Messenger’s sports team nominates its top-five heroes, quirky moments, photos, video and favourite 50 names of 2018

Messenger Community News reveals its top-five feel-good moments, heroes, photos, videos and quirky incidents in local sport for 2018, as well as our annual top 50 favourite names list.

What a year it has been in local sport in Adelaide.

There were drought-breaking premierships, stunning underdog triumphs, a stack of junior achievers and plenty of moments that made us smile.

Here are our favourites:

TOP FIVE FEEL-GOOD MOMENTS OF 2018

■ M edals galore for Isabella Vincent

Isabella has a congenital disorder of the lower spine, she relies on a wheelchair and requires regular surgery.

But nothing stopped her from dominating at the School Sport Australia Swimming Championships in Hobart in July and August.

The Norwood Swimming Club member collected the most medals of any SA swimmer with nine – seven gold, one silver and one bronze.

She competed in the S7 category and broke a swag of records.

Norwood Swimming Club’s Isabella Vincent, 12, returned from the School Sport Australia Swimming Championships with several medals and records, less than a year after taking up the sport. Picture: AAP/Roy Vandervegt

■ Tea Tree Gully honours a mate with breakthrough flag

Tea Tree Gully players carried the memory of their former teammate Jon Birkin into the division one Adelaide Footy League grand final against Rostrevor Old Collegians in September and were spurred on to an emotion-fuelled victory.

Birkin, who played 99 senior games for the Wolves, died suddenly in December last year at the age of 24.

Gullies coach Justin Maschotta could not hold back tears after the premiership triumph at Thebarton Oval, which netted the club its first top-tier flag, saying “this is for you, Jonny”.

Tea Tree Gully players celebrate winning the division one Adelaide Footy League grand final against Rostrevor Old Collegians at Thebarton Oval in September. Picture: AAP/Brenton Edwards

■ Happy Valley’s Chris Remkes wins gold

Gymnast Chris Remkes was one of SA’s success stories from the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in April, snaring a gold medal.

Remke, of Happy Valley, finished first in the vault.

For Remkes, it completed a remarkable rise after being adopted from a Filipino orphanage before moving to Australia when he was two-and-a-half years old.

Chris Remkes after winning a gold medal at April’s Commonwealth Games. He overcame incredible odds as an orphan from the Philippines. Picture: Adam Head

■ Marion Rams win an emotional premiership

Marion put back-to-back winless seasons in 2016-17 behind them to claim a fairytale division seven premiership in its first year in the Adelaide Footy League.

The Rams, who switched from the Southern Football League to the amateurs 15 months ago because they grew tired of suffering

thrashings, beat O’Sullivan Beach/Lonsdale by 21 points at St Marys Park in September in a battle of the former battlers.

Victory came without coach Ben Porter being at the ground for almost the entire game.

He had suffered a stroke at training a week earlier but arrived at St Marys for the grand final’s closing minutes.

Seeing Porter hug his players and lift the cup – all while wearing a cardiac monitor across his chest beneath his green and gold club polo – was a special moment.

Marion Rams coach Ben Porter and captain Stephen Saunders with the premiership cup. Picture: AAP/Bianca De Marchi

■ Trinity Old Scholars veteran Rob McLean finally makes a ton

Trinity Old Scholars cricket veteran Rob McLean provided one of the year’s magical moments and showed persistence paid when he made his first century in October – at the ripe age of 41.

McLean scored 151 in Adelaide Turf’s B1 competition against Unley at Kingswood Oval, easily beating his previous-best knock of 86.

Video of him reaching his ton went viral, getting viewed more than 100,000 times on social media.

It was retweeted by the likes of former Australian Test batsman Dean Jones.

TOP FIVE SPORTING HEROES OF 2018

■ Northern Districts’ women break national record

Records were broken in October when Northern Districts’ women made 3/596 – the highest ever score in an Australian 50-over match.

