Centrebar SANFL Story
The SANFL Story
I am seeking writers to contribute to a new book about our memories of the South Australian National Football Leage. The aim is to provide a snapshot of the footy in the State before the arrival of the AFL. To offer your own story please email to info@centrebar.com.au
Here is some of my chapter about life as a Sturt supporter
Sturt, Dad and Duffel coats
When I was in primary school Sturt's high flying forward Ken Whelan coached one of our opposition school footy teams, Unley primary. One Saturday morning Whelan tried in vain to get his team across the line against Linden Park primary. Later that day, he suited up in Blues' colours, and nonchalantly kicked a bag of goals against Port Adelaide. He looked like a normal bloke, but on the field for Sturt he was anything but.
Whelan was every young Sturt fan's hero. He wasn't quite Superman yet we thought he was one of the closest things to it. Flying for a mark Whelan had the uncanny ability to rise above the pack and take screamers. Sometimes he appeared almost horizontally above several players and still managed to come down with the ball. It was as if Whelan was a marionette in the hands of a master puppeteer. Lifted at various angles at just the right moment to take the most spectacular of marks he was a freak.
Whelan played full forward, a role in today's game that has morphed into a free wheeling on-baller who can play anywhere on the ground. He rarely moved more than 40 metres from Sturt's goal. If the ball was down the other end he would stand with his hands on hips next to his opponent in the goal square. Whelan kicked these unerringly accurate mongrel flat punts. I don't think I ever saw him handball or kick with his left foot, yet he was a superstar of the game. It's worth remembering Whelan kicked 295 goals in three seasons, including two tons from 1973 to 1975. Then his performance inexplicably faded. He played until the 1980s finishing up with 441 majors from 126 games although he never replicated the form of those magical three years.
When the Blues' star forward was literally rising to great heights my love for the Sturt Football Club was in full bloom. In the 1970s my father and I were part of the loyal brigade of fans who spent each winter Saturday following the Blues. Our family lived in the eastern suburbs of Adelaide. My brothers attended Unley High School, so we barracked for Sturt: it was as simple as that.
We weren't hard core supporters. That was left to those who also went to training nights. We managed to make it to just about every game during the minor round and to all the finals, so we weren't far off. To me Sturt represented the good guys of the competition. They were well groomed and wore lace-up guernseys. They dressed neatly and played the same way. Sturt's clean cut image encouraged the school ground chant of ‘Sturt, Sturt rub them in the dirt.' As inane as the jibe sounds now it used to annoy young Blues fans.
When Sturt players wore the away white shorts they had an even smarter look. Not that they played soft. They were as hard at the ball and player as any team. If you don't think so have a look at some of the old video tapes of finals from the 1970s. Players like Paul Bagshaw, Rick Davies, Bruce Winter and Brendon Howard had all the skills, but were as tough as anyone.
Sturt had an on field sense of calm. We once saw Paul Bagshaw calmly discard his torn shorts and thread through a goal from a tight angle in a preliminary final at Adelaide Oval. A Sturt runner suddenly provided the replacement shorts. The manoeuvre was so well executed it looked as if it could have been part of the Blues' Thursday night training drill. Some dress transgressions did occur. Colin Casey's played with his socks down and Davies often let his jumper hang out.
