Adelaide Footy League One-Percenters: Athelstone Raggies to play first nine games away in 2021
One Adelaide Footy League club will spend at least nine straight weeks on the road this season – but there’s a good reason for it. Read that story and more in our One-Percenters column.
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Welcome to One-Percenters – a wrap of the quirky talking points from the round in the Adelaide Footy League.
Each edition we will bring you eight or so titbits from the latest weekend – they might be eye-catching results, milestones, comebacks, big wins, broken droughts or inspiring stories.
If you have heard about something quirky in the Adelaide Footy League, email us your suggestions or photos to patrick.keam@news.com.au
From the quirky to the inspirational, the weird, wonderful and everything in between here are the things which caught our eye in round one:
PREMIERS TO NOMADS
If 2020 was a tough year for the Athelstone Football Club, 2021 is throwing up a whole different set of challenges.
The Raggies are set to be the Adelaide Footy League’s nomads for the first nine rounds as they take the show and their passionate supporter base on the road.
With a $10m redevelopment of the club’s home at Max Amber Sportsfield well and truly underway, Athelstone is set to play all its matches away until at least the middle of June.
It follows a season last year where the Raggies went winless as they struggled with the step up to division one.
But things are looking up.
They secured their first win since the 2019 grand final – an almost 600-day drought – in a positive return to division two against Scotch Old Collegians.
Second-year Raggies coach Chris Radetti said the first half of the season would be tough but an early win and strong player numbers had created a positive buzz around the club.
“While Max Amber is being developed there’s no changerooms there at all but we’re hoping there’s going to be something set up by the time round 10 comes around,” Radetti said.
“So the logical thing to do was back-end all the home games, climb up that real tough hill nice and early then hopefully come home with a wet sail.
“The group’s obviously fully supportive of it and they all understand.
“We’re definitely looking forward to that back half of the year when we can hopefully play at Max Amber.”
The club is holding trainings at nearby Foxfield Oval for now and, while temporary changerooms might be ready at Max Amber Sportsfield by mid-season, the new complex won’t be finished until further down the track.
“They’re saying it’s hopefully going to be done by December – that’s what the council’s told us – so it looks like we should be able to play round one there next year with everything ready,” Radetti said.
“We’re all pretty excited about it.”
The Raggies face a tough fixture next away at Henley this Saturday.
MARKS AND GOALS OF THE WEEK
Introducing the Adelaide Footy League’s mark and goals of the year competition.
This season, the league has partnered up with The Advertiser and Messenger to crown the best mark and best goal of 2021 thanks to Dartfish and Filming Footy.
Each week you can find the top three of each from the round here in the One-Percenters column.
Vote in the poll for your favourite.
At the end of the year the top marks and goals will go in the running to be named the best of the season with an overall vote decided by you.
*MARK OF THE WEEK TO COME
DEPARTING DEMONS
Lockleys surged to the division five premiership last season in an impressive campaign – but this year’s Demons are looking a bit different.
Of the 22 who played in the grand final win over Kenilworth, just six featured in the round one club’s A grade side.
And it showed.
In the battle of the premiers at Daly Oval, it was division six champions Hectorville which prevailed over fifth-tier holders Lockleys.
The Demons shot out to a two-goal lead at quarter time but from then it was all the hosts, as they held the visitors goalless the next two terms to set up a 12.6 (78) to 6.4 (40) win.
Former Richmond and North Adelaide midfielder Matt McDonough, Bowen Hosking, Zain King, Luke Detullio, Simon Ascoli and Ryan Langcake were the six from the grand final who also played on Saturday.
LOOK WHO’S BACK
After a three-year stint away from the club, three-time Magarery Medallist James Allan made a return to Pembroke Old Scholars on the weekend with immediate effect.
The former North Adelaide and Norwood SANFL star was named third best for the Kings as they overpowered division four opponent Kilburn in the last quarter to take a 45-point win.
Allan – a member of Pembroke’s 2016 premiership side – last played for the club in 2017 and has since spent his time as Rostrevor College’s football director and first XVIII coach, as well as taking charge of coaching the Redlegs under-18 side.
On Saturday, the Kings trailed by 20 points at the first break but fired up on the back of nine goals from star forward Alex Forster to run our 19.4 (118) to 11.7 (73) winners.
Pembroke will hope both Allan and Forster continue to fire regularly as it attempts to atone for last season’s straight sets finals exit.
STILL GOT IT
While Forster topped the charts when it came to goals kicked in the A grade competition on the weekend, a familiar face was not far behind.
Former Sturt and Glenelg spearhead Matthew Duldig slotted a lazy bag of seven in Morphettville Park’s big win over Woodville South in division three.
Duldig was on first as the Roos smashed the Cats 26.15 (171) to 8.8 (56).
He was ably assisted in attack by Kye Dean, Matt Barrie (four goals each) and Dane Thompson (two)
It’s great to see the veteran still out on the park – and still a threat in front of the big sticks – amid his busy role as the SANFL’s general manager of football.
POP UP BARBERSHOP
This is definitely not something you see every week in local footy.
This Saturday at Goodwood Oval fans will not only be able to see a fierce contest between the Saints and Port District, they can get their haircut while the game is on too.
That’s right, the club has teamed up with sponsor and local business Goodtimes Barbershop to set up a pop up barbershop at the ground.
Now we’ve seen it all.
Free standard haircuts are on offer for Goodwood members with the barbershop running from 1pm to 4.30pm.
It will also be the Saints’ senior sides first time playing at home since the completion of its new $3.6m clubhouse and grand stand.
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