Gaza Football Club at risk of first season outside of divisions one and two since 1978
It has been a long, long time since Gaza dropped below the top two divisions of the Adelaide Footy League but coach Andrew Jarman’s Eagles face an almighty fight to avoid relegation.
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Welcome to One-Percenters – a wrap of some 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
41-YEAR RUN DONE?
At the turn of the century it was one of the Adelaide Footy League’s most dominant clubs.
Now fallen powerhouse Gaza is on the brink of a historic relegation.
The Andrew Jarman coached Eagles are battling at the bottom of the division two ladder and face dropping below the top two tiers for the first time in 41 years.
Yes that’s right, Gaza has not played in division three since 1978, when the Eagles won the premiership and were promoted.
After 12 rounds they hold a record of one win, one draw and 10 losses – two points behind ninth-placed Scotch Old Collegians and five adrift of eighth side Modbury.
On Saturday, they were beaten 20.17 (137) to 6.12 (48) away by PHOS Camden.
Jarman said it had been a tough season and the club was realistic about where it stood.
“It started pre-season when we lost a couple of important players and the bad momentum just carried from there,” said Jarman, who took over as coach in 2015.
“The biggest hole we have is we have zero players aged between 23 and 27.
“We have a lot of 17-21 year olds and about a dozen between 28-32 but until we can fast track those young lads to play at the level, we’re going to struggle.
“And the division two competition has improved by about 15 to 20 per cent. There are some very good teams in div two, very strong defensive teams.”
Jarman also said five A graders were done for the season due to injury with a few more “just hanging on”.
Gaza spent 14 straight years in division one from 2001-2014 during which it played in four grand finals and won two premierships (2003, 2011).
Relegation to in 2014 was followed by sixth, fourth and seventh-placed finishes before this season.
Jarman, who has been associated with Gaza for more than four decades, said the 41-year stretch in the top two tiers was a “remarkable performance” but there was “no shame” in any club being relegated.
The Crows great and SA Football Hall of Fame member was unsure what the future held at the Eagles.
“I haven’t thought about next year yet,” he said.
“I’ll have discussions with the club in the next couple of weeks and we’ll see what the best way is to go forward.
“It’s not all doom and gloom, our under-18s are sitting top and we’ve got a great culture at the club.
“They got me in four years ago to promote youth and change the culture. I think I’ve ticked those two boxes.”
Gaza’s sole victory so far in 2019 was a 10-point triumph at home to Seaton Ramblers in round seven.
The Eagles stole a point in round one against Scotch when Damon Hill kicked a goal after the siren to draw 13.7 (85) to 12.13 (85) at Klemzig Oval.
They play top five sides Athelstone, Unley Mercedes, Salisbury North and Seaton in a tough run of fixtures before finishing the season with clashes against Broadview away and Modbury at home.
FRIDAY AT THE FARM
The lights were bright and the pressure was on at Rowe Park on Friday night but Ingle Farm soaked it up to take a thrilling win.
A one off weeknight fixture had the Bulldogs hosting Para Hills in division six and the two sides did not disappoint in a 10.21 (81) to 11.12 (78) nailbiter.
Ingle Farm trailed by 22 points with four minutes to play, appearing to have shot themselves in the foot with poor kicking, but rallied late in front of the healthy crowd.
It looked like the celebrations were in full swing at Rowe Park after the victory.
The rousing win over the fourth-placed Big Reds continued Ingle Farm’s resurgence, which now has it in finals contention.
The Bulldogs started the season 1-4 but have reversed their fortunes with a 4-1 record over the past five matches.
They are equal fifth on the ladder with Fitzroy but behind the Lions on percentage. Both sides trail Para Hills by one win.
Ingle Farm also has a game in hand.
LUKE’S TWO HANDFULS
Staying with division six and it’s been a good couple of weeks for West Croydon forward Luke Woodcock.
The Hawks spearhead notched his 600th A grade goal when he booted four in round 11 against Brahma Lodge but took it up a gear on Saturday.
Woodcock slotted 10 in a best on ground performance as West Croydon belted bottom side O’Sullivan Beach Lonsdale 30.15 (195) to 5.8 (38) at Lonsdale Oval.
It made it 51 goals on the season for Woodcock as he leads the high-flying Hawks to the finals.
They are top of the ladder in division six with a 9-2 record.
DOUBLE FIGURES
Luke Woodcock was not the only bloke to kick a big bag across the league on Saturday, in fact five forwards reached double figures.
Joel Baldwin took advantage of some top service in Flinders Park’s 154-point drubbing of Gepps Cross in C3 to boot 13 goals.
Baldwin also kicked 11 against Portand last month and has 44 from seven games this season.
Hope Valley has been a dominant force in division five this campaign and Jayke Hellmanns led the Demons’ charge on Saturday with 11 majors against Eastern Park.
The final margin was an 81-point victory to Hope Valley.
Joel Horskins (Golden Grove, D5R) and Freddy Taylor (Houghton Districts, D7R) both matched Lockwood’s haul of 10 in their respective matches.
RAIDERS RECORDS
Houghton Districts B grade came up big against Flinders University in division seven reserves with a 33.28 (226) to 0.1 (1) thumping on Saturday at home.
Check out these stats the club pulled out from the massive win.
To top it off the Raiders also had a 14-point win over the Crabs in the A grade.
CLOSE AS IT COMES
Good luck tipping the results for division one reserves the rest of the season because it is seriously tight.
Every team in the top five – Goodwood, St Peter’s Old Collegians, Port District, Henley and Rostrevor Old Collegians – is locked on 16 points.
Only percentage separates the sides, which all have 8-4 records.
And sixth-placed Prince Alfred Old Collegians are just one win behind the leading pack.
patrick.keam@news.com.au