Hackham, new recruit Matt Spencely aim for flag after 131-point round one win

A reinvigorated Adelaide Footy League club got off to a flyer in round one of the 2025 season after bolstering its squad with former SANFL talent and has its sights set on a potential premiership push after falling short in 2024.

A reinvigorated local SA footy club has its sights set on a push for its first ever A Grade Adelaide Footy League premiership after signing a former Crows SANFL star and recording a huge round one win.

Division seven club Hackham fell agonisingly short of a grand final berth last year when it lost to OSB Lonsdale by 16 points in the preliminary final but responded with a strong pre-season and recently defeated Flinders Uni 175-44 in round one of its 2025 campaign.

The Hawks, who have not won an A Grade premiership since their 1990 Southern Football League triumph, responded to their loss by retaining 2024 division medallist Luke Allan ahead of this season and also adding former Crows SANFL gun and SA country footy star Matt Spencely.

The exciting forward/midfield utility was at his best as his side stormed past Flinders for a statement first win.

Hackham champion Luke Allan. Picture: Morgan Sette

“It was important for us to get off to a good start this year and we were happy with how we performed and how ruthless we were,” coach Blake Derer said.

“Getting someone like Matt in has been absolutely massive and we’ve had a number of other recruits who started well for us.

“Matt is a really good character and a super talented player. He got a feel for the club last year with a lot of his mates playing here and it’s his junior club as well.”

Derer said his players were shattered after last year’s preliminary final loss but believed there was a major buy-in to the process after the result.

He said the group was as confident as ever of returning to finals and earning promotion after retaining a number of key cogs and recruiting well.

Matt Spencely in action for the Crows. Picture: Stephen Laffer

“You could hear a pin drop in the rooms after that game but I could see that the guys could see the direction we were heading in.

“We’re really driven to improve this club because it has been a battle for us in the past and that is a driving motivator.

“The loss is going to be fuel for us this year.

“One of our buzz words has been ‘expectation’ because it has been a while since we’ve had that expectation of going all the way but the guys love the expectation and they’re performing well under pressure.”

The next step in Hackham’s quest for a flag in 2025 will be its clash with Mitchell Park away from home this Saturday.

Derer said his side would not be taking Mitchell Park lightly despite a 143-59 loss to Central United in round one.

“Yeah they’re never to be taken lightly and they’re one of those clubs that can definitely surprise teams.

“As I’ve been saying to the group, it’s a big opportunity for us and the club.

“We haven’t won two games in a row at both the A and B Grade level at the same time for over 15 years so we want to grab that opportunity with both hands and prepare for a really good contest.”