The Jets clubbed struggling Port Adelaide all around Salisbury Oval as four players – Tegan McPharlin (136 off 80 balls), Sam Betts (124 off 71), Tabatha Saville (120 off 56) and 15-year-old Darcie Brown (117 off 84) – made centuries.

Northern whacked 64 fours and three sixes on its way to registering the third-largest total globally for a women’s team in a 50-over game and the fifth-biggest anywhere in the world.

Northern Districts cricketers Sam Betts, Tabatha Saville and Darcie Brown after they made centuries in the Jets’ Australian record 50-over score of 3/596. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

■ North Adelaide stuns the SANFL

North Adelaide went from bottom to premiers in the SANFL after a stunning finals run that included a chunk of controversy along the way.

The Roosters limped into fifth spot before stunning South Adelaide, Sturt, Woodville-West Torrens and then Norwood to claim the club’s first flag since 1991.

But North caused a stir after fielding 19 players for the first few minutes of the fourth quarter of its winning preliminary final and then had to wait for a tribunal to determine its fate.

The club was fined and docked four premiership points for 2019 but was allowed to play in September’s decider, which it won by … 19 points.

North Adelaide players celebrate after winning the club’s first premiership since 1991.
Picture: Sarah Reed

■ Hoops champion Jo Hill bows out on a high

The career of one of SA basketball’s all-time greats, Jo Hill, ended in fairytale fashion at Titanium Security Arena in August with a grand final victory and MVP.

Hill, the oldest Premier League player at 45, produced one last ageless performance, scoring a match-high 29 points and 11 rebounds to help North Adelaide complete an unbeaten season with a 79-61 triumph over Forestville.

An emotional Jo Hill after winning the Premier League women’s grand final and game MVP with her beloved North Adelaide in her swan song. Picture: AAP/Mark Brake

She pointed to the rafters after the final buzzer, paying tribute to her father, Ian, who had died of kidney cancer and complications from a broken femur a month earlier.

It was an amazing ending to a hoops journey that included an Olympic silver medal, 10 club MVPs and 351 WNBL games.

■ Campbelltown City’s state and national crowns

Campbelltown City could not have done any more in local soccer this year.

The Red Devils not only finished on top of the Premier League table at the end of the minor round, but they went on to win the grand final 1-0 over Adelaide City at Hindmarsh Stadium in September.

Joe Mullen’s side added to its silverware – and earned an FFA Cup berth for next year – when it prevailed 2-1 over Queensland champion Lions FC in the National Premier Leagues playoff later that month.

Campbelltown City players and supporters celebrate after National Premier Leagues final. Picture: AAP/Mark Brake/Getty Images

■ Keith Mortimore still swinging at 77

Baseball veteran Keith Mortimore is an inspiration to anyone who has weighed up quitting playing sport simply because of their age.

Mortimore still lines up for Woodville at the age of 77.

The grandfather-of-two notched his 1000th game this month, playing in the club’s division six team.

His 62 years at the club includes five years in the division-one side and 10 premierships – six in eight years during the 1970s while lining up in the third tier.

Woodville Baseball Club’s Keith Mortimore is still playing at the age of 77 and has recently played his 1000th game. Picture: Tom Huntley

TOP FIVE QUIRKY LOCAL SPORT MOMENTS OF 2018

■ The SANFL 19th-man saga

There have been few more extraordinary SANFL dramas than the 19th-man fiasco that followed the preliminary final between North Adelaide and Woodville-West Torrens.

The Roosters had 19 players on the field for more than four minutes of the final quarter and, during that time, kicked one goal and two behinds.

North won the game by five points but that was not the end of it.

The Eagles lodged a complaint and the SA Football Commission referred the issue to a SANFL tribunal.

After a lengthy hearing, the game’s result was upheld, but North was fined $10,000 and docked four premiership points for the 2019 season.

The Roosters, who finished bottom in 2017, bounced back from the saga and went on to win the flag, beating Norwood in the grand final by 19 points.

