches and losing six.

They were well beaten by Encounter Bay in the Qualifying Final by 42 points but were far too good for Langhorne Creek in the First Semi Final, winning by almost twelve goals.

Their season came to an end in the Preliminary Final when they were yet again beaten by Encounter Bay by 31 points.

The following played 10 or more Senior games for the season :-

Layne Abbott, Robbie Elliott, David Garwood, Michael Perrey, Nick Weckert (each 21), David Norton, Kelvin Smith, Kym Thyer, Roger Weckert (20), Rick Clark, John Lindsay, Daryl Ludwig, Ian Roberts, Bill Rowe (19), Doug Abbott, Brett Boling, Craig Lamshed (18), Randall Pitt, Brenton Shapter (14).

30 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves had a disappointing season, finishing in sixth position, winning eight matches and losing ten.

Veterans and club legends Perry Jones and Allan Dunn took their SFC match tallies to 390 and 383 respectively.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts were again unbeaten for the year, winning all of their 18 matches and they convincingly defeated Goolwa in the Second Semi Final by 34 points.

Their only loss for the year came when Encounter Bay scored an upset 46 point victory in the Grand Final.

Encounter Bay 3-2 5-3 10-5 13-8 = 76

Strathalbyn 1-0 3-1 5-2 6-4 = 40

Goal Scorers SFC :- Simon Maxwell 2, Brett Bowden, Chris Simounds, Tim Megaw, Shane Hall 1.

Best Players SFC :- Andrew Ness, Scott Ness, Brett Bowden, Simon Maxwell.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished on top at the end of the minor round, winning 17 matches and losing just one. They lost the Second Semi Final to Encounter Bay but defeated Langhorne Creek in the Preliminary Final by thirteen points.

In a tight game they held on to win the premiership against Encounter Bay by one goal.

Strathalbyn 1-1 1-2 2-4 3-5 = 23

Encounter Bay 2-0 2-2 2-3 2-5 = 17

Goal Scorers SFC :- Cameron Briggs, Justin Hoffman, Damien Clarken 1.

Best Players SFC :- Cameron Briggs, Jared Wescombe, Tristan Thomas, Dennis Rainsford, Aaron Berriman, Peter Elliott, Justin Hoffman.

On 26^th March the Ladies Auxiliary gave the $6,000 to the General Committee to entirely pay off all outstanding SFC Bank Loans.

The SFC was much saddened with the passing of Mr. Lindsay Dunn on the 23^rd of December, he had been a great stalwart of the club having been President from 1968 to 1970 and was also a Life Member.

1985

Sixth Played 18 Won 9 Lost 9

Former SFC outstanding player Dennis Elliott was appointed as Captain Coach of the SFC A Grade and Allan Cousins Captain Coach of the Reserves.

New players for SFC were Michael Blight and Andy Barker, with former players Glen Rayner, Peter Overall and Chris Pethick returning, however Doug Abbott, Brett Boling, David Garwood and John Lindsay were major losses and coupled with the loss of Robbie Elliott for much of the season through injury, playing stocks were somewhat less than previous seasons.

After promising form in the trial matches, Strathalbyn opened the season with a comfortable victory over Yankalilla but were to lose their next four matches, all by significant margins.

The Milang Football Club had gone into recess, so the SFC received a forfeit in their next match and then promisingly won their next three games.

Losses to Yankalilla, Victor Harbour and Encounter Bay were followed by another Milang forfeit and then three solid wins.

They slipped from contention on losing their last two matches, narrowly to Myponga and then by 27 points to Langhorne Creek.

At the end of the minor round they were in sixth position, having won nine matches and losing nine.

The following played 10 or more Senior games for the season :-

Layne Abbott, Michael Blight, Dennis Elliott, Daryl Ludwig, David Norton, Kelvin Smith (each 17), Craig Lamshed, Simon Maxwell, Chris Pethick, Bill Rowe, Chris Simounds (16), Glen Rayner (15), Andy Barker, Peter Overall (13), Craig Ward (12), Rod Caust, Neville Donhardt, Steven Ness, Nick Weckert (11), Noel Elliott, Ian Roberts, Kym Thyer (10).

37 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves had their poorest season since the SFC joined the GSFL.

A shortage of players and a long injury list did nothing to help their cause and their only premiership points came from the Milang forfeits, to finish the season in ninth position.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished second at the end of the minor round, winning fifteen matches and losing three. This was a great effort considering that they lost their first two matches of the season.

They won the Qualifying Final against an inaccurate Encounter Bay by eleven points and then defeated Victor Harbour in the Second Semi Final again by eleven points.

In the Grand Final they lead all the way in defeating Victor Harbour by sixteen points.

Strathalbyn 5-0 7-0 7-4 10-8 = 68

Victor Harbour 1-1 3-1 5-3 8-4 = 52

Goal Scorers SFC :- Stuart Wray 3, Scott Ness 2, Brett Bowden, Tim Megaw, Phillip Gilbert, Paul Martin, Ben Way 1.

Best Players SFC :- Tim Megaw, Simon Mardle, Peter Elliott, Scott Stephens.

Apart from 1975 when the SFC finished in third position, they had participated in every GSFL Grand Final from 1971 to 1985, winning an incredible twelve Premierships.

During that fifteen year span, they contested 294 matches, winning 268, drawing one and losing just 25, with eight of those losses occurring in season 1975.

This represents a success rate of 92%, which over a time span of fifteen years, surely must match any Australian Rules Football Club achievement anywhere in the country.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished fourth at the end of the minor round, winning eleven matches, drawing one and losing six.

They were defeated by Goolwa in the Elimination Final by twelve points.

During the season, Perry Jones played his 400^th game for SFC in the Reserves against Victor Harbour on 29^th June and President, Hartley Weckert, made a presentation to him at the conclusion of the Reserves match.

He retired at the end of the season, taking his SFC game total to an incredible 406.

He began playing in 1964 and in his long career had been a member of the SFC A Grade Premierships in 1968 and 1971 and the SFC Reserves Premierships in 1964, 1965 and 1977. He was Reserves Captain in 1981.

He was the oval curator for many years and also served on the SFC General Committee for six years.

Former SFC Premiership player and Vice Captain from the 1920’s and long term Patron, Mr. Reg Montgomery, passed away on the 2^nd January.

At the start of the year Reg Norton resigned from the Bar Manager role which he had very capably filled since the inception of the clubs liquor licence in 1978.

Jill and Rick Clarken took over this role and continued for the next five years.

At the AGM held on 16^th November 1984 approval for the committee to proceed with clubroom building alterations was forthcoming and a loan, secured by the Strathalbyn District Council, was granted, allowing the project to proceed.

1986

Second Played 20 Won 15 Lost 5

Former Strathalbyn player Peter Simounds returned, to be appointed as Captain Coach of the SFC, after two years coaching Nhill in the Wimmera League and Roger Weckert and Glen Rayner were appointed as Vice Captains while Michael Perrey was appointed as Reserves coach.

Dennis Elliott returned to Langhorne Creek, Robbie Elliott was to miss most of the season with a knee injury while Noel Elliott and Ian Roberts retired.

On a positive note, Doug Abbott, Roger Weckert, David Garwood and Brett Boling returned and the recruitment of Peter Simounds, Michael Small and Terry Mahomet made for a promising season.

The GSFL introduced the Two Umpire system for the season, while Milang, who had fallen away in 1985, moved from the GSFL back to the Hills League. Willunga were accepted into the GSFL from the Southern League but after much debate, were foolishly permitted to retain their Red and White colours, causing a clash with Strathalbyn which still causes significant issues today.

After displaying promising form in the trial games, Strathalbyn began the season well, winning their first five matches, including a 224 point annihilation of Port Elliot in round two, before losing to Willunga by 21 points.

Alternate wins and losses saw the SFC placed in third position at the end of the first round.

In the second round their only loss was to Yankalilla by 15 points but also included an 86 point demolition of Willunga and a 103 point victory over Langhorne Creek.

Michael Small was playing excellent football and scored bags of twelve goals against both Yankalilla and Pt Elliot and nine against Willunga, to finish second in the GSFL goal scoring with 91 for the season.

At the end of the minor round Strathalbyn were on top, winning fourteen matches and losing four.

In the Second Semi Final Strathalbyn convincingly defeated Willunga by 55 points, with both Michael Small and Nick Weckert scoring six goals.

Willunga defeated Yankalilla to reach the Grand Final.

Strathalbyn were 22 points down at half time but fought back strongly to have a seven point lead at three quarter time. Late missed opportunities cost SFC dearly and Willunga went on to win by fourteen points.

Willunga 5-5 12-8 13-8 17-13 = 115

Strathalbyn 3-1 9-4 14-9 15-11 = 101

Goal Scorers SFC :- Doug Abbott 5, Michael Small 3, Brett Boling 2, Michael Perrey, Nick Weckert, Craig Lamshed, Roger Weckert, Simon Maxwell 1.

Best Players SFC :- Craig Lamshed, Kym Thyer, Michael Perrey, Peter Simounds, Doug Abbott.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

David Garwood, Kelvin Smith, Roger Weckert (each 20), Doug Abbott, Craig Lamshed, David Norton, Michael Perrey, Kym Thyer (19), Michael Blight, Terry Mahomet, Bill Rowe, Nick Weckert (18), Simon Maxwell, Michael Small (17), Peter Simounds (16), Brett Boling, Daryl Ludwig (14), Chris Simounds (13), Tim Megaw (11).

38 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves finished fourth at the end of the minor round, winning ten matches and losing eight. They defeated Victor Harbour by fifteen points in the Elimination Final and then scored a 22 point victory over Encounter Bay in the First Semi Final.

Their season ended with a 43 point loss to Yankalilla in the Preliminary Final.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished in third position at the end of the minor round, winning fourteen matches and losing four. They lost the Qualifying Final to Langhorne Creek by 73 points and then lost the First Semi Final to Victor Harbour by just one point. Scores were even at the end of normal playing time and again after the first period of extra time but Victor Harbour was in front at the end of the second period of extra time.

This would be the first time since 1975 that the SFC Senior Colts had not contested the Grand Final.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished sixth at the end of the minor round, winning eight matches and losing ten.

During the season former Secretary, Committeeman and Life Member, Mr. Andrew Nettlefold, passed away on the 11^th of August and Mr. Jack (Red) King also a Life Member of the SFC, passed away in January.

On 27^th October former SFC player and coach, Dennis Elliott was selected in the Over 35 Super Rules All Australian Team.

On the 25^th of February a well attended Sportsmans Night was conducted with Test cricketer Doug Walters and former St Kilda player Kevin “Cowboy” Neale.

1987

Premiers Played 21 Won 18 Lost 3

Following their disappointment of the previous year, Strathalbyn took a much changed team into the new season. Michael Small, Doug Abbott and Brett Boling were significant losses but Ian Roberts returned and Bob Morcom, Keith Jones, Brenton Francis, Peter Mahomet and Scott Miller were erstwhile recruits.

Peter Simounds was reappointed as Captain Coach of the A Grade, while Nick Weckert took over as Reserves Coach.

Mr. George McFee was awarded GSFL Officials Life Membership and John Elliott was awarded GSFL Trainer Life Membership on 24^th August while Roger Weckert was awarded GSFL Player Life Membership when he played his 200^th game on 4^th July.

Noel Elliott played his 250^th game and last game for SFC on 1^st August, during his career with the SFC he was a member of the SFC A Grade Premiership teams in 1971, 1979, 1981 and 1982.

After showing excellent trial game form, Strathalbyn were quick to stake their claim winning their first fourteen matches comfortably, with only the second match of the season against Langhorne Creek being relatively close.

Roger Weckert played his 200^th game for the SFC on the 4^th of July against Goolwa.

Willunga provided a reality check when they defeated SFC by twenty points at Willunga and this was followed by a fifteen point loss to Encounter Bay.

A solid win over Mt Compass, coached by former Strathalbyn player Max Bell, and an unconvincing seven point victory over Victor Harbour, was not an ideal finals preparation.

At the end of the minor round Strathalbyn were well clear on top, having won sixteen matches and losing just two.

The Second Semi Final strongly resembled the 1986 Grand Final, when Willunga led early, with Strathalbyn fighting back in the third quarter, only to see Willunga kick clear in the final term, winning by 26 points.

Strathalbyn were expected to comfortably defeat Myponga in the Preliminary Final but found themselves sixteen points down at half time and probably fortunate to be that close. A great third quarter, led by Terry and Peter Mahomet, saw Strathalbyn draw away to win by 25 points.

The Grand Final played at Goolwa was a tough and hard grind with both teams each scoring just two goals in the first half.

For most of the season Strathalbyn had played brilliantly in the third term and, yet again, this was the case. The rain set in as Strathalbyn scored six goals for the quarter to take control. When Peter Simounds scored a goal with a towering kick midway through the final term, Strathalbyn had the match in control.

Strathalbyn 1-4 2-6 8-7 11-9 = 75

Willunga 2-4 2-8 3-11 5-13 = 43

Goal Scorers SFC :- Tim Megaw, Brenton Francis, Nick Weckert 2, Craig Lamshed, Peter Mahomet, Michael Perrey, David Norton, Peter Simounds 1.

Best Players SFC :- Daryl Ludwig, Peter Simounds, David Garwood, Brenton Francis, Nick Weckert, Terry Mahomet.

A Grade Premiership Team :-

Peter Simounds (Captain Coach), Rod Caust, Brenton Francis, David Garwood, Steve Highett, Keith Jones, Craig Lamshed, Daryl Ludwig, Peter Mahomet, Terry Mahomet, Tim Megaw, Scott Miller, Bob Morcomb, David Norton, Michael Perrey, Bill Rowe, Chris Simounds, Kelvin Smith, Kym Thyer (Vice Captain), Nick Weckert, Roger Weckert.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

David Garwood, Keith Jones, Daryl Ludwig, Peter Simounds, Nick Weckert (each 21), Peter Mahomet (20), Brenton Francis, Kelvin Smith, Roger Weckert (19), Craig Lamshed (17), Michael Perrey (16), Terry Mahomet, Bob Morcom, Chris Simounds (!5), Steve Highett, David Norton, Craig Ward (13), Scott Miller (12), Greg Hankinson, Simon Mardle (10).

