Team of the Century
BACKS
Brenton Adcock
Years of Service: 1962-1974
Games: 259
Goals: 6
State Games: 20
All Australian: 1966
Premierships: 1966-70, 1974
In 100 years only one back pocket player stands out at Unley – Brenton Adcock. Nuggety built, Adcock’s greatest attribute was his uncanny ability to read the play and rebound to the advantage of his team.
Frank Golding
Years of Service: 1909-15, 1919-27
Games: 207
Goals: 240
Captain: 1921, 1925-27
State Games: 28
Premierships: 1915,1919,1926
Coach: 1925-28
Led South Australia to victory on Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1926.
First SANFL footballer to play 200 games.
Captain of Sturt’s 1926 Premiership team.
Frank Golding is easily the outstanding Sturt full back of the 20th century. Brilliant, well balanced equally skilled with foot or hand, Golding had the ideal temperament for the game that one Melbourne critic dubbed him “the greatest goal keeper the game had ever seen”.
Horrie Riley
Years of Service: 1922-30
Games: 122
Goals: 121
Captain: 1930
State Games: 20
Premierships: 1926
Magarey Medal: 1923
Riley was the Bagshaw of the 1920’s. A brilliant highflyer who made the game look easy. Winner of the 1923 Magarey Medal Riley was an automatic state selection who represented his state with distinction.
FORWARDS
Rick Davies No. 24
Years of Service: 1970-1980, 82-85
Games: 317
Goals: 635
Captain: 1982-85
Best and Fairest: 1973-76, 1978-80
State Games: 20
All Australian: 1979,1980 (captain)
Premierships: 1974, 1976
Coach: 1989
Club leading goalkicker: 1982-84
SANFL leading goalkicker: 1983 (151 goals)
Most goals in a match by a Sturt Player 15 vs West at Football Park 1983.
Of all the ruckman to play at Unley, Rick Davies was simply the best. With his well timed leaps, precision palming, high marking penetrative kicking and damaging handball Davies was an inspiration to his team mates. His performance in the 1976 Grand Final will be remembered for how ever long the game is played in South Australia.
Taffy Waye No. 0
Years of Service: 1902-1910
Games: 71
State Games: 8
Magarey Medal: 1903
Leading goalkicker: 1903-1907
A brilliant ruckman who carried Sturt “on his back” in the first decade of the 20th Century. Winner of the 1903 Magerey Medal, Waye dominated the competition to the extent opposition captains used two players against him.
Bo Morton No. 11
Years of Service: 1930-1940
Games: 138
Goals: 561
Vice Captain: 1937
Captain: 1938-40
Best and Fairest: 1937,1939-40
State Games: 6
Premierships: 1940
Coach: 1940,1946
10 goals in a match, 6 times.
Most goals in a single match 12 vs Norwood in 1940.
Club leading goalkicker 1930-31, 1937,38,39,40.
First Sturt player to kick 100 goals in a season.
High flying full forward of the 1930’s and early 40’s. In 1940 became the first Sturt player to kick 100 goals in a season and finished his career with 561 goals at an average of 4.06 per game.
Norman Barron
Years of Service: 1919-28,30-31
Games: 132
Goals: 146
Best and Fairest: 1924
State Games: 13
Premierships: 1926
Outstanding fleetfooted rover of the 1920’s- 30’s. Equally skilled with either foot or hand, Barrow was an automatic state selection.
HALF FORWARDS
Michael Graham No. 19
Years of service: 1971-1985
Games: 282
Goals: 455
State Games: 11
Premierships: 1974, 1976
Of all the footballers to play at Unley in the 1970’s the fastest was “The Flash”. Graham was “so quick” that opponents found it hard to keep up with him. A well skilled footballer with either foot or hand Graham was a … member of Sturt sides in the 1970’s.
John Halbert No.15
Years of Service: 1955-68
Games: 243
Goals: 253
Vice Captain: 1959-1961
Captain: 1962-68
Best and Fairest: 1958,1960,61,64
All Australian: 1961
Premierships: 1966
Magarey Medal: 1961
State Games: 17
Coach: 1983-1984
Originally a brilliant centreman Halbert became a dominant centre half forward when shifted there in 1964. Renown for his excellent disposal, strong overhead marking impressive ground play Halbert led the Blues to the 1966 premiership.
Tony Goodchild
Years of Service: 1953-62
Games: 132
Goals: 128
Captain: 1957-58
Best and Fairest: 1956,1957
State Games: 7
A versatile brilliant footballer who in the difficult 1950’s carried the Sturt attack more or less on his own. Well built, strong determined Goodchild would have been outstanding in any era of the clubs history.
CENTRES
Tony Burgan No.6
Years of Service: 1967-79
Games: 244
Goals: 122
State Games: 8
All Australian: 1972
Premierships: 1969,70,74,76
All Australian wing man of the 1960-70’s Burgan had the ideal temperament for the game. Solid, strong, skilful and reliable this outstanding player represented his club 248 times.
Victor Richardson
Years of Service: 1915, 1919-24,1926-27
Games: 114
Goals: 23
Captain: 1920,1922-24
Best and Fairest: 1922-23
State Games: 10
Premierships: 1915,1919,1926
State Captain: 1923
Magarey Medal: 1920
Coach: 1920,1922-24
Australian Cricket Captain 1935 tour of South Africa.
Vice Captain 1930 tour of England.
A brilliant, dominant centreman who had no peer in the 1920’s. Equally skilled with either foot or hand, Richardson winner of the 1920 Magarey Medal also represented his country in cricket.
