1980
Second Played 22 Won 16 Lost 6
The euphoria of the Centenary year premiership continued for some time but the AGM held on 29th 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 28th 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 300th game for SFC on 7th 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 12th 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 13th May Chris Allen played his 200th game and on the 20th May Allan Dunn played his 350th 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 17th of July, reliable defender Noel Elliott played his 200th 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 10th 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 29th 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 5th 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 23rd 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 5th of July 1983.
Former player from the 1910 and 1911 Premiership teams, Mr. R.M. (Mervyn) Tucker passed away on 10th October 1983.
A meeting was held on 11th 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 16th 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 25th 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 26th 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 23rd 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 400th game for SFC in the Reserves against Victor Harbour on 29th 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 2nd 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 16th 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 11th of August and Mr. Jack (Red) King also a Life Member of the SFC, passed away in January.
On 27th October former SFC player and coach, Dennis Elliott was selected in the Over 35 Super Rules All Australian Team.
On the 25th 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 24th August while Roger Weckert was awarded GSFL Player Life Membership when he played his 200th game on 4th July.
Noel Elliott played his 250th game and last game for SFC on 1st 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 200th game for the SFC on the 4th 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 29th 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 6th August Nick Weckert played his 200th game for Strathalbyn against Myponga and on 13th August Kym Thyer played his 200th 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 27th 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 50th 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 10th 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 5th August Allan Dunn played his 400th 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 200th game for SFC on 19th August against Yankalilla, the following week he played his 201st 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 30th 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.