36 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves finished on top at the end of the minor round, winning sixteen matches, drawing one and losing one. They were badly beaten by Yankalilla in the Second Semi Final by fifty points and again by Willunga in the Preliminary Final by 39 points.

It was a very disappointing end to their season but they never replicated their minor round form during the finals series.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished fourth at the end of the minor round, winning thirteen matches and losing five.

During the year Bob Morcom replaced Louie O’Toole as Senior Colt coach.

Strathalbyn beat Willunga in the Elimination Final by just four points but lost to Goolwa by twenty one points in the First Semi Final.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts had a great season finishing the minor round on top, winning seventeen matches and losing just one.

They soundly defeated Willunga by forty nine points in the Second Semi Final and repeated this with a record Junior Colts Grand Final score and winning margin in the Grand Final.

Strathalbyn 4-1 6-5 10-6 12-8 = 80

Willunga 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 = 0

Goal Scorers SFC :- Tim Brumfield 3, Brad Caust, Darren Shiller, Darren Stephens 2, Jamie Allen, Anthony Martin, Andrew Clarken 1.

Best Players SFC :- Will Ness, Anthony Martin, Mark Gevers, Tim Brumfield.

During the year Peter Simounds was selected in the S.A. Country Team to play the curtain raiser match prior to the interstate match played at Adelaide Oval.

Perry Jones was the winner of the Strathalbyn Sporting Personality of the Year for his services to both cricket and football within the community of Strathalbyn.

The SFC again won the Sturt Shield as the most successful GSFL club across the four grades for the season 1987.

1988

Seventh Played 18 Won 7 Lost 11

Peter Simounds was reappointed as A Grade Captain Coach and Nick Weckert as Reserves Coach but with the loss of Peter and Terry Mahomet, Michael Perrey and Scott Miller and the unavailability for much of the season of Bob Morcom and David Norton the club was not as strong as in the past two years.

The only recruits of significance were Greg McIntyre and Tim Story so it was obvious that player numbers would become an issue if injuries occurred.

The Strathalbyn Football Club was requested to host a SANFL Escort Cup match between Sturt and Glenelg scheduled for 29^th February which it willingly accepted.

Brian Holdsworth was appointed as Coordinator of the match and following its very successful conduct, Mervyn Keane, coach of the Sturt Football Club, expressed his thanks to Brian and his assistants, John Williams, Perry Jones and John Lamshed for a difficult job extremely well done.

Peter Simounds was also appointed to be the GSFL Lovelock Shield team Coach for the 1988 season.

Strathalbyn began the season disastrously, losing in both its preseason trial matches and then its first four matches although none by big margins.

In round three against Yankalilla Chris Simounds scored ten goals for Strathalbyn in an outstanding performance, but it was not enough for SFC to score a victory.

A win over Pott Elliot was followed by seven losses in the next nine matches to fall well out of contention.

Solid wins over Victor Harbour, Myponga, Mt Compass and Yankalilla in the last four matches of the season went some way to regain respectability.

At the end of the minor round they were in seventh position having won seven and lost eleven matches for the season. This was their worst result for many years.

On the 6^th August Nick Weckert played his 200^th game for Strathalbyn against Myponga and on 13^th August Kym Thyer played his 200^th game for the club against Mt Compass.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Paul Pike, Nick Weckert (each 18), Keith Jones, Simon Mardle (17), Brenton Francis, Sam Weckert (16), Greg McIntyre (15), Craig Lamshed, John Lindsay (14), Peter Elliott, Steve Highett, Steven Ness, Kelvin Smith (13), Chris Simounds (12), Tim Story, Craig Ward (11), Simon Maxwell, Peter Simounds (10).

40 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves also had a most unsuccessful season finishing eigthth, winning just five matches and losing thirteen.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished in third place at the end of the minor round, winning twelve matches, drawing two and losing four.

They lost to Willunga by fourteen points in a low scoring Qualifying Final but then scored a twenty eight point win over Myponga in the First Semi Final.

Their season ended with a thirteen point loss to Willunga in the Preliminary Final, after trailing by more than five goals at three quarter time.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished in second place at the end of the minor round, winning fifteen matches and losing three.

They lost the Qualifying Final to Yankalilla by eighteen points but scored an impressive 87 point win over Encounter Bay in the First Semi Final, holding their opponents scoreless.

They followed this by defeating Yankalilla in the Preliminary Final by fourteen points after trailing by two goals at half time.

In a very low scoring Grand Final, the SFC held on to win the Premiership by just four points.

Strathalbyn 0-2 0-3 2-5 2-5 = 17

Willunga 0-0 1-1 1-1 2-1 = 13

Goal Scorers SFC :- Andrew Boag, Andrew Roberts 1.

Best Players SFC :- Mark Gevers, Darren Stephens, Daniel Clarke, Graham Moran, Andrew Roberts, Matthew Hoffman.

This was a Premiership won the hard way and was a tribute to the coaching of Kevin Wray and the determination of the team generally, brilliantly led by Matthew Hoffman.

On the 27^th June a presentation of $1,000 donation to the Strathalbyn Nursing Home Appeal was made by Zel Thyer, President of the SFC Ladies Auxiliary and Mr Rick Clarken SFC Bar Manager.

During the year a letter was sent to Mr. Lance (Toey) Watson congratulating him on the 50^th anniversary of him becoming a SFC Life Member.

At the annual presentation night, Mr. Ken Dix was awarded a Meritorious Service Award for his fourteen years as SFC Timekeeper.

Popular clubman and former player Dennis Allen passed away on 10^th November.

At seasons end, Ms. Zel Thyer retired after ten years and Ms. Lorraine Lamshed retired after twelve years respectively, as President and Treasurer of the Ladies Auxiliary.

Hartley Weckert retired, having been President of SFC since mid 1981 and Ms.BronwynMartin retired after four years as Secretary / Treasurer of the SFC and Bronwyn was presented with ” The Most Dedicated Member” award for the season.

These were significant losses to the Strathalbyn Football Club as each had made an enormous contribution to the club and would leave significant voids, difficult to fill.

Fortunately Zel continued on as Vice President of the Ladies Auxiliary for several years while Hartley continued on as a SFC committeeman.

Hartley had been awarded Life Membership in 1961 and Zel, Lorraine and Bronwyn were all recognised with SFC Life Membership in due course.

1989

Sixth Played 18 Won 10 lost 8

Mr Bob Simounds took over as President of the SFC and was extremely pleased to announce that Brenton Smith would return as non playing coach of both the A Grade and Reserves teams.

Brian Holdsworth was appointed as Club Manager, both to relieve the Secretarial workload but to also provide the club with a more professional football focus.

The playing personnel remained similar to last year but Randall Pitt returned after five years absence and Anthony and Wayne Gilgen were recruited, however the club would again depend heavily on the progress of its colts players.

After reasonable form in the preseason trial matches, Strathalbyn got off to a good start with a solid win over Myponga, but was then well beaten by Encounter Bay.

Four successive victories over Yankalilla, Willunga, Langhorne Creek and Pt Elliot gave rise to optimism.

At the midway point of the season they were well placed with six wins and three losses. In round six they defeated Port Elliot by 125 points with Peter Simounds scoring eleven goals and against Willunga he scored nine.

The second half of the season began with three successive losses and Strathalbyn needed to win the last match of the minor round to contest the finals series.

Unfortunately they were beaten by Encounter Bay by nine points and for the first time since they joined the GSFL no Strathalbyn team would contest the finals.

Peter Simounds was selected as Vice Captain of the South Australian Country Team to play W.A. in Perth and was unanimously voted as best afield in that match.

At the conclusion of the season, Peter and Chris Simounds were selected in the Victor Harbour Times Team of the Year, with Bill Rowe named in the Interchange group.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Simon Mardle, Chris Simounds, Peter Simounds (each 17), Keith Jones, Tim Megaw, Randall Pitt, Tim Story (16), David Norton, Brenton Shapter (15), David Garwood, Steven Ness, Paul Pike, Ben Way (14), Craig Lamshed. Daryl Ludwig, Bill Rowe (13), Simon Maxwell (12), Greg McIntyre (11), Rod Caust (10).

37 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves had a difficult year and at the end of the minor round finished in eighth position, winning five matches and losing thirteen.

On the 5^th August Allan Dunn played his 400^th game for the SFC and he was presented with an inscribed pewter mug to celebrate the occasion.

Allan had been Team Manager for the Reserves for a number of years, but always kept his football gear in the boot of his car, just in case he was required to play.

Alan (Bullet) Bell played his 200^th game for SFC on 19^th August against Yankalilla, the following week he played his 201^st and final game for Strathalbyn.

He had been a solid and reliable player for the SFC over many years, commencing his senior SFC career in 1971 and was a member of the 1979 Centenary Premiership team.

Amazingly, in his long career, no record can be found of him ever scoring a goal, however Alan can well claim to have prevented many.

He was awarded Life Membership of the SFC at the presentation night at the conclusion of the season.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts had their poorest season since the SFC joined the GSFL,finishing in ninth position at the end of the minor round, winning just two matches and losing sixteen.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished sixth at the end of the minor round, winning eight matches, drawing one and losing nine.

On the 30^th July the Ladies Auxiliary held a thirty year anniversary reunion.

It was well attended by many of the ladies who had worked tirelessly for the Strathalbyn Football Club over those years.

Mesdames Mollie Richardson, Gwen Elliott and Dawn Peek, the only three ladies who had at that time, been awarded Life Membership of the SFC in recognition of their outstanding service, were asked to cut a cake.

After serving the club extremely well as Bar Managers for the past five years, Jill and Rick Clarken advised that they were unavailable for next season.

Mr. Norm Ahrendt passed away on the 3rd of March. Norm was the first coach of the SFC, a position he held from 1946 to 1949 and again in the 1952 A Grade and Reserves Premiership year. He was President of the club in 1954 and 1955 and was awarded Life Membership of SFC in 1956.

SFC 1979 The Centenary Year

Ken Haines — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 14:34:00 +0000

1979

THE CENTENARY YEAR

Premiers Played 20 Won 17 Lost 3

During the 1978 season, the SFC Committee commenced making preparations for the 1979 Centenary Year of the club.

The off field activities, with the new clubrooms well advanced and Ian Everitt and Colin Sibly having almost completed their research for the book “Strathalbyn Football Club The First 100 Years”, were on target and it now remained to focus committee attention to on field success.

Given the potential of the new clubroom facility to substantially improve the clubs financial generating capability, a sub committee was appointed to investigate the possibility of attracting a high profile coach for 1979.

This sub committee comprised of Ken Haines (Chair), Hartley Weckert, Robert Westley and Brian Holdsworth..

They met and after much discussion, decided to approach suitable candidates directly, rather than advertise as in previous years and, accordingly, established a set of preferred selection criteria.

Viz. SANFL playing experience, previous successful coaching experience, have a high football profile, preferably a key position player and excellent communication skills.

All of the current coaches of neighbouring Leagues (River Murray, Southern, Great Southern, South West Suburban and all divisions of Hills) were identified and cross referenced against the selection criteria, which rapidly reduced the list of possibilities from approximately 66 to 12.

After more scrutiny and assessment the list was reduced to 6, who would be approached directly to ascertain their interest in coaching the SFC in 1979.

Brenton Smith, currently coaching Macclesfield, was the preferred candidate and, following the conclusion of that clubs playing season, Ken Haines and Brian Holdsworth interviewed him. He subsequently submitted an application which the sub committee were only too pleased to recommend to the SFC General Committee for their approval.

Contrary to popular belief, no deal had been done with Brenton when Peter Gilbert had been cleared to play for Macclesfield late in the 1978 season.

The only undertaking sought, and given, was that in return for Macclesfield being authorised to train on Sunday mornings at Strathalbyn oval during their finals campaign, Brenton would entertain a discussion on the SFC 1979 coaching position after the conclusion of Macclesfield’s playing season and even this was given rather grudgingly.

The news of his appointment leaked out of committee prior to the AGM, held on 1^st of December 1978, however his appointment had created much excitement and expectations were high, and in excess of 70 members were in attendance at the AGM where Brenton spoke on his aspirations and expectations for season 1979.

Brenton bought his younger brother Kym to Strathalbyn with him, and, together with the return of Peter Gilbert, all was in readiness for the season.

The players were put through a rigorous pre season training regime and quickly responded to Smith’s expectation of discipline, consistent top performance and commitment and the catch cry “Bore in boys” held up all season.

A commanding win over Port Elliott was exactly the start needed, with Ashley Nisbett scoring twelve goals and this was followed by a one point win over 1978 Premiers, Langhorne Creek.

Milang had joined the GSFL for 1979 season but were given a reality check when Strathalbyn defeated them by 53 points and then Victor Harbour were next to lose to the new look SFC.

Goolwa inflicted Strathalbyn’s first loss with a 38 point margin and this was followed by a five point loss to Myponga, a ground where SFC had a poor record.

A near thirty goal victory over Yankalilla was followed by a ten goal defeat by Mt Compass who had recruited strongly and loomed large in premiership calculations.

On the Queen’s Birthday weekend on the 16^th and 17^th of June, the SFC Centenary was celebrated with many former players from far afield returning, for some it was their first return for many years.

A large crowd was in attendance to witness the official opening of the clubrooms by SFC Patron and Vice Captain from the 1920’s, Mr Reg Montgomery and the Mayor of the Strathalbyn District Council, Mr Leon O’Driscoll.

Mr Clem Harley was the MC for the occasion and he then introduced and interviewed many of the past players in attendance.

A football match between a Strathalbyn Colts team and their fathers provided great entertainment followed by a SFC Life Members team against a SFC Ladies team and the celebrations concluded with a program of athletics involving the current day SFC players.

A highlight of the day was the 100 metres sprint. Current day player Robbie Elliott, aged 18, was up against Bruce (Battler) Anderson , club character, story teller (former VFL player- unsubstantiated) and current day trainer, age unknown.

To the amazement of all, Battler led all the way only to be pipped in the shadows of the finishing post. Battler later complained that he was lead to believe the race was over 100 yards and as he had specifically trained for that distance, and was actually in front at that point and that he should be awarded the race.

