Grassroots: SA footy round-up
In this week’s round-up of local SA footy, we celebrate an extraordinary country record, the SANFL coach with the Midas touch, Glenelg’s big day, and a former AFL player makes his claim as a hot coaching prospect.
Matt’s magic milestone
Angaston Panthers footballer Matthew Doecke is noted for his longevity, leadership and durability.
This Saturday he will run out for this 400th a–grade game – a home fixture against the Kapunda Bombers.
The difference between Doecke and many of the other stalwarts of country football is his extraordinary consistency: since his debut as a 17-year-old on April 25, 1992, he has missed just six games and has never played in the Angaston reserves.
He is also the longest serving-captain in South Australian rural football history, skippering the Panthers for 18 years and 305 games.
Doecke was first given the captaincy by former Central District hard man Malcolm McGrath, when he started coaching the club in 1996. It was an inspirational choice, despite Doecke being just 21 years old.
Another motivation for his teammates has been Doecke’s commitment to training at the Panthers.
He lives and works in Adelaide, so Doecke has made the 160 kilometre round trip twice a week and on match day over the course of his entire career at the Panthers.
“Naturally I’m closer to the end of the journey that the start,” Doecke says.
“But I’m still enjoying the game.
“I’m also a little strange as I really enjoy training.
“I’ve tried to ensure that I’ve made nearly every training over the years.
“And I still enjoy being a part of, and playing my role within the group.
“I don’t want and expect any special favours from (coach) Matt Herrmann or the coaching group.
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“You play football to be competitive … to wins games of football with your mates.
“That’s why I enjoy donning the Angaston jumper.”
Doecke regards the 2003 Panthers premiership as the pinnacle of his career, having playing in four Barossa, Light and Gawler Football League deciders over the journey.
He has collected a club record six Angaston Football Club best and fairest awards, the first at 20 and the last of them in 2012 as a 37-year-old.
There are many players that have played 400 senior games of country football, but only a small few have played only A Grade matches throughout their career.
Others who have played 400 or more A Grade games include South Clare champion David Smith, Orroroo’s Justin Duffy, SA Football Hall of Famer Peter Kitschke and Mallee League legend Bill Murdoch, the grandfather of two Murdoch lads on AFL lists – Jordan at Geelong and Brodie at the Saints.
Crows break their duck
There is a fair argument at the moment the Adelaide Football Club is best team outside the SANFL’s top five – yet they have just won just a single fixture in the first nine.
Last Sunday they were dominant from the outset, destroying Sturt by 49 points at Peter Motley Oval.
Aggressive from the first bounce, the Crows were three goals up by quarter time and topped it off by kicking eight goals in the final term.
“It was the most complete effort this year,” Adelaide’s SANFL coach Heath Younie explained.
“In every other game when have done this in patches.
“Previously we haven’t been able arrest momentum at different times.
“We have been bringing the effort each week, but haven’t been able to execute or get the rewards.
“It was pretty hard picking best players this week.”
Jarryd Lyons was the best of a potent midfield group collecting 31 disposals, 12 clearances and kicking two goals, while Brad Crouch had 33 touches and nine clearances.
Former Geelong premiership James Podsiadly took 14 marks and kicked five goals in attack.
Crows development player Josh Wittwer played his best game at this level, across half back. State league skipper Ian Callinan and South Clare lad Riley Knight kicked three goals each in the win.
Man with the Midas touch
Norwood coach Ben Warren seems to be pulling all the right strings at the moment, with the Redlegs looking to have a stranglehold on top spot as we enter the middles stages of the season.
In Sunday’s clash against the third-placed West Adelaide he used defender Michael Chippendale in attack.
During his previous 33 senior appearances for the Redlegs, including the 2014 grand final, Chippendale had not kicked a goal.
In the Sunday afternoon victory, where Norwood defeated a fast-finishing West Adelaide outfit by a single straight kick, Chippendale kicked a team-high three majors.
The first major was at the end of the opening term, and he had two by the main break.
His final goal proved to be the match sealer, giving the ‘Legs a 24-point buffer at the 14-minute mark of the last term.
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“He played forward as a kid in the reserves and played forward in the trials ‘just in case’ one of our forwards got injured,” Warren said.
“We don’t have much tall depth in the reserves that would be better than ‘Chippy’ but we have plenty of defenders.
“We actually threw him forward last week and he should have kicked a couple.”
SANFL coach in waiting
Inspired by an impassioned Daniel Schell speech at the break, the North Eastern Football League (NEFL) came from the clouds to defeat the Northern Areas (NAFA) side in the ninth annual Landmark Cup Inter-league decider.
This Grand Final was played over two 18-minute halves plus time on, after a round robin series decided the finalists.
In real trouble and three and a half goals down early in the second half, the NAFA looked to be cruising to an easy championship victory.
From this point, the NEFL kicked the final four goals of the match to grab an unlikely and exhilarating victory in the dying minutes of the game, getting up by a single straight kick.
School, a seven-time Central District premiership player who had four years of AFL lists (Fremantle and Adelaide), has proven to be a very astute coach.
He returned to his foundation club, the Booborowie-Burra-Hallett Rams as a playing coach, and took them to the flag in 2011.
Schell has been the NEFL representative coach for three years, taking them to titles in 2013 and this year.
State under 18s face big contest
The SA under 18s side has a critical clash against the unbeaten Victorian Country combination at AAMI Stadium this Sunday.
This contest and the corresponding game in Melbourne will go a long way in deciding who will win the national title this year.
Last weekend, on the back of a best on ground performance for a second week in a row by Aaron Francis, the Croweaters enjoyed a comprehensive victory over Western Australia.
SA 18.15 (123) defeated WA 7.8 (50) by 73 points.
“We were a couple of goals up at quarter time and started to assert our authority and drew away from them in the second,” SA coach Brenton Phillips said.
“Generally I was happy with our intensity at the contest.”
Francis, after being best on ground in the win over Vic Metro, was equally impressive at AAMI Stadium last Saturday, collecting 22 possessions including 16 kicks, eight marks and kicking 4.5. There were also seven tackles and four hits outs in this stellar individual performance.
Ruckman Andre Parella is developing on a weekly basis and at this stage of his career looks a more exciting prospect that Collingwood’s Brodie Grundy was at the corresponding time in his career.
Around the ball Luke Partington, his co-captain Will Snelling, Will Combe and Jack Graham won plenty of the game. Luke Surman was strong in defence and the solidly built Jaydn Brind, in his first game, had a team-high 27 disposals and kicked three goals.
“I reckon they thought we’d start Aaron down back, so we threw him into the middle,” Phillips said.
“He was equally productive and kicked a handful of majors.
“Andre was impressive again.
“Luke Partington was also good around the ball.”
Big weekend for the Bays
On Sunday, the Glenelg Football Club celebrated the 30th anniversary of the 1985 flag, with many of the premiership team being paraded before the John Sandland Cup match against North Adelaide.
With the game on the line at lemons and the Bays three points down, an impressive and unanswered six-goal final quarter saw the Tigers claim the cup with an outstanding 35-point win.
Teenager Jake Johansen was a star with four goals, while skipper Andrew Bradley won the Dean Higgins medal.
For the Roosters, Port Augusta export Darren Shillabeer was a shining light with five goals as a key forward.
Roosters coach Ken McGregor looked a lonely figure standing behind his team at the presentations.
Grassroots is published on Wednesdays.
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