Clarrie Scrutton
Years of Service: 1922-29
Games: 111
Goals: 7
Best and Fairest: 1925-26,1928
State Games: 8
Premierships: 1926
Vice Captain: 1929
Fast, solid, fleet footed wingman Scrutton was the best wingman in Adelaide in the mid 1920’s. An automatic state selection in his day Scrutton even beat his Victorian counterparts easily.
HALF BACKS
Bob Shearman No.1
Years of Service: 1966-72
Games: 121
Goals: 92
Captain: 1969-72
State Games: 13
Premierships: 1966-1970
Captain of Sturt’s 1968,69 and 1970 premiership teams.
A versatile, brilliant footballer of the 1960’s and early 70’s, Shearman will always be remembered for his prodigious kicking. Adaptable, strong, clever Shearman could play any position with ease.
Len Fitzgerald
Years of Service: 1951-55,1959-62
Games: 125
Goals: 201
Captain: 1951-55
Best and Fairest: 1952-54
State Games: 17
All Australian: 1953
Magarey Medals: 1952,1954,1959
One of the most brilliant players to wear the guernsey. Brilliant versatile, Fitzgerald the only triple Magarey Medallist in the club’s history was the best player at Unley in the 1950’s
Rick Schoff
Years of Service: 1959-71
Games: 214
Goals: 151
Best and Fairest: 1968
State Games: 13
All Australian: 1966,1969
Premierships: 1967,1968,1969,1970
Vice Captain: 1969
An inspirational versatile, determined skilful footballer, Schoff was one of the greatest players to play at Unley. In the 215 games for the Blues he was rarely beaten whether in defence or attack.
1st RUCKMAN
Davies (see earlier section)
Paul Bagshaw No.8
Years of Service: 1964-80
Games: 360
Goals: 258
Captain: 1973-80
Best and Fairest: 1966,1969-71,1977
State Games: 14
Premierships: 1966-70,1974,1976
McCallum Medal: 1962
Vice Captain: 1970-1972
Ten goals in a match vs. Port at Unley 1978.
Club leading goal kicker 1978 (74 goals).
Five times Club champion and the Club’s longest serving player. The mercurial Bagshaw was simply the outstanding player at Unley for seventeen winters between 1964 – 1980. Known as Mr Magic the naturally talented Bagshaw was an inspiration to his teammates and will be remembered for as long as football is played in South Australia.
Gil Langley
Years of Service: 1939-50
Games: 160
Goals: 341
Captain: 1945,1947
Best and Fairest: 1945,1947
State Games: 11
Premierships: 1940
Leading goalkicker: 1948 (40 goals)
Vice Captain: 1948
Represented Australia in cricket.
In 1980 Bo Morton was asked to name the six best footballers he had seen at the club since 1930. One of the six named was Gil Langley. Built like a pocket battleship this well balanced rover equally skilled with foot or hand represented the Blues with distinction between 1939 – 1950.
INTERCHANGE PLAYERS
Harold Vivian Cumberland No. 00
Years of Service: 1909-1911
Games: 39
Goals: 33
State Games: 9
Magarey Medal: 1911
Played in South Australia’s winning team of 1911.
Finished second in the 1910 Magarey Medal.
Brilliant knock ruckman who for three years 1909-1911 dominated the game in Adelaide. Originally from St Kilda, Cumberland a member of the AFL’s Hall of fame, winner of 1911 Magarey Medal was a crucial member of Sturt’s powerful 1910 team.
Billy Mayman
Years of Service: 1913-1935,1919-1921
Games: 79
Goals: 11
Captain: 1914-15,1919
State Games: 6
Premierships: 1915-1919
Coach: 1914-15,1919
Carnival Captain: 1914
State Captain: 1914,1921
First Premiership captain of Sturt Football Club.
Easily the best centreman in Adelaide between 1913 and 1921. Versatile, brilliant Mayman lead the club to the first two Premierships in 1915 and 1919.
Peter Motley
Years of Service: 1982-85
Games: 92
Goals: 104
Best and Fairest: 1984,1985
State Games: 6
All Australian: 1983,1985
Finished second in 1985 Magarey Medal.
A naturally gifted footballer, Motley was easily the best footballer at Unley in the 1980’s. Well balanced, brilliant Motley who lead the play magnificently could play at either end of the ground and had the freakish ability to pull marks no matter how far out of position he appeared to be. Although he only played 92 games at Unley the name Peter Motley will be remembered well in the 21st century.
Bert Renfrey
Years of Service: 1909-13
Games: 56
Goals: 16
Captain: 1909-13
State Games: 11
State Captain: 1911,1912
Coach: 1909-1913
Captained South Australia to 1911 Carnival win in Adelaide.
Regarded by many as South Australia’s best pre world war 1 captain Renfrey did to Sturt what Jack Oatey did in the 1960’s? Aside from lifting the Blues Renfrey‘s other greatest sporting achievement was leading South Australia to 1911 Carnival win.
COACH
Jack Oatey
Coach: 1962-82
P W L D
Games 470 314 152 4
Finals 35 21 14 -
Premierships 7 (1966-70, 1974,1976)
Runners up 2
Minor Premier 4
'The Mastercoach’. Jack Oatey, arguably the greatest ever, coached Sturt from 1962 to 1982, and retired a legend of football. He was a monument to the game, a master builder who picked up a struggling club, painstakingly but ruthlessly shaping a football club that became a dominant force.
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