This nostalgic and emotional weekend served its purpose well, as it reinforced the history and tradition of the past, and creating inspiration to the present day players.

When football resumed the following week, Strathalbyn had a narrow win over Encounter Bay, followed by another close win against Langhorne Creek.

SFC’s next match against Pt Elliott was played in atrocious gale force windy conditions and Strathalbyn were very content to get out of the game with a five goal victory.

Strathalbyn signalled their challenge to the other teams when they destroyed Goolwa with a crushing 101 point victory, with a magnificent display followed by thrashing Yankalilla 41 goals 14 points to 8 goals 6 points, a GSFL record score, with Dennis Bronca scoring thirteen goals.

Solid wins over Mt Compass, Encounter Bay, Victor Harbour and Milang saw Strathalbyn on top of the premiership table, having won their last ten matches.

Kym Smith had enjoyed a great season and was to win the GSFL Mail Medal with brother Brenton in second place.

In the last minor round match against Milang, Steve Weckert collided heavily with a point post and was badly injured and subsequently was unable to take his place in the Premiership team.

Mt Compass eliminated Myponga in the First Semi Final and Strathalbyn were expected to comfortably account for Goolwa in the Second Semi Final, however, this was not to be the case.

Goolwa began well and had established a 27 point lead at quarter time, with Strathalbyn fighting back in the second term to trail by one point at half time.

SFC slowly were getting the better of their opponents and had a six point advantage at the last break and gradually drew away to win by twenty five points.

During the season, Ashley Nisbett had established himself in the Full Forward position and was consistently playing well, scoring 68 goals in the minor round.

In the Second Semi Final he played probably his best game for the season, and with his high marking and long, accurate kicking he bagged eight goals,

Unfortunately, late in the last quarter he badly fractured a finger which had him in doubt for the Grand Final.

Mt Compass eliminated Goolwa in the Preliminary Final and the stage was set for the Grand Final that astute observers had predicted, Strathalbyn versus Mt Compass.

Following training at the SFC on the Thursday night prior to the Grand Final, the selectors had several issues to ponder.

Ashley Nisbett had not been convincing with his ball handling and John Lindsay trained poorly.

The Grand Final team would be finalised after Nisbett was given a fitness test on Friday afternoon.

Try as he might, he was unable to get through this test and was totally devastated.

However his misfortune was Peter Overall’s good fortune, as he was selected as the replacement, which was considered somewhat of a surprise and, John Lindsay was relieved when he was also selected in the SFC Grand Final line up.

Grand Final day at Victor Harbour is probably the proudest achievement in the long history of the SFC.

When the Junior Colts won their Preliminary Final match replay, having previously drawn with Encounter Bay, they ensured all five Strathalbyn teams would contest their respective Grand Final, a truly outstanding achievement.

The SFC won the Hollostone Trophy as the GSFL most successful club by a considerable margin.

The SFC Mini Colts, coached by Kurt Kube, got Grand Final day off to a good start, defeating Langhorne Creek 4 – 3 to 2 – 1.

The Junior Colts, coached by Alan Bell, were beaten by Victor Harbour, but represented their club well all season.

The Senior Colts, coached by Graeme Vivian, had been unbeaten all season and demolished Yankalilla to win by 99 points.

The Reserves had provided great support to the A Grade team all year, but on Grand Final day found Victor Harbour too good. Late season injuries to several A Grade players did not help the Reserves cause.

The A Grade Grand Final got underway before an enormous crowd, with Mt Compass starting the better but wasting opportunities with inaccurate kicking.

John Lindsay, Glen Rayner and Jason Schofield were defending well and Chris Allen and Kym Thyer soon established a ruck ascendancy for Strathalbyn.

This created many opportunities for Kym Smith, Nick and Roger Weckert and with great teamwork they quickly established a 21 point lead by quarter time.

Again Mt Compass started the second term well with two early goals, but an incident which resulted in Dennis Bronca being reported, seemed to galvanise the Strathalbyn players.

Peter Overall, having replaced Bronca, goaled, and then John Lindsay outmarked two opponents, hit the ground running, took three bounces and then goaled from 50 metres out, to the amazement of all.

Robbie Elliott and Kym Smith had assumed total control around the centre and the game was rapidly slipping away from Mt Compass.

A behind the play, king hit, saw Brenton Smith go down and he was in the trainers hands for some time. This instigated a free for all and, in short order, the instigator was off on a stretcher and Peter Gilbert for SFC and Bernie Viede from Mt Compass were both reported.

Calm was eventually restored and Brenton Smith regained his feet just as play was about to restart.

By half time SFC had built a thirty seven point lead, but during the break, Smith instilled the understanding into his players that the job was far from completed.

With Fitzgerald back in the fray, Mt Compass scored two quick goals but Strathalbyn soon regained the initiative with Roger Weckert, Russell Hagger and Peter Gilbert creating scoring opportunities and goals flowed.

Brenton Smith scored five incredible goals during this term and the flamboyant John Lindsay rebounded from defence, well supported by Glen Rayner.

By three quarter time Strathalbyn had established a commanding twelve goal lead.

Knowing the Premiership was theirs, the SFC players undoubtably relaxed, but it was also to the credit of the opposition that Mt Compass kept at it, scoring six goals in the last term.

Strathalbyn also added another three goals in that time to maintain control and the final siren saw them having scored a GSFL Grand Final record score.

The Strathalbyn Football Club had achieved their dream of winning the Premiership in the clubs Centenary Year, playing the relentless style of skilled football demanded by coach Brenton Smith.

It was a personal triumph for Smith, having lead his team magnificently, with his great play and courage, coupled with scoring seven goals, all despite having been heavily felled during the second quarter.

Mention must also be made of the exceptional game played by John Lindsay.

He was not at his best in the Second Semi Final and at the final training session prior to the Grand Final seemed unable to handle the ball cleanly.

But from start to finish in the Grand Final, he marked every ball that came near him, played on with his customary dash, regularly rebounded the ball from defence and scored an unforgettable goal, to probably shade B. Smith as the Best on Ground.

Strathalbyn 7-3 12-6 20-10 23-20 = 152

Mt Compass 3-5 6-5 9-5 15-9 = 99

Goal Scorers SFC :- Brenton Smith 7, Nick Weckert 4, Dennis Bronca , Russell Hagger, Peter Overall each 2, Chris Allen, Robbie Elliott, John Lindsay, Kym Smith, Graeme Vivian, Roger Weckert each 1.

Best Players SFC :- John Lindsay, Brenton Smith, Robbie Elliott, Roger Weckert, Nick Weckert, Glen Rayner, Alan Bell.

The Strathalbyn Premiership team :-

Brenton Smith (Captain Coach), Chris Allen (Vice Captain), Alan Bell, Dennis Bronca, Noel Elliott, Robbie Elliott, Peter Gilbert, Russell Hagger, Peter Hendy, Phil Jenner, John Lindsay, Glen Rayner, Jason Schofield, Kym Smith, Kym Thyer, Graeme Vivian, Nick Weckert, Roger Weckert,

Reserves :- Chris Cordwell , Peter Overall.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :- Chris Allen, Alan Bell, Robbie Elliott, Glen Rayner, Brenton Smith, Kym Smith, Graeme Vivian, Nick Weckert (each 20), Kym Thyer (19), Noel Elliott, Phil Jenner, John Lindsay, Stephen Weckert (18), Jason Schofield (17), Ashley Nisbett, Roger Weckert (16), Peter Gilbert, Russell Hagger (15), Peter Hendy (11), Peter Overall (10)

32 Players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves finished in second position at the end of the minor round, winning thirteen matches and losing five.

They scored a surprise five point victory over Victor Harbour in the Second Semi Final but were well beaten by Victor Harbour in the Grand Final by 43 points.

Victor Harbour 3-3 7-8 8-8 10-12 = 72

Strathalbyn 1-1 2-2 4-5 4-5 = 29

Goal Scorers SFC :- Michael Catford, Colin Sibly, Nick Smith, Greg Tucker each 1

Best Players SFC :- Brenton Peek, Trevor Heinrich, Nick Smith, Peter Graney, Peter Blaser

Reserves Captain Trevor “Fritz” Heinrich played his 265^th and final game for the SFC in the Reserves Grand Final. He began his playing career in 1962 and was a member of the SFC A Grade Premiership teams in1966, 1968 and 1971 and also the SFC Reserves Premierships in 1963, 1965 and 1977.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts had an outstanding unbeaten season finishing on top at the end of the minor round.

They scored a comfortable 54 point win over Yankalilla in the Second Semi Final and scored a resounding Grand Final win again over Yankalilla by 99 points.

Strathalbyn 6-2 9-5 11-9 18-12 = 120

Yankalilla 0-2 1-2 3-2 3-3 = 21

Goal Scorers SFC :- Doug Abbott 6, Layne Abbott 5, Michael Franklin, Rob Clark each 2, Daryl Phillips, Paul Pike, Brenton Shapter each 1

Best Players SFC :- All played well

The SFC Senior Colts scored a number of huge wins during the season and on 18^th August they defeated Victor Harbour 25 goals 11 points to nil.

Layne Abbott scored 19 goals in that match which remains the greatest individual goalscoring feat in the history of the SFC.

Layne won the GSFL Senior Colt Goal Scoring with an incredible 112 goals for the season, while his brother Doug also scored 45 goals.

The SFC Junior Colts finished second at the end of the minor round, winning sixteen matches and losing two.

They lost the Second Semi Final to Victor Harbour by 42 points and in the Preliminary Final against Encounter Bay just held on to draw the match.

In the replay the following day the SFC build a 25 point lead at half time to go on to reach the Grand Final by 24 points.

They put up a good effort but were beaten by Victor Harbour by 24 points in the Grand Final.

Victor Harbour 1-5 3-8 3.8 5-8 = 38

Strathalbyn 0-1 1-1 2-2 2-2 = 14

Goal Scorers SFC :- Rick Clark, David Oppatt each 1

Best Players SFC :- David Norton, Bevan Golding, Michael Rainsford, Clive Berry, Brendan Haines

The Mini Colts defeated Langhorne Creek

Strathalbyn 4-3 = 27

Langhorne Creek 2-1 = 13

Following the official presentations on the ground, pandemonium reigned in the change rooms. The Sturt Recruiting Officer wished to sign a few SFC players, but his sense of timing was misplaced and he was quickly ejected.

The astute SFC President, Ken Haines, was quick to praise Coach Brenton Smith as “The greatest thing to happen to the Strathalbyn Football Club” and all agreed.

Haines was lavish in his praise of the two young guns Nick Weckert and Robbie Elliott and also of Peter Gilbert standing up for his teammates when needed.

Celebrations continued back at the club rooms, where it was standing room only, until late into the night and continued again on Sunday.

A highlight on Saturday night was an extremely generous donation by Mr Sandy Hancock, to be shared by the players, which was greatly appreciated.

An interesting aside to all of this was, that unknown to Brenton Smith and the selectors, Peter Overall’s mother Pat, had, during the season, forbidden him from playing in the A Grade. Peter had never advised the club of this, and he was duly selected for the A Grade Grand Final team.

On the morning of the Grand Final to the best of Pat’s knowledge, he departed from home to go to play in the SFC Reserves, she being totally oblivious to his selection in the A Grade team..

Imagine her horror, when in mid afternoon, she switched the radio on to 5MU to hear how Strathalbyn were faring, just in time to hear that Peter Overall had just scored his second goal, followed by an almighty brawl occurring.

What was said when he got home late that night (or, more probably, early the next morning) has never been revealed.

On reflection, the Strathalbyn Football Club had achieved an astounding turn around in its fortunes in short order.

In 1976 the club had come very close to being disbanded and here just three years on, they had achieved their own clubrooms and won a Centenary Premiership.

In reality, it was a greatly deserved reward for the Committee who had conceived and driven the achievement, the club membership with their total support and involvement, the Strathalbyn community for their encouragement and support and, finally coach Brenton Smith and his players who had responded magnificently to the challenge.

SFC Results 1971 to 1978

Ken Haines — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 14:32:00 +0000

1971

Premiers Played 19 Won 16 Lost 3

Season 1971 saw Peter Gilbert re appointed as Playing Coach and the appointment of Ivan Cross as President and Ken Haines as Secretary.

David Kurtz, Doug Thompson, Bob O’Shaughnessy were recruited and Chis Allen returned from Sturt to bolster, an already strong playing list, however Bob Bowering, Adrian Daniel, Andrew McKinnon, Neville and Ross Wirth were lost to the club.

During the first fourteen matches of the season, the only blemish was an eight point loss to Goolwa. Most of these victories were by big margins, with the only close game being a seven point win over Mt Compass in round three.

Two late season losses to Mt Compass and then Myponga quickly refocussed the club but, rather strangely, these losses occurred either side of a 97 point thrashing of Goolwa who loomed as a real premiership aspirant.

Goolwa finished on top of the ladder at the conclusion of the minor round, with Strathalbyn a close second, having won fourteen matches and losing three.

In the Second Semi Final an inaccurate Strathalbyn were victorious by 18 points.

Goolwa defeated Mt Compass in the Preliminary Final but Strathalbyn again comfortably defeated Goolwa in the Grand Final by 38 points, led by the ruck dominance of Peter Gilbert and Chris Allen.

Strathalbyn 4-4 7-7 7-12 14-16 = 100

Goolwa 2-3 4-5 5-6 8-14 = 62

Goal Scorers SFC :- David Harley 4, Perry Jones 3, Peter Gilbert, Trevor Heinrich 2, Chris Allen, David Kurtz, Bob Booth each 1

Best Players SFC :- Fred Megaw, Chris Allen, David Kurtz, Peter Gilbert, Brian Harley, David Harley, Robert Westley, Bryan Wagenknecht, Bob O’Shaughnessy and Peter Faddy.

A Grade Premiership Team :-

Peter Gilbert (Captain Coach), Chris Allen, Fraser Davidson, Alan Dodd, Noel Elliott, Peter Faddy, Brian Harley, David Harley, Trevor Heinrich, Perry Jones, David Kurtz, Fred Megaw, Bob O’Shaughnessy, Neville Rowe, Geoff Slade, Bryan Wagenknecht, Robert Westley(Vice Captain), Eric Wirth.

