How Nathan Grima spearheaded Glenunga’s transformation from winless to SA powerhouse

An AFL player-turned-local coach has transformed his SA footy side into one of the country’s best amateur teams – now just one win from the club’s first div one grand final appearance.

Three years ago, Glenunga finished bottom of the Adelaide Footy League’s second division without registering a single win.

Now, after three years under former North Melbourne player and Sturt coach Nathan Grima, the Rams sit top of division one with a 16-2 record and are just one win from playing in the club’s first ever top tier grand final.

It has been a remarkable turnaround for the club, which signed Grima as coach at the end of 2020 after he was let go by SANFL club Sturt at the end of his two-year contract with the Double Blues – finishing fifth and sixth during his tenure with the club.

After being let go, Grima admitted he almost gave up coaching for good.

“When I finished up at Sturt I was initially a little bit off-put about coaching again,” Grima said.

Glenunga coach Nathan Grima addresses his players during his first season with the club. Picture: Max Stapleton

“I went away for a couple of weeks and had initially thought I wouldn’t coach at all.

“But my thinking was that if I passed it up while not feeling 100 per cent about footy … I’d miss it when footy rolled back around.”

Grima wouldn’t regret the decision, recruiting Sturt players such as Beau Schwarze, D’Arcy Mitchell, key forward Michael Wundke, Sam Wundke, and North Adelaide’s Sam Parsons to the Rams and taking the side to top spot in 2021 and a historic division two grand final appearance against Old Ignatians, which the side ultimately lost.

A solid defender throughout his 88-game AFL career with North Melbourne and Essendon, and a premiership player with Central District in 2007, Grima immediately instilled his hard-nosed approach to the game in his Glenunga players.

“When I first arrived here the club was winless across As and Bs the year before and the As were conceding around 130 points a game, so there was a lot we needed to change,” Grima said.

Grima in action during his playing days at Central District. Picture: Stephen Laffer

Grima celebrates a rare goal during his 86-game career with North Melbourne. Picture: File

“We managed to bring some key guys in through my time at Sturt and set about becoming the best defensive team in the competition first and foremost, and getting the fundamentals right.

“Our 2021 season was excellent just with the fact that we were able to shift the culture and the approach to the game a little bit and really lock sides down, we fell at that final hurdle in the grand final but we were trending well and able to address a lot of deficiencies.”

The club’s 2021 success resulted in a maiden division one season, which again saw the side improve significantly against the state’s best local competition.

Grima’s side – led by former North Adelaide man Michael McMahon and captain Alex Haren – turned Webb Oval into a fortress throughout season 2022, locking down opposing teams and winning their way into finals.

The Rams would eventually go out in straight sets, losing to Goodwood and PAOC.

Sam Parsons in action for Glenunga during the club’s division two run in 2021. Picture: Dean Martin

“Last year I think is when we really started trending in the right direction,” Grima said.

“We had a lot of injuries but we managed to bring through a bunch of guys and give them a taste of division one footy. The beauty of playing so many guys as well was we were able to figure out who would be good options moving forward.”

After seeing the progress of it‘s A Grade side in 2022, Glenunga’s recruitment team, spearheaded by Adelaide Crows premiership player David Pittman, again brought in a number of new faces, including Sturt midfielder and forward Abe Davis, the favourite for the div one medal.

The only non-old scholar club in the Eastern suburbs, Glenunga has had to work hard to keep its juniors from joining clubs like Prince Alfred OC or St Peters OC in senior footy, something Grima said has been covered for by a three-stage recruitment approach.

“Effectively there’s a lot of moving parts at every footy club. There’s so much going on behind the scenes,” he said.

Former Adelaide Crow David Pittman has played an important part in Glenunga’s recruitment. Picture: File

“We have three different phases of list building, the first one is to get all your players back each year and we managed to do that after 2022 with most of our guys returning. The second is to focus on your juniors and keep them around despite the pull of old scholar clubs and school mates, and the third is needs-based recruiting.

“We don’t have a bunch of guys coming back from SANFL, we probably have about three or four guys who have played five to 10 games of League footy and then we have players who might be inexperienced at that level, have good skill sets and are eager to learn and prove themselves, which has really pushed us.

“Abe (Davis) has been big for us and is someone who is fresh out of the SANFL system and just gets it. He can play midfield or forward and really sets the tone for us on and off the park – he’s missed about two sessions all year.”

The Rams have reached another level this season, not only setting a record low 43 points conceded a game in division one through elite defensive set up and work in the contest, but also improving their scoring after adding the likes of Abe Davis and seeing the return of James Wundke.

Former Sturt star Abe Davis in action for Glenunga this year. Picture: Max Stapleton

The club has been almost impossible to beat at home, has achieved its first ever division one minor premiership and will face the winner of Prince Alfred OC and Sacred Heart OC in an attempt to book a spot in this year’s grand final.

“We’re top of the ladder this year with the best percentage, best points against and a really good contested style so we know we’re a good chance, but we also know we still have a lot of work to do,” Grima said.

“There are a lot of good teams left, PAC has a lot of very good players and they’ve added the likes of Andrew Bradley and Chris Curran in the last couple years so we know they’re going to be a very tough team to beat, but SHOC, Tea Tree Gully and Port District are also quality sides.

“We’ve got to do the hard work now and make sure we get there, it’s not lost on the guys that the club hasn’t won a div one flag in its 70-year history but we’re still yet to prove ourselves in September.

“We have a huge opportunity to create some history at the club and earn some respect at the top level.”