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 200th game for SFC on 15th 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 2nd 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 300th game for the SFC in round five against Mt Compass on the 12th 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 6th 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 200th game for SFC on against Langhorne Creek on the 2nd 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 200th 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 17th 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 15th 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 17th and 18th of July, the 125th anniversary of the formation of the SFC, and the 40th 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 2nd 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 200th game for SFC on the 23rd April against McLaren and Brad Geue played his 200th on 21st May against Encounter Bay.
A well attended function was held on the 31st 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 18th 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 20th May Kane Smith played his 200th game for SFC against the Saints and on 27th May Chad Fergusson played his 200th 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 15th of August.
When Ben Nisbett took the field against Yankalilla on the 8th 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 200th game for the SFC on the 2nd 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 20th 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 25th of August.
Nathan Duffield played his 250th game for the SFC on the 11th 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 15th 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 394th and final game for the SFC in the Preliminary Final against Willunga while Andrew McFee played his 281st and final game for the SFC in the Qualifying Final against Willunga.
Brad Geue played his 245th 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 11th 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 2nd 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 31st Phillip Eatts played his 250th 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 12th 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 23rd August while Jamie Allen also played his 200th game on 20th 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 28th 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 300th game for the SFC on the 16th of May against Yankalilla and was presented with his framed Guernsey from that match by SFC President, Andrew Batten at a function on the 27th 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 18th 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 250th game for SFC on the 4th of April against Victor Harbour and he, also was awarded GSFL Life Membership on the 29th August.