Reserves :- Bob Booth , Doug Thompson

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Trevor Heinrich, Perry Jones, Robert Westley (each 19), Chris Allen, Alan Dodd, Peter Faddy, Peter Gilbert, David Kurtz, Fred Megaw, Geoff Slade, Eric Wirth (18), David Harley, Bob O’Shaughnessy (16), Noel Elliott, Neville Rowe (15), Phillip Pethick, Bryan Wagenknecht (13), Bob Booth (12), Fraser Davidson, Allen Sorrell (11), Brian Harley, Vince McCabe (10).

32 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves finished second at the end of the minor round, winning twelve matches and losing five. They were defeated by Yankalilla in the Second Semi comfortably by 52 points but regrouped to score a nine point Preliminary Final win over an inaccurate Mt Compass.

They again lost to Yankalilla in the Grand Final in a tight contest by 16 points which was a significant improvement on their previous encounter.

Yankalilla 2-0 3-0 6-3 9-3 = 57

Strathalbyn 2-2 3-4 5-4 6-5 = 41

Goal Scorers SFC :- Paul Kerslake, Greg Cotton, Phil Pethick, Vin McCabe, Robert Hancock, Allen Sorrell 1.

Best Players SFC :- Gary Heading, Greg Cotton, Richard Gemmell, Peter Blaser, Dennis Hart, Allan Dunn, Paul Kerslake.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished on top at the end of the minor round, winning 15 matches, drawing one and losing one.

They scored a convincing 34 point win over Yankalilla in the Second Semi Final and went into the Grand Final as firm favourites.

Goolwa had won their way into the Grand Final from the First Semi Final but a slow start cost Strathalbyn dearly, eventually losing by nine points.

Goolwa 3-2 4-2 6-2 7-3 = 45

Strathalbyn 1-2 2-3 3-6 5-6 = 36

Goal Scorers SFC :- Russell Hagger 2, Ashley Golding, Jason Schofield, Kevin Wray 1.

Best Players SFC :- Alan Bell, Ron Williams, Michael McCabe, Raymond Moyle, Peter Crouch, Ashley Golding.

Roger Goldfinch, quite incredibly, polled votes in every Senior Colt match for the season to win the GSFL Dunn Memorial Trophy.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished top at the end of the minor round, winning every match but, due to a lost player registration, had two premiership points deducted.

They scored a 48 point victory over Yankalilla in the Second Semi Final and repeated the result in the Grand Final with scores in both matches remarkably similar.

This was their third Premiership in a row.

Strathalbyn 2-1 4-2 5-5 8-7 = 55

Yankalilla 1-1 2-1 2-1 2-1 = 13

Goal Scorers SFC :- Graeme Vivian 4, Randall Pitt, John Vaninetti, Roger Weckert, Nick Weckert 1.

Best Players SFC :- Randall Pitt, Michael Catford, Glen Rayner, John Vaninetti, Graeme Vivian, Roger Weckert, Robbie Elliott

Graeme Vivian won the GSFL Junior Colt Goal Scoring with 89 goals for the season, an incredible achievement considering the limited game time allocated to this grade.

The Strathalbyn Football Club also again won the Mobil Trophy for the most successful GSFL club for the season.

Late in the season a letter to the Editor of the Southern Argus appeared, in which the correspondent signed ” a supporter and an official” taking the Argus football writer to task over his comments and match descriptions during the season.

Lance Watson (the Argus football writer) took exception to many of the accusations contained in the letter and responded rather vigorously in the following edition.

The SFC then wrote a letter disassociating themselves from the original correspondence which bought the matter to a conclusion.

1972

Second Played 19 Won 12 Lost 5 Drawn 2

Peter Gilbert was again appointed as Playing Coach for 1972 and with the arrival of John Wills, Ray Schied and Trevor Berriman there was expectation of another successful year.

Secretary Ken Haines was temporarily transferred to Leigh Creek with his employment as the season got underway and Murray Greenfield accepted the role in his absence.

The SFC was off to a good start with six wins and a draw from the first seven matches but it was soon obvious that Victor Harbour were the team to beat.

In round three Strathalbyn defeated Myponga by seventeen points at Myponga, this being the first victory at that ground since Myponga joined the GSFL in 1967.

In the drawn game against Encounter Bay in round four, it was only the Bays inaccurate kicking that kept Strathalbyn in the match and a last second kick at goal by Encounter Bay fell just short.

With losses to Myponga, Victor Harbour and Mt Compass over the next five matches followed by another draw with Yankalilla, SFC were struggling to hold on to the double chance in the finals.

At the end of the minor round Victor Harbour led the way, with Strathalbyn second on percentage, winning eleven matches, drawing two and losing four.

To the surprise of most, in a nail biter, Strathalbyn held on to win the Second Semi Final against Victor Harbour by two points.

In the Grand Final, Victor Harbour asserted their authority and won comprehensively by 54 points.

Victor Harbour 4-1 7-8 11-10 15-11 = 101

Strathalbyn 0-2 2-5 3-8 6-11 = 47

Goal Scorers SFC :- Eric Wirth, Peter Gilbert, Perry Jones, Ray Schied, Greg Cotton, Alan Dodd 1.

Best Players SFC :- Brian Harley, Chris Allen, Trevor Berriman, Geoff Slade, Peter Gilbert, David Kurtz.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Brian Harley, David Kurtz, Geoff Slade (each 19), Perry Jones, Doug Thompson, John Wills, Ray Schied (18), Peter Gilbert (17), Alan Dodd, Robert Westley (16), Greg Cotton, Eric Wirth (15), David Harley, Bryan Wagenknecht (14), Fred Megaw, Phillip Pethick (13), Noel Elliott, Dennis Hart, Trevor Berriman (12), Ashley Golding, Trevor Jacobs (10).

40 players for the season.

Long time SFC Patron, Mr. Wally Gilbert passed away on the 8^th May 1972 and former player and SFC trainer Mr. Dan Vaughan also passed away on the 29^th of September.

The Strathalbyn Reserves finished third at the end of the minor round winning fourteen matches and losing three.

They defeated Encounter Bay by eight points in the First Semi Final and then scored a decisive 38 point victory over Myponga in the Preliminary Final.

Their nemesis in Grand Finals, Yankalilla yet again won convincingly in the Grand Final built on a great first quarter.

Yankalilla 5-4 8-6 11-10 13-10 = 88

Strathalbyn 1-0 2-0 2-1 5-4 = 34

Goal Scorers SFC :- Phil Pethick, Ashley Golding 2, Ron Williams 1.

Best Players SFC :- Allen Sorrell, Peter Blaser, Ashley Golding, Phil Pethick, Dennis Hart.

Allan Dunn played his 200^th game for the SFC on the 22^nd April against Myponga.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts were undefeated all season and thrashed Yankalilla in the Second Semi Final by 111 points and again overwhelmed Yankalilla to win the Grand Final decisively.

Strathalbyn 3-5 5-9 10-11 12-13 = 85

Yankalilla 0-0 0-0 1-0 1-1 = 7

Goal Scores SFC :- Roger Weckert 3, Peter Crouch 2, Max Bell, Russell Hagger, Raymond Moyle, David Oke, Randall Pitt, Glen Rayner, Kevin Wray 1.

Best Players SFC :- Max Bell, Raymond Moyle, Evan Pitt, Michael Catford, Robert Pitt, Randall Pitt, Roger Weckert.

Russell Hagger won the GSFL Senior Colt Goal Scoring with 78 goals for the season.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished second at the end of the minor round, winning twelve matches and losing five but lost to Yankalilla in the Second Semi Final by nine points.

They played well to defeat Encounter Bay in the Preliminary Final by thirty points but were no match for Yankalilla in the Grand Final

Yankalilla 0-0 2-0 4-0 5-1 = 31

Strathalbyn 1-1 1-1 1-1 1-1 = 13

Goal Scorer SFC :- Warwick Rayner 1.

Best Players SFC :- Peter Simounds, Michael Newton, Alistair Wray, Rob Fowler, Greg Tucker, Robbie Elliott, Warwick Rayner.

The SFC again won the T & G Trophy for the most successful club in the GSFL in 1972.

1973

Second Played 20 Won 12 Lost 8

Jim Fisher was appointed as Playing Coach but with the loss of David Kurtz, John Wills and Greg Cotton, the SFC did not have the player depth of previous years.

In a most controversial move, Port Elliot had appointed former West Adelaide player Trevor Hughes as coach and he bought a number of ex West Adelaide players with him.

As a result they were virtually unbeatable, and at the end of the minor round were four wins clear, on top.

Strathalbyn won their first three matches of the season but in round four, Port Elliot defeated Strathalbyn by 102 points, inflicting on the SFC its greatest defeat since joining the GSFL.

On the 30^th June, twins Brian and David Harley celebrated their 100^th game for SFC with a victory over Goolwa at Strathalbyn.

A fifth round loss to Myponga was followed by four victories, which saw Strathalbyn well placed at the end of the first round of the home and away season.

Inconsistency in the second half of the season ensured that they were never able to build momentum, winning ten matches and losing seven games during the minor round but finishing third.

The SFC met Yankalilla in the First Semi Final and built a 35 point lead by three quarter time but only just hung on to win by a mere five points.

Robert “Ox” Westley played his 250^th game for SFC in the First Semi Final against Yankalilla on the 2^nd of September.

In the Preliminary Final against Victor Harbour, they played their best football of the year in scoring a twenty point victory to again reach the Grand Final.

However they were no match for Port Elliot in the Grand Final, being 31 points down at quarter time and eventually losing by 57 points.

Port Elliot 6-2 9-5 13-7 16-12 = 108

Strathalbyn 1-1 3-3 6-6 7-9 = 51

Goal Scorers SFC :- Chris Allen 2, Max Bell, Peter Gilbert, David Harley, Perry Jones, Ray Schied 1

Best Players SFC :- Chris Allen, Trevor Berriman, Brian Harley, Noel Elliott, Alan Dodd, Peter Neale, Peter Gilbert.

Although Pt Elliot won a premiership through this means of “cheque book football”, it ultimately bought about the demise of the club, having to later amalgamate with Goolwa and should serve as a warning to clubs who over indulge in this practice.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Chris Allen, Perry Jones (each 20), Alan Bell, Max Bell, Trevor Berriman, Noel Elliott, Brian Harley, Trevor Heinrich, Andrew McKinnon, Ray Schied (19), Jim Fisher, Doug Thompson (18), Fraser Davidson (16), Alan Dodd, Jeff Harman, Peter Neale (15), Robert Westley (14), Peter Blaser, Peter Gilbert, David Harley, Phillip Pethick (12), Ashley Golding (10).

37 players for the season.

The SFC Reserves finished fourth at the end of the minor round, winning eight matches and losing nine and were eliminated in the First Semi Final by Victor Harbour by 38 points in a lacklustre performance.

At the SFC Annual Trophy Presentation night, former Glenelg player Mr. Stan Wickham was a most entertaining Guest Speaker, and his football stories and good humour were greatly appreciated by all in attendance.

The SFC Senior Colts were undefeated for the season, winning all sixteen minor round matches. They thrashed Myponga to win the Second Semi Final by 85 points and repeated the dose in the Grand Final to win the Premiership for the second year in succession.

Strathalbyn 4-2 6-4 10-4 15-6 = 96

Myponga 0-1 1-1 1-2 2-4 = 16

Goal Scorers SFC :- Russell Hagger 7, Kevin Wray 6, Randall Pitt, Graeme Vivian 1.

Best Players SFC :- Roger Weckert, Randall Pitt, Stephen Weckert, Adrian McMurtrie, Kevin Wray, Michael Catford, Graeme Vivian, Russell Hagger.

Kevin Wray performed brilliantly throughout the year and scored his 100th goal for the season during the Grand Final while Russell Hagger scored 83 goals for the season.

During the season the SFC Senior Colts scored a total of 258 goals 203 points to their opposition total of 30 goals 42 points, an absolute domination.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished in top position at the end of the minor round, winning sixteen matches and losing just one.

They were too strong for Yankalilla in the Second Semi Final, winning by 45 points and again won the Premiership by defeating Yankalilla in the Grand Final.

Strathalbyn 0-2 2-2 2-2 4-2 = 26

Yankalilla 0-0 0-0 1-0 2-0 = 12

Goal Scorers SFC :- Peter Graney 2, Chris Pethick, Brenton Peek 1.

Best Players SFC :- Warwick Rayner, Peter Graney, Kym Thyer, Fred Brazzalotto, Alistair Wray, Kym Grosvenor, Brenton Peek.

Strathalbyn again won the T & G Trophy as the most successful club in the GSFL for season 1973, this was their third consecutive success.

During the season at a committee meeting held on the 6^th of May, a sub committee was formed to investigate building a SFC clubroom facility.

On the 25^th of June a Special General Meeting was called to update the membership on the committee proposal and developments, with the club members being offered the opportunity to purchase debentures as a means of financing the venture.

Luke warm interest was forthcoming from the meeting and, as in the past, this tale of good intent was again shelved for another day.

1974

Fifth Played 17 Won 7 Lost 10

Season 1974 began poorly, with difficulty in forming a quorum to get the AGM underway (only 29 were in attendance) and no applicants for the coaching position.

This was indicative of difficult times ahead for the club.

Peter Gilbert again took on the role of Playing Captain Coach but, with the ever increasing demands of his expanding transport business, he had difficulty in finding the time demanded of coaching.

Strathalbyn were to lose the first four matches before tasting success. Alternate victories including a good win over the strong Myponga team helped to restore confidence but successive narrow losses to Encounter Bay and Yankalilla ensured that, for only the second time since joining the GSFL, they would miss the finals.

They finished the season with two conclusive victories, a 75 point thrashing of Port Elliot and a 98 point demolition of Victor Harbour which gave promise of improved fortunes into the future.

They eventually finished fifth, winning just seven matches and losing ten.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Noel Elliott, Andrew McKinnon, Peter Neale, Doug Thompson (each 17), Chris Allen, Alan Bell, Ray Schied, Ian Wilmott (16), Max Bell, Trevor Heinrich (15), Trevor Berriman, Peter Crouch, Ashley Evans, Peter Gilbert (14), Perry Jones (13), Peter Blaser, Roger Goldfinch (11), Ron Williams (10).

