Adelaide Footy League One-Percenters: Payneham Norwood Union relegated for first time in eight years
Two SA local footy teams were forced to battle it out in atrocious conditions on the weekend, with wet weather turning the playing surface into a muddy bog. See the pictures.
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Welcome to One-Percenters – a wrap of the talking points from the round in the Adelaide Footy League.
Each edition we will bring you tidbits from the last weekend – they might be eye-catching results, milestones, comebacks, big wins, broken droughts or inspiring stories.
If you know or have heard something quirky or interesting in the Adelaide Footy League, email your suggestions or photos to daniel.renfrey@news.com.au
Here is what caught our attention in round 16/17:
SLIPPERY SLUGFEST IN LOCAL FOOTY
Second spot Houghton Districts played out a close 42-47 loss to third spot division seven rival Adelaide Lutheran on Saturday and while the clash might have been a precursor for finals, the result was not the main talking point.
Houghton Memorial Oval, the home of the Raiders, is currently in a sorry state, having been damaged by consistently poor weather and repetitive games of football.
With the club set to host a qualifying final against Adelaide Lutheran this weekend, it’s safe to say an initial run on the ground for Lutheran last weekend might have paid dividends.
FALCONS FALL FOR FIRST TIME IN EIGHT YEARS
Payneham Norwood Union has been relegated to the second division of the league for the first time since gaining promotion to division one in 2014, and the drop has come just a year after playing in a grand final.
The club had won two of its past four games but recent wins for relegation rivals Rostrevor OC and Old Ignatians ensured a drop for the Falcons, the side unable to recover from its early season struggles.
While club president Tyson Burrows admitted it had been a disappointing season, he said there was still reason for optimism going forward.
“It’s disappointing, relegation is never something you want to happen, but at the same time you can’t always avoid it. Someone’s got to go down and this year it’s us,” Burrows said.
“We’ve been really strong in recent seasons and while this year was a bit of a down one we’re bringing a lot of young guys through and we’re definitely going to be competitive in division two.”
The Falcons brought in former Old Ignatians head coach and Woodville-West Torrens assistant coach Jeremy Cini in the offseason after Jace Bode’s departure, but he inherited a starkly different list to his predecessor.
The Falcons lost stars such as Liam Davis, Anthony Wilson, Sam Baulderstone, Kristian Roocke, Patrick Levicki and Max Hodges in the preseason and as a result called on youth to play a significant role in 2022.
While the club also signed star SANFL players Brad McKenzie and Ben Sawford, it began the season with an irreparable 1-7 record.
“It’s really down to the amount of key guys we lost,” Burrows said.
“Having a new coach as well and new structures, it’s something which takes a little bit of time to adjust to but Cini’s been really, really good.”
Despite the club’s struggles, Burrows said the improvement of young guns such as Harrison Viney, who has 21 goals in 16 games, were a key to any future improvement.
“It’s going to be about continuing to breed the young guys through for next year and hopefully recruit one or two as well,” he said.
“The youth in the club has really improved and I feel we’re not far off putting it all together.
“We’re going to be very strong in division two and we’ll be back.”
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