Andrew Jarman, Sam Jacobs to clash in Southern Football League season 2023
Great mates off-field – but now fierce rivals on it, two SA footy legends will compete in the same country league in 2023.
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Usually great mates off the field, SA footy icons Andrew Jarman and Sam Jacobs will clash on it this season as they join forces to support country footy in 2023.
Jarman – one of the state’s most decorated players being a dual Magarey Medallist at North Adelaide and Norwood and an inaugural Crow with over 100 games under his belt – has joined Southern Football League club Port Noarlunga as coach.
Jacobs – a former Adelaide Crows star with over 200 games and three Showdown Medals under his belt – has also joined the SFL, signing to play with competition power Flagstaff Hill through this season.
The 35-year-old ruckman was born in Ardrossan on the Yorke Peninsula and played his junior footy for the Kangaroos, eventually returning to the club for a season in 2021 after retiring from the AFL.
“For me, country footy is where my heart is, I’m a country boy,” Jacobs said.
“I guess it sounds a bit silly when I’m at Flagstaff Hill, which is probably about 30 minutes from the city, but to be able to go down there, not too far from home, and experience country footy in the SFL is huge for me.
“The pull of having an experienced team set, Zane Kirkwood as coach and just to have a young family and be able to have them involved at community clubs like Flaggies is big.”
While Jarman did not grow up in the country like Jacobs, the footy legend has spent years as a coach in local footy, most recently leading the Willaston Donnybrooks in the Barossa Light and Gawler Football Association.
He said the opportunity to help another country club like Port Noarlunga get back on its feet was too appealing to turn down.
“Ryan Fitzgerald was the one who convinced me, originally,” Jarman said.
“Port Noarlunga is his footy club and he’s seen what’s happened in recent years and the struggles the club has had.
“For me it was a great match, there’s an opportunity there to really lead a club and do something special. The club is near the ocean as well, which I have to say I love – I was definitely a dolphin in another life.”
The Port Noarlunga Football Club has faced major challenges on and off the field in recent seasons.
The Cockledivers have not won a premiership since 1997 and have failed to win a game since May 2021 – a 101-48 victory over Cove in round seven of that home and away season.
To add to the on-field woes, the club has been one of the many across SA to be hit hard during the Covid-19 period, losing significant amounts of volunteer numbers and playing troops.
Jarman said he relished the opportunity to help the club out during a trying time for local footy in South Australia.
“It’s really important to help these local clubs whenever you can and just give them a boost,” he said.
“Clubs don’t survive without volunteers and players who sacrifice their time for the game and for their community, and Sauce (Jacobs) can vouch for that as well with Ardrossan being his local club.
“The next five years are going to be really big and really important for community footy in this state because we’ve seen the impact that has been had on clubs through the past few years – clubs are merging, leagues are disbanding – we don’t want to see that happen to our associations, we really want them to get through this period.
“We were just down at Langhorne Creek for a trial match a couple weeks ago and you see the impact local sport has out there. It means everything to that town – they’d be lost without their community footy and netball.”
Jacobs, who grew up in and around country footy competitions, also reiterated the importance of staying involved at a local level.
“It’s for sure the heartbeat of a lot of these towns and suburbs,” he said.
“And the beauty of it too is that premierships aren’t necessarily the only measure of success. For example, Ardrossan is a town of around 1000 sometimes going up against a town of 5000, so just to have a club and to compete is a massive achievement.
“I see the challenges clubs like Port Noarlunga go through and I think Jars will be huge for them.
“They need someone who can get them motivated and he’s going to be fantastic.”
Flagstaff Hill has been a polar opposite of Port Noarlunga recently, winning six of the last seven premierships, just falling out of contention to eventual premier Reynella last season.
Jacobs said he was excited to join the Falcons and help them back to premiership glory under the tutelage of Sturt legend and dual Magarey Medallist Zane Kirkwood.
“I’m really keen to keep on playing,” he said. “I’m only 35 now so I feel I have a few years left and I just don’t want to give it away too early and say ‘wow I wish I was still playing’.
“I love footy as much now as I did when I was 15 and I think just taking the edge off a bit with local footy and being involved along with my family at that level is going to be a lot of fun.
“Pre-season has gone really well for us. We’ve got a lot of senior guys who have played a lot of games together so, for me, the foundation is there. I can just slide in and play my role and hopefully we can be right there when it matters in September.”
Preparation has been vastly different for Jarman, who has helped to rebuild the squad and the culture at Port Noarlunga.
The club has also made some big recruitments, picking up Strathalbyn champion Tom Redden and Goodwood veteran Anthony Dempsey.
“It’s been a pretty big overhaul. We’ve completely turned the culture around and the buy-in from all the players has been enormous,” Jarman said.
“We’ve got a really big mountain to climb if we want to chase Flaggies and Reynella but we’ve now got a good blend of young guys and older heads, so we’ll see how we sit a couple months in.”
The Cockledivers will face Aldinga at home to kick-off round one this weekend, while Flagstaff Hill hosts reigning premier Reynella.
While Jacobs and Jarman remain focused on the task at hand, the prospect of clashing twice this home and away season in rounds eight and 17 had both champions excited.
“I’ve got a lot of plans to stop him (Jacobs),” Jarman said.
“I’m watching all his Crows tapes, all his GWS tapes and I’ve even got tapes coming from Ardrossan. I have to shut him down.
“It’s going to be scary if I have to stand there and watch him take 75,000 marks and kick 20 goals.”
“I’m looking forward to it, I’m sure there’ll be a lot of banter,” Jacobs added.
“We’ve just got to temper the expectations a bit here, I think. I’m at the other end of my career, we’ll see what happens.
“I might have to take round eight off for a bit of load management.”
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