39 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves similarly struggled with a shortage of players, eventually winning nine matches and losing eight to also finish fifth.

Allen Sorrell played his 200^th game for the SFC on the 10^th of August against Goolwa.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished on top at the end of the minor round, winning 15 matches and losing just two.

They lost to Encounter Bay by four points in the Second Semi Final but recorded a convincing 43 point win over Goolwa in the Preliminary Final.

They narrowly defeated Encounter Bay in the Grand Final by just three points in a low scoring affair to win their third successive Premiership.

Strathalbyn 0-2 0-2 2-4 3-4 = 22

Encounter Bay 0-2 1-6 2-6 2-7 = 19

Goal Scorers SFC :- Allan Lee, Graeme Vivian, Noel Hendy 1.

Best Players SFC :- Michael Catford, Graeme Vivian, Roger Weckert, Peter Simounds, Adrian McMurtrie.

Roger Weckert played an outstanding season and won the GSFL Senior Colts Best and Fairest award.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished second at the end of the minor round, winning sixteen matches and losing just one.

They defeated Encounter Bay by seven points in the Second Semi Final but were unable to reproduce that effort when they met again in the Grand Final but were well beaten by Encounter Bay.

Encounter Bay 1-1 2-4 2-7 3-10 = 28

Strathalbyn 0-1 0-2 0-2 0-2 = 2

Goal Scorers SFC :- Nil

Best Players SFC :- Chris Pethick, Alistair Wray, Robbie Elliott, Mitchell Pope.

1975

Third Played 19 Won 14 Lost 5

The season began with a degree of optimism, as former Jervois player Peter Jaensch was appointed as Playing Captain Coach and Ken Haines was elected as President, and at age 32, became the youngest ever to hold that position with the SFC.

Strathalbyn lost to Mt Compass in the first match of the season by 24 points but with Peter Jaensch leading the way and well supported by Roger Goldfinch, Kevin Wray and Peter Gilbert, Strathalbyn went on to win their next six matches.

Goolwa were the pace setters and they defeated Strathalbyn by 31 points in round eight to bring that run to an end.

Strathalbyn won their following five games before a suffering a surprise seven point loss again to Mt Compass.

Unfortunately, late in the season a rift developed between a small group of players and the coach, which had a detrimental effect on playing results.

Strathalbyn finished second at the end of the minor round, winning fourteen matches and losing three.

They were well beaten in the Second Semi Final by Goolwa by 35 points with worse to follow.

On Preliminary Final day, the Strathalbyn Senior Colts and then the Reserves were both eliminated.

The A Grade played well until the final term but then faded to be also eliminated by Victor Harbour.

Roger Goldfinch played outstanding football during the season and scored 23 votes in the Mail Medal equal with Mike Rabbitt from Goolwa but was beaten on a countback.

A well warranted retrospective Mail Medal was awarded to Roger in 2007.

Trevor Heinrich played his 200^th game for SFC on the 9^th of August against Goolwa.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season:-

Alan Bell, Peter Blaser, Roger Goldfinch (19), Chis Allen, Peter Jaensch, Andrew McKinnon, Roger Weckert, Kevin Wray (18), Peter Gilbert, Tim Harrison (17), Peter Crouch, Trevor Heinrich (16), Greg Collins, Noel Elliott, David Harley, Randall Pitt (15), Graeme Vivian, Ian Wilmott (14), Trevor Berriman, Russell Hagger (10).

35 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves finished second, winning fifteen matches and losing two during the season.

They lost the Second Semi Final to Myponga by just two points and were unluckily eliminated by Goolwa by six points in the Preliminary Final.

Scoring nine goals and seventeen points in the Preliminary Final did little to help their cause.Perry Jones played his 200^th game for the SFC on the 10^th of May against Yankalilla.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts also finished third, winning ten matches and losing seven for the year.

They defeated Encounter Bay by ten points in the First Semi Final but lost to Yankalilla by 42 points in the Preliminary Final.

History would later to show that 1975 was the only season between 1971 and 1985 that the SFC Senior Colts were not to play off in the Grand Final of that grade.

In that period of fifteen years, Strathalbyn played in fourteen Grand Finals for twelve Premierships and losing just two.

An incredible achievement, quite possibly unmatched in Australian Rules Football anywhere!

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished top at the end of the minor round, winning all but one match.

They were beaten in the Second Semi Final by Myponga by thirteen points but went on to defeat Yankalilla by thirty points in the Preliminary Final.

They easily defeated Myponga in the Grand Final by 35 points to win the Premiership.

Strathalbyn 1-1 4-2 5-2 6-3 = 39

Myponga 0-0 0-1 0-2 0-4 = 4

Goal Scorers SFC :- David Putland 2, David Berry, Rob Clark, Mark Clayton, Brenton Shapter 1.

Best Players SFC :- Brett Sayer, Craig Lamshed, Nick Weckert, George Matthews, David Putland, Mark Clayton, Michael Franklin, David Berry

1976

Fifth Played 17 Won 6 Lost 11

The significant success that the Strathalbyn Football Club enjoyed through the late 1950’s and the 1960’s had masked a number of major issues that faced the club.

Back in 1958, when Strathalbyn were affiliated in the Hills Central Association, the HCA had advised the club that no further finals matches would be played at Strathalbyn until the playing surface and dressing sheds were improved.

Again in 1963, when Strathalbyn applied to join the GSFL, it was accepted into that league on the proviso that the grounds and facilities would be improved.

The SFC rented the oval from the Strathalbyn Agricultural Society for the duration of the football season and thus was responsible for the ground maintenance, watering and mowing during the season, albeit with very basic facilities.

Almost entirely, this responsibility fell to Perry Jones for a great many years.

The major issues of inadequate change room and shower facilities, together with the primitive building from which the Ladies Auxiliary catered for supporters, had long been largely ignored.

In reality, the SFC had fallen well behind the expectation and needs of its players, supporters and the town community.

Premiership photographs, memorabilia and pennants hung on walls of the local hotels and even in private residences.

The Strathalbyn Football Club demanded a Spiritual Home!

Government departments were now entering the era of centralised operational centres and the Education Department and Stock Agencies were in the process of slowing or ceasing their annual staff transfers.

Reduced staff turnovers, together with the poor facilities on offer, made recruitment of new players to the SFC quite difficult.

With all this weighing heavily upon the club, the last thing needed was another major issue, which was, however, not long in arriving.

The AGM was advertised to be held on 12^th November 1975 and only 22 members turned up.

The SFC Constitution stated a requirement of 30 members be present for the conduct of the AGM, hence the meeting was abandoned and readvertised to be held two weeks later.

At the second attempt , again insufficient members attended, and it was agreed to conduct a third attempt on 10^th December and that President Ken Haines would draft and distribute a letter to the SFC membership appealing for their support and attendance at that meeting.

At the third attempt, there was only 28 in attendance and several of the members quickly did the rounds of the local hotels and found a couple of starters which allowed the AGM to proceed. One of these recruits was a little inebriated and caused great mirth when he gave apologies for Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Jack Brabham and tennis player Ken Rosewall prior to being evicted by his father.

Having insufficient nominations to fill all of the vacant committee positions and having no coaching applicant, highlighted the plight of the club.

Eventually, all vacant committee positions were filled and former great player and club stalwart Fred Megaw, accepted the challenge of coaching the SFC for the season with Peter Blaser as Assistant Coach.

Not unexpectedly, the club struggled, with barely enough players to fill both of the senior teams and lost their first four matches.

The players rallied and were to win their next three games but they were unable to sustain this and lost the following five games which saw them out of finals contention.

Given all of the off field difficulties and issues, Fred Megaw and his playing group did well to win six games for the season.

During the season, Willunga made an approach to join the GSFL and offered to sell their current guernseys to SFC.

Their approach was accepted by the GSFL, however the Southern League altered their constitution making it necessary for a club to give twelve months notice of their intent to depart the Southern League.

Willunga appealed to the SANFL over this matter but it was dismissed and they were to remain in the Southern League until 1985.

At the SFC Annual Presentation dinner, Hawthorn Premiership Captain Don Scott and outstanding North Adelaide and Hawthorn defender Bohdan Jaworskyj were entertaining guest speakers and earlier in the day conducted a coaching clinic for the Strathalbyn Colts players.

The SFC called an urgent meeting with the Strathalbyn Show Society at the conclusion of the season re the poor facilities and condition of the oval, but little improvement was forthcoming.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Chris Allen, Alan Bell, Max Bell, Russell Hagger, Tim Harrison, Phil Jenner, Glen Rayner (each 17), Noel Elliott (16), Greg Collins, Andrew McKinnon, Ray Schied, Ian Wilmott, Ron Williams (15), Graeme Vivian, Stefan Matthews (14), Peter Crouch (13), Steve Redden (11), Trevor Heinrich (10).

40 players for the season

The SFC Reserves, unexpectedly, had quite a successful season, finishing in first position at the end of the minor round, winning thirteen matches, drawing one and losing three.

They lost to Yankalilla in the Second Semi Final by 21 points and were eliminated by Goolwa in the Preliminary Final by twelve points in a very disappointing conclusion to the season.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished on top at the end of the minor round, winning sixteen matches and losing just one.

In the Second Semi Final they defeated Yankalilla by 49 points and then won the Premiership convincingly defeating Yankalilla again in the Grand Final by 37 points.

Strathalbyn 3-3 4-5 6-7 7-13 = 55

Yankalilla 0-0 1-0 3-0 3-0 = 18

Goal Scorers SFC :- Greg Tucker, Alistair Wray 2, Kym Thyer, Peter Hall, Allan Lee 1.

Best Players SFC :- Darren Maxwell, Peter Graney, Jim Honeychurch, Robbie Elliott, Kym Thyer, Greg Tucker, Fred Brazzalotto.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished top at the end of the minor round, winning all but one match.

They convincingly defeated Myponga to win the Second Semi Final by 49 points and won their second successive Premiership, thrashing Victor Harbour in the Grand Final by 53 points..

Strathalbyn 2-1 5-3 6-4 8-6 = 54

Victor Harbour 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-1 = 1

Goal Scores SFC :- George Matthews 4, Brenton Shapter, Michael Franklin, Steve Murfitt, Daryl Phillips 1.

Best Players SFC :- Gary Gutteridge, Daryl Phillips, Doug Thompson, David Putland, Michael Franklin, Brett Sayer.

Strathalbyn were again successful in winning the T & G Trophy.

President, Ken Haines, was acutely aware that significant change for the Strathalbyn Football Club must occur, and quickly, or the events of 1976 would recur with disastrous results.

Future Planning

With season 1976 underway, albeit under difficult and trying circumstances, an indepth audit and review of the entire Strathalbyn Football Club was conducted.

Meetings and discussions with each of the SFC sub committees took place at the earliest opportunity, highlighting the many issues that required to be addressed.

The Ladies Auxiliary was well managed, organised and conducted.

Over the years they had been the financial strength of the club, facilitating the purchase of new sets of guernseys, footballs and First Aid requirements as needed.

They had established a sound financial base over the years and were supportive of putting their finances towards acquiring better facilities for the club if this were possible.

The Colts Committee likewise, was well run although somewhat insular.

They had no financial aspect and were totally dependant on the General Committee for financial and equipment requirements but were receptive to the possibility of appointing a Colts Committee Treasurer, retaining the Colts membership subscriptions and conducting events to generate sufficient finance to conduct their year’s affairs.

There were also several members of this committee whose expertise may be better utilised by being appointed to the General Committee.

The Social Committee was rather unstructured and operated as the social arm of the club rather than a revenue raising aspect of the club.

The General Committee comprised of a group of hard workers for the SFC most of whom had task specific roles but cohesiveness and forward planning were sadly lacking.

The club basically worked within the constraints of the collection of sufficient finances from membership subscriptions and donations to cover the season’s operational expenses and, as such, there was never any prospect of establishing financial reserves for future planning.

Overall club membership had decreased marginally over each of the previous five years and communication between the various committees was unstructured and irregular.

From all this, it became obvious that the General Committee must provide the leadership, direction setting, forward planning and cohesiveness dedicated to the success of the SFC.

Financial and budgetary controls needed to be implemented with the aim of establishing a financial reserve for future projects and overall membership increased and intra club communication improved.

The creation of an improved Strathalbyn Football Club image and profile within the general community of the town was also an imperative.

The first step in implementing or achieving any of this would occur at the SFC Annual General Meeting to be held on 26^th November 1976, with the recruitment of Brian Holdsworth, John Lamshed, Reg Norton, Les Peek and Robert Westley to the General Committee, providing further support to existing committee members Hartley Weckert, George McFee, Ron Catford, Roy Hagger and Ken Haines.

1977

Third Played 19 Won 11 Lost 8

The SFC Committee were mindful that, while off field planning for the future was of paramount importance to the future of the club, it was also essential that the club remain competitive on the field to ensure retention of players and members.

The coaching position was advertised and it was resolved that Stefan Matthews was appointed as A Grade Playing Captain Coach and Fred Megaw be appointed as Reserves Captain Coach and this arrangement worked well.

Stefan Matthews had come through the junior grades at SFC and had played two seasons with West Torrens Reserves in the SANFL.

The qualification age for the Colts competitions were changed to become Senior Colts as Under 17 and Junior Colts as Under 14 year competitions for season 1977.

Strathalbyn opened the season with a strong win over Myponga but suffered a setback in losing their next four games although the losing margins against Mt Compass and Encounter Bay were two and six points respectively.

With steady improvement, wins over Encounter Bay, Myponga and Mt Compass in midseason stabilised the club and they came home strongly, winning six of the last seven matches.

They were third on the table at the end of the minor round, winning ten matches and losing seven.

They scored a solid nineteen point win over Yankalilla in the First Semi Final but were to lose to Mt Compass in the Preliminary Final by 21 points.

On reflection, it had been an on field season of promise and, coupled with off field plans being developed for new clubrooms, the SFC future was looking significantly brighter.

On 11^th September a sub committee comprising of Ken Haines (Chair), John Lamshed, Reg Norton and John Carrangis was formed to investigate the building of clubrooms for SFC, with a plan to be ready for presentation to the AGM.

They wasted no time in pushing ahead, with floor plans being drawn up, meetings with the Agricultural Show Society and Strathalbyn District Council soon conducted and the confirmation of the availability of a loan from the Commonwealth Bank.

Although numerous obstacles were confronted, each of these was worked through and a definite action plan was ready for the November AGM.

The A Grade Jones Medal resulted in a tie between Peter Gilbert and Max Bell with 41 votes each but was awarded to Gilbert on a countback.

A retrospective Jones medal was belatedly presented to Max Bell at a SFC 1968 Premiership reunion in 2018.

Former player and SFC Life Member Mr. Glen Joy passed away on the 29^th of August, the Senior Colts Best and Fairest award “The Evergreen Glen Trophy” is named in his honour.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Alan Bell, Max Bell, Toby Jay, Phil Jenner, Randall Pitt, Glen Rayner, Graeme Vivian, Roger Weckert (each 19), Chris Allen (18), Peter Gilbert (17), Peter Simounds, Stephen Weckert, Ron Williams (16), Kevin Wray (15), Peter Pinkerton , Ian Wilmott (13), Tim Harrison (12), Noel Elliott (11).

40 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves had responded well to Fred Megaw”s coaching and leadership, and supported by veterans Allan Dunn, Trevor Heinrich, Perry Jones and Allen Sorrell, they performed well all season.

They finished in second position at the end of the minor round, winning thirteen matches and losing four, including three of their last four games.

They defeated Myponga by 38 points in the Second Semi Final and went on to win their first Premiership since 1965 by again defeating Myponga in the Grand Final by 22 points.

Strathalbyn 3-6 5-6 8-12 9-12 = 66

Myponga 1-1 3-4 4-4 6-8 = 44

Goal Scorers SFC :- Michael Newton 6, Peter Hendy , Perry Jones, Greg Tucker each 1.

Best Players SFC :- Dennis Hart, Greg Tucker, Michael Newton, Allan Lee, Peter Hendy.

During the season Allan Dunn reached the milestone of 300 games for the club on 20^th August against Victor Harbour, with Allen Sorrell and Perry Jones reaching 250 games on the 25^th of June against Goolwa and on the 23^rd of July against Encounter Bay, respectively.

Robert “Ox” Westley played his 273^rd and last match for SFC during the year after a magnificent career.

Collectively, Dunn, Heinrich, Jones, Megaw, Sorrell and Westleyl played 1,969 games for Strathalbyn, an incredible achievement.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished in top position at the end of the minor round, winning all 17 of their matches

They won the Second Semi Final easily and completed an unbeaten season, comfortably defeating Encounter Bay in the Grand Final.

Strathalbyn 3-1 4-2 6-8 8-9 = 57

Encounter Bay 0-0 1-3 1-5 2-6 = 18

Goal Scorers SFC :- Nick Weckert 4, Robbie Elliott, Michael Franklin, Paul Pike, David Putland 1.

Best Players SFC :- David Putland, Robbie Elliott, Alistair Wray, Daryl Phillips, Nick Weckert.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished the season in second position at the end of the minor round, winning fourteen matches and losing three

They lost to Victor Harbour in the Second Semi Final and met Myponga in the Preliminary Final on Saturday the 10^th of September.

In an exciting conclusion to the game, an inaccurate Strathalbyn scored 4 goals 6 points to draw with Myponga 5 goals 0 points.

The Extra Time rule did not apply in those times and the match was replayed the following day with Strathalbyn prevailing 4 goals 4 points to 4 goals 1 point.

A weary Strathalbyn Junior Colts performed creditably in the Grand Final before suffering a 10 point loss to Victor Harbour.

Victor Harbour 0-0 2-4 2-4 4-4 = 28

Strathalbyn 1-0 1-0 3-0 3-0 = 18

Goal Scorers SFC :- James Martin 2, Simon Maxwell 1.

Best Players SFC :- James Martin, Greg Pike, David Clayton, Bradley Saunders, Simon Maxwell.

Strathalbyn again won the T & G Trophy as the most successful club across all four grades.

On the 19^th of March a 25 year reunion of the SFC A Grade and Reserves 1952 premierships was held, with the 1952 players presenting the present day players with their guernseys for the upcoming season.

1978

Sixth Played 16 Won 6 Lost 10

At the AGM, membership approval to proceed with the proposed clubroom was forthcoming, with John Lamshed and Ken Haines empowered to manage the project.

The necessary bank loan had been approved by the Commonwealth Bank and the SFC committee members would act as bank loan guarantors.

SFC Life Membership qualifications were changed to read 200 games service as a player, 15 years service as an official or extraordinary service as considered.

On the 29^th of January, the day of the major working bee for laying the foundations of the new clubrooms, the club was stunned to learn of the drowning in a boating accident in the Coorong, of club stalwart, former player, Club Secretary and Life Member, Mr. Colin Fairweather.

Stefan Matthews was reappointed as Playing Captain Coach of both A and B grades and, after a solid pre season, the season began with high hopes but a heavy loss to Encounter Bay by 48 points in the opening game was a major setback.

Three consecutive wins seemed to get things back on track, until an eight goal loss to Langhorne Creek which was a reality check for the team.

This first meeting of these neighbouring clubs attracted a record minor round attendance at the Strathalbyn oval.

Strathalbyn lost their next four games before two good wins over Yankalilla and Port Elliot.

An ever increasing injury list put paid to any finals aspirations and Strathalbyn was to lose four of its last five matches.

Late in the season, when it was obvious that Strathalbyn would not participate in the finals, Peter Gilbert was given a clearance to play out the remainder of the season with Macclesfield in the Hills League.

His legendary father, Ron Gilbert, had a long playing career at Macclesfield and was a Life Member there and Peter wished to have a season there before returning to Strathalbyn for the Centenary year of the SFC.

The committee decision did not sit well with a number of SFC players and supporters and, unfortunately for the Macclesfield Football Club, did not result in a Premiership.

In the final match of the year against Victor Harbour, only 32 SFC senior players were available and several Senior Colts were called upon and Stefan Matthews, Allen Sorrell, Allan Bell, Kurt Kube, Jason Schofield and John Gladys all played in both Reserves and A grade teams that day.

Trevor Heinrich played his 250^th game for SFC on 8^th July against Yankalilla.

During the season, Peter Hendy was the SFC nomination in the Goolwa Gift.

He narrowly won the event and promptly donated his $50 prize money to the SFC Buy a Brick campaign which was conducted to raise funds for furnishings to the now rapidly progressing clubrooms.

Langhorne Creek had joined the GSFL in this season and went on to ultimately win the Premiership, establishing a great neighbourly rivalry with SFC which continues to the present time.

The Interchange Rule was introduced for A Grade only, for season 1978.

On the 6^th of July, the Strathalbyn Agricultural Show Society passed a motion to agree to sell the Showgrounds to the Strathalbyn District Council and have the grounds administered by an Oval Controlling Committee chaired by a local Councillor.

This occurred following heavy lobbying of Mr. Bob Kelly and SFC President, Ken Haines and committee man John Lamshed.

The Strathalbyn A Grade finished the season in sixth position, winning six matches and losing ten.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Alan Bell, John Lindsay, Glenn Rayner, Kym Thyer, Kevin Wray, Roger Weckert (each 16), Chris Cordwell, Phil Jenner, Graeme Vivian (15), Denis Bronca, Peter Hendy (13), Noel Elliott (12), Peter Gilbert, Peter Overall (10).

44 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves finished in sixth position with eight wins and eight losses.

Fred Megaw played his 282^nd and last game for the SFC on the 10^th of June against Goolwa, bringing a magnificent playing career to an end.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished in top position at the end of the minor round, winning fifteen matches and losing just one

The Senior Colts season became a week out of synchronism with the other three grades following a draw in the First Semi Final which was replayed the following Saturday.

Strathalbyn, to everyone’s surprise, lost the Second Semi Final to Victor Harbour by fifteen points.

They bounced back with a solid 27 point victory over Yankalilla in the Preliminary Final and won their third successive Premiership with a narrow victory over Victor Harbour in the Grand Final played a week after the other grade Grand Finals were completed.

Strathalbyn 1-2 2-4 5-5 6-8 = 44

Victor Harbour 1-5 1-6 1-7 4-8 = 32

Goal Scorers SFC :- David Putland 3, Clive Berry, Steve Heading, Nick Weckert 1.

Best Players SFC :- Gary Gutteridge, Clive Berry, David Putland, Craig Lamshed, Doug Thompson, Nick Weckert, Peter Hall, David Garwood.

Outstanding Junior Colt player Craig Lamshed, was promoted to play in the Senior Colt Grand Final team as a result of that Grand Final being played a week later and, thus, was a dual premiership winner for the season.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished in top position at the end of the minor round, winning thirteen matches and losing three.

They scored a crushing 70 point victory over Victor Harbour in the Second Semi Final but had to work much harder to defeat them again in the Grand Final.

Strathalbyn 3-2 3-3 6-4 6-5 = 41

Victor Harbour 0-0 1-0 1-0 2-0 = 12

Goal Scorers SFC :- Rob Clark 3, Greg Pike 2, Craig Lamshed 1.

Best Players SFC :- Greg Pike, Craig Lamshed, Adrian Phillips, James Martin, Rob Clark, Clive Berry.

This was the Strathalbyn Junior Colts third successive Premiership and they had contested the last ten Grand Finals for seven Premierships, a truly remarkable achievement.

On the 31^st of March a Special General Meeting was called seeking SFC membership approval of the upgraded SFC Constitution which was necessary to comply with the South Australian Licencing Court requirements for the procurement of a Liquor Licence for the new clubrooms.

This approval was forthcoming and the Licencing Court duly approved the SFC application which was presented by Solicitor Mr. Allan Colton supported by SFC Secretary, Les Peek.

Strathalbyn Football Club achieved a remarkable feat when Kevin Wray won the A Grade Mail Medal, Nick Weckert won the GSFL Senior Colt Best and Fairest Award and Craig Lamshed won the GSFL Junior Colt Best and Fairest Award.

Former Sturt and South Australian Captain, Mr. John Halbert, was guest speaker at the SFC Annual Presentation night.

SFC Results 1963 to 1970

Ken Haines — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 14:30:00 +0000

1963

Premiers Played 17 Won 13 Drawn 1 Lost 3

Strathalbyn began their new era with the GSFL playing against Encounter Bay, Goolwa, Mount Compass, Port Elliot and Victor Harbour.

Graham Nisbett was appointed as non playing Coach and Alan Richardson was elected as Captain with Bill Warton ( former Port Adelaide player) as Vice Captain.

Just five games into the season Alan Richardson moved to Keith and Bill Warton became Captain and David Way was elected as Vice Captain.

On the 2^nd July a Building sub committee was formed to investigate the possibility of building new clubrooms but no progress was forthcoming.

Strathalbyn defeated Encounter Bay in a high quality first up match and won eight of their next nine matches. They lost their first meeting with Victor Harbour by just four points and again in round ten by seven points.

A last gasp goal by Colin Megaw secured a draw with Encounter Bay in the next match and, rather incredibly, the Reserves also drew their match with the Encounter Bay Reserves on the same day. Strathalbyn went on to win three of their last four minor round matches.

At the conclusion of the minor round Strathalbyn were on top of the premiership table, having won eleven matches, drawing one and losing three.

SFC narrowly defeated Port Elliot in the Second Semi Final and went on to comfortably defeat Victor Harbour in the Grand Final, played at Goolwa.

Strathalbyn 5-5 5-8 11-9 13-12 = 90

Victor Harbour 1-1 2-4 5-6 6-8 = 44

Goal Scorers SFC :- Colin Megaw 5, Ross Wirth 3, Ray Kerslake , Col Lyon , Tom Megaw, Trevor Schuetze and Bill Warton each 1.

Best Players SFC :- David Way, Ian Carnell, Colin, Fred and Tom Megaw, Bruce Kroemer, Neville Wirth.

A Grade Premiership Team :-

Graham Nisbett (Coach), Bill Warton (Captain), David Way (Vice Captain), Brian Brealey, Ian (Gubby) Carnell, Don Herbert, Ray Kerslake, Eric Kohler, Bruce Kroemer, Col Lyons, Colin Megaw , Fred Megaw, Tom Megaw, Harry Moyle, Mostyn Roocke, Trevor Schuetze, Robert Westley, Neville Wirth, Ross Wirth.

Reserves :- Dennis Haddow , Bryan Wagenknecht

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Eric Kohler, Bruce Kroemer, Colin Megaw, Fred Megaw, Harry Moyle, David Way, Neville Wirth (each 17) , Ray Kerslake, Bill Warton, Robert Westley (16), Trevor Schuetze (15), Ian Carnell, Don Herbert (14), John Saunders (13), Ross Wirth (12), Mostyn Roocke (11), and Ray Willis (10).

46 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves won the Premiership after finishing third at the end of the minor round, winning ten matches, drawing one and losing four.

They defeated Encounter Bay by ten points in a low scoring First Semi Final and then defeated Victor Harbour by fourteen points in the Preliminary Final.

In the Grand Final against Port Elliot, after trailing all day, they finished strongly to win the Premiership by just two points.

Strathalbyn 0-1 2-3 3-4 5-8 = 38

Port Elliot 2-5 3-5 5-6 5-6 = 36

Goal Scorers SFC :- Kevin Westley 2, Malcom Schrapel, Roger Schuetze, Murray Thorne 1 each.

Best Players SFC :- Kevin Westley, Warren Lang, Darryl Harvey, Gary Wagenknecht

The Strathalbyn Colts team finished in third position at the end of the minor round, winning nine matches and losing six.

They played Encounter Bay in the First Semi Final, but inexplicably, played an unqualified player and were disqualified from further finals participation.

1964

Premiers Played 17 Won 14 Lost 3

With Graham Nisbett again appointed as Coach and David Way as Captain with Bill Warton as Vice Captain and retaining most of the previous years Premiership team, Strathalbyn looked to the new season with confidence.

In a pre season Lightning Carnival, Strathalbyn defeated Encounter Bay, Victor Harbour and then Mount Compass in the final.

They also played a trial game against Keith whose Captain Coach was former SFC player Alan Richardson.

A first up 26 point loss to Encounter Bay soon got them focussed, winning their next eight matches before mid season consecutive losses to Victor Harbour and Port Elliot.

These were to be their only losses however, although they defeated Victor Harbour by just one point in the last minor round game.

In the minor round match played at Pt Elliot, Bryan Wagenknecht, obeying the coach’s instructions, followed his opponent up the ground and scored two goals.

Bryan had a most successful career with the SFC, playing 164 games from 1961 to 1972 and was a member of five Premiership teams, however these were the only goals he ever scored!

Strathalbyn finished on top at the end of the minor round, having won twelve matches and losing three.

They defeated Victor Harbour by twelve points in the Second Semi Final but a fortnight later, held on grimly, to again narrowly defeat Victor Harbour by just three points.

During the season, Eric Kohler had suffered a broken leg and seemed likely to miss the remainder of the season, but in a controversial move, Coach Nisbett recalled him for the Grand Final. In the first half he was out of touch, but repaid the Coach with an excellent second half after being moved into the centre.

Strathalbyn took the lead late in the match with an amazing long distance goal by Tom Megaw, who was renowned for his long “screw” punt kicks.

Strathalbyn 1-0 3-6 5-6 8-8 = 56

Victor Harbour 3-7 3-7 5- 10 7-11 = 53

Goal Scorers SFC :- Ian (Gubby) Carnell, Ray Kerslake, Bill Warton each 2, Col Lyons, Tom Megaw each 1

Best Players SFC :- Don Herbert, Fred Megaw, Robert Westley, Neville Wirth, Bryan Wagenknecht, Dennis Coad and Ian Carnell

A Grade Premiership Team :-

Graham Nisbett (Coach), David Way (Captain). Bill Warton (Vice Captain), Ian Carnell, Dennis Coad, Dennis Elliott, Don Herbert, Ray Kerslake, Eric Kohler, Bruce Kroemer, Col Lyon, Les Maynard, Fred Megaw, Tom Megaw, Mostyn Roocke, Bryan Wagenknecht, Robert Westley, Neville Wirth, Ross Wirth

Reserves:- Vic Lodge, Robert Webb

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Dennis Elliott, Col Lyon, Bill Warton, David Way, Robert Westley (each 17), Ray Kerslake, Fred Megaw, Bryan Wagenknecht, Ross Wirth (16), Ian Carnell, Colin Megaw, Tom Megaw, Mostyn Roocke, Neville Wirth (15), Robert Webb (13), Don Herbert (12), Eric Kohler (11).

42 players for the season

During the season Ray Kerslake, Eric Kohler, Colin, Fred and Tom Megaw, David Way, Robert Westley and Ross Wirth all represented the GSFL against Southern in the curtain Raiser match prior to the interstate match at the Adelaide Oval on 6^th June.

The Strathalbyn Reserves finished on top at the end of the minor round, winning fourteen matches and losing just one.

They defeated Encounter Bay by 22 points in the Second Semi Final but in the Grand Final against Port Elliot conceded a huge lead at quarter time but refocussed to record a convincing win.

Strathalbyn 0-0 3-4 7-5 10-11 = 71

Pt. Elliot 5-8 5-8 6-8 6-8 = 44

Goal Scorers SFC :- Perry Jones, Peter Vivian, Ray Willis each 2, John Bartel, Ian Harvey, John Saunders, Don Wenham each 1.

Best Players SFC :- John Saunders, Warren Lang, John Harley, Peter Vivian, Ray Willis, Perry Jones

The Strathalbyn Colts finished in second position at the end of the minor round, winning twelve matches and losing three.

They lost the Second Semi Final to Encounter Bay by 44 points but were too strong for Port Elliot in the Preliminary Final winning by 58 points.

In the Grand Final against Encounter Bay they finished strongly, losing by just three points.

Encounter Bay 2-7 2-7 6-10 7-10 = 52

Strathalbyn 0-0 3-4 4-4 7-7 = 49

Goal Scorers SFC :- Eric Wirth 5, Mickey Waye 2

Best Players SFC :- Eric Wirth, Geoff Connell, John May, Robert King, Peter Milnes.

1965

Second Played 17 Won 14 Lost 3

Strathalbyn began this season aiming to win three premierships in a row, something the club had been unable to achieve previously.

Graham Nisbett was in his final year as Coach of the SFC and David Way was again Captain.

1964 players Ian Carnell, Ray Kerslake, Les Maynard and Vic Lodge had left the club but Peter Glazbrook, David Lloyd and Greg Timmins were adequate replacements and the club again had a very successful minor round series with only two losses.

Along the way they had two enormous victories over the hapless Goolwa side, winning 28 goals 23 points to 2 goals 5 points and 32 goals 21 points to 3 goals 9 points.

Colin Megaw scored eleven goals in the first victory over Goolwa and Ross Wirth also scored eleven goals in the second.

Strathalbyn finished in top position at the end of the minor round, winning thirteen matches and losing two.

Strathalbyn won the Second Semi Final by thirteen points over Encounter Bay and these two teams met again in a memorable Grand Final.

It was a close game all day and when Strathalbyn got nine points clear midway through the last quarter it looked as though they would hang on but two late goals saw the Bays victorious by five points.

Encounter Bay 2-3 4-3 6-10 10-13 = 73

Strathalbyn 0-1 3-5 6-7 10-8 = 68

Goal Scorers SFC :-Ross Wirth 5, Dennis Elliot, Fred Megaw 2, Col Lyon 1.

Best Players SFC :- Ross Wirth, Fred Megaw, Col Lyon, Dennis Elliott, Dennis Coad.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Dennis Coad, Dennis Elliott, Peter Glazbrook, David Lloyd, Colin Megaw, Bryan Wagenknecht (each17), Don Herbert, Fred Megaw (16), Bruce Kroemer, Greg Timmins, Robert Westley (15), Eric Kohler, Tom Megaw, Mostyn Roocke, Bill Warton (14), David Way, Neville Wirth (13), Ross Wirth (12).

35 players for the season

Strathalbyn Reserves were undefeated for the season and defeated Encounter Bay by 21 points in the Second Semi Final.

They met Encounter Bay again in the Grand Final and, in a low scoring affair held on to win by nine points.

Perry Jones had scored 86 goals for the season but in the Grand Final was plagued by inaccuracy.

Strathalbyn 0-5 1-6 3-9 3-11 = 29

Encounter Bay 0-0 1-1 2-3 2-3 = 15

Goal Scorers SFC :- Bob Bowden, Barry Blucher, Trevor Heinrich 1.

Best Players SFC :- Graham Copley, Allen Sorrell, Geoff Connell, Trevor Heinrich, Richard Martin, Robert Webb, John Saunders.

This was their third consecutive Premiership.

The Strathalbyn Colts finished in top position at the end of the minor round, winning all fifteen matches, many by large margins.

In the Second Semi Final they defeated Port Elliot comfortably by 46 points but had to work much harder to defeat them again in the Grand Final to win their inaugural GSFL premiership.

Strathalbyn 3-3 3-7 5-8 6-12 = 48

Pt. Elliot 0-2 3-3 4-7 5-9 = 39

Goal Scorers SFC :- Chris Allen 2, Eric Wirth, Paul Kerslake, David Harley, John Graney 1.

Best Players SFC :- Chris Allen, Eric Wirth, Brian Harley, David Harley, Peter Milnes.

1966

Premiers Played 17 Won 16 Lost 0 Drawn 1

The season began with numerous personnel changes, Ken Follett from Langhorne Creek took over as Playing Captain Coach but with the loss of Don Herbert, Bruce Kroemer, Tom Megaw, Mostyn Roocke and David Way, it seemed the club would not be as strong as in previous years.

Prior to the start of the season, the club was shattered by the tragic accidental death of its long term and popular President, Mr. Bill Richardson on 31^st March.

Brenton Boothby, as Vice President, stepped into the role of interim President for the remainder of the season.

To the surprise of some, Strathalbyn continued on its merry way, playing exceptional team football to carry all before it.

The SFC was undefeated for the season, a club record, with the only blemish being a 7 goals 14 points each, draw with Port Elliot.

In the drawn match, a Port Elliot player missed a simple shot in the closing seconds which ensured that Strathalbyn retained their unbeaten status.

During the season they inflicted a GSFL record score on Goolwa with a 34-26 to 1-3 thrashing, with Perry Jones scoring ten goals and Ross Wirth nine.

At the end of the minor round Strathalbyn were in top position, winning fourteen matches and drawing one.

They defeated Encounter Bay by 61 points in the Second Semi Final and in the Grand Final Strathalbyn were expected to win easily, but Encounter Bay always performed well in finals and yet again, proved to be a formidable opponent.

For three quarters the teams were evenly matched with little separating them.

Coach Follett moved Fred Megaw from wing to roving at the last break and it proved to be the decisive move. Using his exceptional pace, Megaw dominated the final term and his two goals made the difference as Strathalbyn went on to a 20 point victory.

Strathalbyn 0-4 2-7 5-9 9-16 = 70

Encounter Bay 1-4 2-5 6-7 7-8 = 50

Goal Scorers SFC :- Fred Megaw 3, Dennis Elliott 2, Dennis Coad, Ken Follett, Peter Glazbrook and Richard Henley each 1.

Best Players SFC :- Dennis Elliott, Ross Wirth, Alec Michell, Ken Follett, Robert Westley, Bryan Wagenknecht, Allen Sorrell.

A Grade Premiership Team :-

Ken Follett (Captain Coach), Dennis Coad, Dennis Elliott, Peter Glazbrook, Trevor Heinrich, Richard Henley, Eric Kohler, David Lloyd, Colin Megaw, Fred Megaw, Alec Michell, Allen Sorrell, Peter Vivian, Bryan Wagenknecht, Bill Warton, Robert Westley (Vice Captain), Neville Wirth, Ross Wirth.

Reserves :- Peter Noble, Chris Allen Emergency :- John Saunders

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Dennis Coad, Dennis Elliott, Ken Follett, Allen (Red) Sorrell, Ross Wirth (each 17), Trevor Heinrich, Colin Megaw, Bryan Wagenknecht, Neville Wirth (16), Richard Henley (15), Alec Michell, Bill Warton, Peter Glazbrook (14), Fred Megaw, Robert Westley (12), Peter Vivian, Alec Kohler (11).

43 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves were in top position at the end of the minor round, winning nine matches and losing three

They were well beaten by Encounter Bay by 37 points in the Second Semi Final and then scored a narrow eight point victory over Port Elliot in the Preliminary Final.

In the Grand Final inaccuracy cost them dearly as they finished all over Encounter Bay but lost by just one point.

Encounter Bay 4-2 4-3 7-5 7-7 = 49

Strathalbyn 1-1 5-5 5-5 6-12 = 48

Goal Scorers SFC :- Perry Jones 2, Paul Gallas, Gary Wake, Warren Lang, Robert Webb 1.

Best Players SFC :- Robert Webb, Trevor Schuetze, Kevin Gale, Gary Wake, Hugh Langrehr, Ted Milne.

Goolwa were unable to field a Reserves team for the 1966 season.

The Strathalbyn Colts finished in top position at the end of the minor round, winning all fifteen matches.

They defeated Port Elliot by 37 points in the Second Semi Final and repeated the effort in the Grand Final to win the Premiership easily with a convincing 67 point win, again over Port Elliot.

Strathalbyn 2-5 3-8 7-13 10-14 = 74

Pt. Elliot 0-0 0-0 0-1 1-1 = 7

Goal Scorers SFC :- Adrian Peachey 4, Eric Wirth 3, Brian Harley , David Harley, Paul Kerslake 1.

Best Players SFC :- Adrian Peachey, Bill Michelson, Brian Harley, David Harley, Eric Wirth.

1967

Second Played 14 Won 10 Lost 4

Popular and tough Robert (Ox) Westley won the contest for Playing Captain Coach of the club for season 1967 from 3 other applicants.

The loss of outstanding players Ken Follett, Eric Kohler and Bill Warton however, somewhat diminished the playing stocks.

Myponga entered the GSFL, moving from the Southern Football League and quickly showed out as a force to be reckoned with.

The GSFL Colts competition was altered to be conducted as Senior Colt (Under 16) and Junior Colt (under 13) competitions at the commencement of the season.

Rather strangely, Strathalbyn did not compete in the Junior Colt season due to lack of officials.

At the end of the minor round Strathalbyn were in second position, winning nine matches and losing three.

In both meetings with Myponga during the minor round, Strathalbyn were well beaten but they reversed this, defeating Myponga comfortably in the Second Semi Final by 32 points.

Encounter Bay won the Preliminary Final to set up the decider with Strathalbyn.

After a fiercely contested first half, the Bays broke away, scoring nine goals in the third quarter and held on to win by 16 points on a very windy day.

Encounter Bay 5-10 5-10 14-14 15-15 = 105

Strathalbyn 0-2 6-10 7-13 12-17 = 89

Goal Scorers SFC :- Dennis Elliott, Peter Gilbert, Eric Wirth 2, Dennis Coad, Peter Glazbrook, David Harley, Trevor Heinrich, Fred Megaw, Noel Smith 1.

Best Players SFC :- Peter Gilbert, Geoff Slade, Fred Megaw, David Lloyd.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Dennis Elliott, Peter Glazbrook, Richard (Dick) Henley, David Lloyd, Fred Megaw, Alec Michell, Robert Westley, Brian Harley (each 14), Dennis Coad, Noel Smith, David Harley, Eric Wirth (13), Trevor Heinrich, Bryan Wagenknecht (12), Colin Megaw, Ross Wirth (11).

39 players for the season.

Former outstanding player and Life Member Mr. Ken Bell passed away on the 30^th September 1967.

The Strathalbyn Reserves finished in third position at the end of the minor round, winning eight matches and losing four.

They defeated Myponga by 36 points in the First Semi Final and then defeated Port Elliot by seventeen points in the Preliminary Final.

In the Reserves Grand Final, Strathalbyn were overtaken by Pt Elliot late in the final quarter but were deep in attack when the final siren sounded to lose by just five points.

Pt Elliot 0-4 2-8 2-8 5-12 = 42

Strathalbyn 2-4 2-4 5-7 5-7 = 37

Goal Scorers SFC :- Perry Jones 2, Gary Wake, Mickey Waye, Kevin Westley each 1.

Best Players SFC :- Allan Dunn, Bob Bowden, Les Peek, Robert Webb.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished third at the end of the minor round, having won eight matches and losing four.

They were defeated by Victor Harbour by sixteen points in the First Semi Final.

1968

Premiers Played 20 Won 17 Lost 3

Robert Westley was reappointed as Playing Captain Coach and with the recruitment of Trevor Burgemeister, and Ross Simpson , the SFC threatened to be in contention for the premiership honours although Peter Gilbert and Alec Michell were significant losses.

Yankalilla joined the GSFL from the Southern Football League and went on to make the final four for the season.

During the season Strathalbyn lost to Mt Compass by thirteen points in the first round but reversed the result to win by 116 points in the second minor round.

Yankalilla defeated Strathalbyn by 58 points in the final minor round match, hardly an ideal finals series preparation.

Strathalbyn were in second position at the end of the minor round, winning fifteen matches and losing three.

The SFC held a comfortable lead over Myponga at three quarter time in the Second Semi Final but just held on to win by six points.

Encounter Bay again, won through to the Grand Final and, for the fourth consecutive year, these two teams would play off in the premiership decider.

Centre had been a problem position all season and for the Grand Final, coach Westley placed Geoff Slade there. This proved to be an inspirational match winning move, with Slade judged by all to be best afield.

Strathalbyn settled quickly and scored eight goals in the first quarter to establish a substantial lead. Trevor Heinrich suffered a broken collar bone early in the second quarter which unsettled Strathalbyn and by half time the Bays were back in touch.

The second half saw Strathalbyn regain composure and assert their supremacy and they drew away to win by 39 points.

This was their sixth consecutive Grand Final since joining the GSFL for four Premierships, in total they had played 102 matches in that time, winning 84, losing 16 and 2 were drawn. A truly remarkable achievement.

Strathalbyn 8-3 10-4 15-8 17-11 = 113

Encounter Bay 0-2 8-5 9-5 11-8 = 74

Goal Scorers SFC :- Eric Wirth 5, Kevin Westley 4, Perry Jones 2, Dennis Elliott, Trevor Heinrich, Noel Smith, David Harley, Geoff Slade and Ross Simpson each 1.

Best Players SFC :- Geoff Slade, Dennis Elliott, Eric Wirth, Ross Wirth, Perry Jones, David Harley, Peter Glazbrook.

A Grade Premiership Team :-

Robert Westley (Captain Coach), Bob Bartley, Trevor Burgemeister, Dennis Elliott, Peter Glazbrook, David Harley, Trevor Heinrich, Perry Jones, Bruce Kroemer, David Lloyd, Fred Megaw, Ross Simpson, Geoff Slade, Allen Sorrell, Bryan Wagenknecht, Kevin Westley, Eric Wirth, Ross Wirth(Vice Captain)

Reserves :- Noel Smith , Geoff Connell Emergencies :- Allan Dunn, Grant Elliott

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Dennis Elliott, Peter Glazbrook, Trevor Heinrich, Robert Westley (each 20), Bob Bartley, Trevor Burgemeister, David Lloyd, Allen Sorrell, Bryan Wagenknecht, Ross Wirth (19), David Harley, Ross Simpson (18), Fred Megaw, Geoff Slade (17), Perry Jones, Noel Smith(16), Kevin Westley, Eric Wirth (14), Bruce Kroemer (13).

41 players for the season.

Strathalbyn Reserves finished second at the end of the minor round winning 14 matches and losing four.

They lost the Second Semi to Encounter Bay by twelve points and were eliminated by Yankalilla when they lost the Preliminary Final by nineteen points.

Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished the year in fourth place at the end of the minor round, winning eight matches, drawing one and losing nine.

They were eliminated by Goolwa in the First Semi Final.

Strathalbyn Junior Colts in their inaugural season finished in sixth position on percentage having won eight matches, drawn one and losing nine.

1969

Fifth Played 17 Won 8 Lost 9

With a significant injury list, coupled with the loss of star player Dennis Elliott to Sturt as well as losing Eric and Ross Wirth, Bryan Wagenknecht and Trevor Burgemeister, the SFC were unable to dominate as in previous seasons.

To the surprise of all, they were to lose their first five matches and slumped to the bottom of the premiership table.

With coach, Rob Westley leading the way and the emergence of outstanding full forward Kevin Nihill, the SFC regrouped and by mid season they were within touch of the top four.

Encounter Bay ended their chances with a dominating win in round nine, however Strathalbyn fought on well to win seven of the nine remaining matches.

Fred Megaw played his 200^th game for the SFC in round six.

The club was saddened to learn of the passing of 1952 Premiership Captain Mr. Vic Georg on the 24^th February 1969, aged just 41 years.

Strathalbyn finished in fifth position at the end of the minor round, winning eight matches and losing nine.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Bob Bartley, Brian Harley, Trevor Heinrich, Perry Jones, Bruce Kroemer, Robert Westley, Neville Wirth (each 17), David Harley, Allen Sorrell (16), Fred Megaw, Geoff Slade, Ross Wirth, Kevin Nihill (15), Kevin Westley (14), Neville Rowe (12), Richard Henley (11), Eric Wirth (10).

43 players for the season.

The Strathalbyn Reserves fortunes mirrored those of the Senior side and they were to finish sixth having won seven matches and losing ten.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts performed strongly all season, winning 15 minor round matches and losing just two.

Strathalbyn defeated Yankalilla by 32 points in the Second Semi Final but started slowly again against Yankalilla in the Grand Final and lost by 21 points.

Yankalilla 4-3 5-4 6-5 7-6 = 48

Strathalbyn 0-0 3-1 3-3 4-3 = 27

Goal Scorers SFC :- Greg Cotton 2, Vin McCabe, Neville Hains 1.

Best Players SFC :- Brenton Dinnison, Vin McCabe, Dennis Westlake, Alan Bell, Neville Hains.

Greg Cotton had an outstanding season in the SFC Senior Colts and won the GSFL Senior Colts Best and Fairest award.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts were unbeaten during the season finishing on top at the end of the minor round, winning all seventeen matches.

They defeated Yankalilla by fourteen points in the Second Semi Final and went on to win their inaugural Premiership by defeating Yankalilla in their Grand Final maintaining their undefeated status for the season.

Strathalbyn 1-0 2-0 3-1 3-1 = 19

Yankalilla 2-0 2-0 2-0 2-0 = 12

Goal Scorers SFC :- Max Bell, Russell Hagger, Roger Weckert 1.

Best Players SFC :- Peter Crouch, Max Bell, Evan Pitt, Roger Weckert, Robert Clark, Russell Hagger.

1970

Second Played 19 Won 14 Lost 5

Former West Torrens player, Peter Gilbert, was appointed as Playing Coach in what was the resumption of a stellar playing career with the SFC, having played a few games in 1967 and 1968 and then continuing through until 1980. He was a rugged, tough and fierce competitor, unpopular with the opposition clubs but all would have loved him in their playing ranks.

Umpires often gave him a hard time, but for all that, he was to clearly win the GSFL Mail Medal for the 1970 season.

Kevin Nihill and Chris Allen to Sturt were two significant losses prior to the commencement of the season.

The SFC was to lose its first match of the season against Goolwa but, apart from two losses to Yankalilla, they were untroubled to win all other matches in the minor round until a surprise 18 point loss to Myponga in round 15.

Yankalilla defeated Strathalbyn by 45 points in the first round and by just two points in the second round.

Robert Westley played his 200^th game for the SFC on16th August against Encounter Bay.

Strathalbyn were in second position at the end of the minor round, winning thirteen matches and losing four.

In the Second Semi Final, Strathalbyn scored an eight point win over Yankalilla and these two were destined to meet again in the Grand Final.

Yankalilla dominated the first half to set up a 38 point lead but Strathalbyn fought back strongly in the third quarter to trail by just four points at the last change, however Yankalilla rallied in the final term to win by 16 points.

Strathalbyn won the Mobil Trophy as the GSFL most successful club over all grades for the season.

Yankalilla 4-7 5-11 6-16 9-18 = 72

Strathalbyn 0-2 0-3 7-6 8-8 = 56

Goal Scorers SFC :- Ross Wirth, Perry Jones 2, Bob Booth, Bob Bowering, Adrian Daniel, Peter Gilbert 1.

Best Players SFC :- Bryan Wagenknecht, Adrian Daniel, Peter Gilbert, Fred Megaw, Ross and Neville Wirth.

The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-

Alan Dodd, Peter Gilbert, Brian Harley, Neville Wirth (each 19), Adrian Daniel, Eric Wirth (18), David Harley, Ross Wirth (17), Geoff Slade, Robert Westley (16), Peter Faddy, Andrew McKinnon (15), Trevor Heinrich, Perry Jones (14), Bob Booth (13), Robert Bowering (12), Bob Bartley, Allen Sorrell, Bryan Wagenknecht (11), Fred Megaw, Neville Rowe (10).

37 players for the season.

Strathalbyn Reserves finished second at the end of the minor round, winning 13 matches and losing four.

They lost the Second Semi to Myponga by 19 points but then won the Preliminary Final against Encounter Bay by 12 points in a tight finish.

After a closely contested first half, Myponga broke away to win the premiership by 31 points.

Myponga 1-1 3-3 6-5 9-6 = 60

Strathalbyn 1-3 2-3 3-3 4-5 = 29

Goal Scorers SFC :- Peter Blaser 2, Richard Gemmell, Ken Haines 1.

Best Players SFC :- Doug Thorne, Bruce Kroemer, Peter Blaser, Ivan Hart, Ken Haines, Robert Webb, Paul Kerslake.

The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished third at the end of the minor round, winning twelve matches and losing three. They won the First Semi Final by nine points against an accurate Myponga but were eliminated by Yankalilla by thirteen points in the Preliminary Final.

The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished on top at the end of the minor round, winning sixteen matches and losing just one.

They defeated Myponga by 36 points in the Second Semi Final and scored a convincing 35 point win over Victor Harbour in the Grand Final to win their second successive Premiership.

Strathalbyn 0-0 2-3 5-4 6-5 = 41

Victor Harbour 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-1 = 7

Goal Scorers SFC :- Kevin Wray 3, Russell Hagger, Glen Rayner, Jason Schofield 1.

Best Players SFC :- Russell Hagger, Stephen Weckert, Kevin Wray, Peter Coldwell, Jason Schofield, Glen Rayner, Randall Pitt.

SFC A Grade & Reserves Leading Goalscorers

Ken Haines — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 14:28:00 +0000

S.F.C. LEADING GOALSCORERS

A GRADE RESERVES

1963 Colin Megaw 40 Roger Schuetze 27

1964 Ross Wirth 47 Don Wenham 28

1965 Colin Megaw 57 Perry Jones 86

1966 Ross Wirth 58 Paul Gallas / 18

Perry Jones

1967 Eric Wirth 44 Kevin Westley 20

1968 Ross Simpson 38 Adrian Peachey 25

1969 Kevin Nihill 61 Stan Schofield 15

1970 Ross Wirth 51 Paul Kerslake 24

1971 David Kurtz 55 Vin McCabe 38

1972 David Kurtz 41 Gary Heading 21

1973 Perry Jones 58 Ron Williams 27

1974 Ian Willmott 50 Craig Candy / 14

Kym Clark /

Peter Hendy

1975 Kevin Wray 63 Peter Hendy 27

1976 Russell Hagger 29 Stephen Weckert 43

1977 Kevin Wray 59 Peter Hendy 53

1978 Kevin Wray 45 Michael Newton 40

1979 Ashley Nisbett 76 Colin Sibly 23

1980 Alistair Wray 56 Colin Sibly 31

1981 Ian Pfieffer 68 Perry Jones 26

1982 Ian Pfieffer 116 Perry Jones 56

1983 Ian Pfieffer 85 Perry Jones 35

1984 Doug Abbott 70 Greg. Black / 16

Perry Jones

1985 Simon Maxwell 37 David Clayton 12

1986 Michael Small 91 Steve Wilson 34

1987 Bob Morcom 46 Michael Blight 29

1988 Nick Weckert 31 Michael. Blight 19

1989 Peter Simounds 60 Michael Blight 15

1990 Nick Weckert 36 Andrew McFee 10

1991 Peter Simounds 41 Greg Caust 21

1992 Peter Simounds 85 Greg Caust 23

1993 Matthew Trowbridge 35 Greg Caust 35

1994 Paul McWilliam 27 Andrew McFee 9

1995 Leigh Backhouse 45 Brad Geue 21

1996 Jason Lehmann 51 Craig Shearer 31

1997 Sam Weckert 46 Craig Shearer 69

1998 Sam Weckert 40 Chris Humphrys 47

1999 Andrew Newland 47 Leigh Backhouse 50

2000 Andrew Newland 47 Sam Weckert 56

2001 Andrew Newland 49 Sam Weckert 39

2002 Cale Ellison 64 Sam Weckert 38

2003 Cale Ellison 50 Sam Weckert 33

2004 Nathan Duffield 23 Sam Weckert 20

2005 Daniel Simounds / 19 Sam Weckert 40

Russell Tucker

2006 Russell Tucker 41 Scott Harding 19

2007 Nathan Duffield 56 Michael Cutting / 44

Justin Neumann

2008 Nathan Duffield 54 Darcy Springhall 58

2009 Marc Elliott 46 Nick Grosvenor / 27

Andrew Mitchelmore

2010 Marc Elliott 68 Scott Harding 61

2011 Ben Simounds 43 Michael Cutting 32

2012 Simon Munn 27 Bradley Weise 33

2013 Ben Simounds 44 Matthew Abbott 11

2014 Marc Elliott 70 Bradley Weise 16

2015 Marc Elliott 72 Chris Higgins 18

2016 Ben Simounds 71 Bonar Mahains 23

2017 Ben Simounds 49 Todd Dellatore 18

2018 Marc Elliott 58 Chris Higgins 23