North Adelaide coach Josh Carr sits in a meeting room at Adelaide Oval, waiting on a decision by the SANFL tribunal regarding the 19th man saga. Picture: Matt Loxton

■ Malinauskas, Adelaide University and a hoax text

Remember the one about the Opposition Leader, the hoax text and the footy match that almost did not go ahead?

Adelaide University’s C6 match against Elizabeth in May was nearly called off after Blacks president Michael Dadds received a text, claiming to be from Eagles D-grade coach Adam Duncan, saying the northern club needed to forfeit due to a lack of players.

Uni officials told its team, affectionately known as “the Scum”, there was no game and posted the news on Facebook.

But Elizabeth and Duncan caught wind of the puzzling situation then informed the Blacks they knew nothing about the text and the match was still on.

Adelaide Uni managed to scrounge together a team, including Labor leader and “Scum” regular Malinauskas, just a couple of hours before the first bounce and went on to prevail by 50 points at Park 10.

Labor leader Peter Malinauskas, pictured in 2016, played for Adelaide University against Elizabeth in a C6 game in May that was almost called off due to a hoax text. Picture: Calum Robertson.

■ Wicketkeeper wins premiership while 22 weeks pregnant

Some women in their second trimester of pregnancy may struggle to do daily chores, let alone play sport.

But Payneham’s Donna Boerema did not let the fact she was 22 weeks pregnant with her third child stop her from lining in a grand final – as a wicketkeeper.

Boerema played in the Dukes’ Twenty20 women’s first grade semi-final and grand final wins in March.

The 36-year-old scored 15 runs and claimed a catch and a run out in the semi-final against Reynella.

Hours later, Boerema made five runs in her side’s grand final victory against Adelaide University.

How’s that for girl power?

Payneham women’s cricketer Donna Boerema with her husband, Jake, and children Bryce, 5, (front) and Campbell, 2. Donna played the whole season while pregnant with her third child. Picture: AAP/Morgan Sette

■ Cricketers using fake IDs

We’ve all heard of underage revellers using fake IDs to buy alcohol or gain entry into nightclubs.

But cricketers needing IDs to play? That was a little weird.

Kenilworth cricketers were forced to send player photos to competition officials during matches after getting caught using a false identity six times during the 2017/18 season, including in the grand final.

The Adelaide and Suburban Cricket Association stripped the club of its C-grade flag in March for playing Ishfaq Khan under the name Ibrar Ahmad in the section nine decider against Port Noarlunga.

After further investigation, the association issued more sanctions and demanded the club submitted captioned photos of its three teams for all games this season because that was “the only way to be sure the players named are playing”.

■ The German man who runs wherever he goes

He’s never owned a car, lives an alternative, minimalist lifestyle that includes sleeping in a tent in a house in the Sri Lankan highlands and runs everywhere he goes.

In July, Messenger Sports Editor Matt Turner met one of the quirkiest people he’s come across in his eight years covering sport, 31-year-old German ultra-runner Felix Weber.

Weber ran 260.016km from 10am Saturday to 10am Sunday to win the Adelaide 24-hour race and national 24-hour title at the Uni loop.

He was fuelled by electrolytes, adrenaline, pretzels every two hours, sips of Coke and thoughts of home.

Weber did not sleep or rest for more than four minutes, as he recorded the fourth-best distance in a daylong race in Australian history and fifth-best result worldwide in 2018 at that time.

Ultra marathon runner Felix Weber, who won the Adelaide 24-hour race and national 24-hour title. Picture: AAP/Roy Vandervegt.

TOP FIVE MEMORABLE PHOTOS OF 2018

Salisbury West footballer Adam Jones before fronting the Adelaide Footy League tribunal after being reported four times from one game. Picture: Brad Fleet

Goodwood cricketer Greg Quinn was selected to captain Australia’s over-60s team in a tour to New Zealand in February – 14 months after having a heart attack. Picture AAP/Roy Vandervegt

Gaza’s David Allocca celebrates kicking the winning goal late in the last quarter during his side’s division two match against Unley at home in July. Picture: AAP/Mark Brake

Scott Hocking, pictured right, with his 12-year-old son Cooper, who he had overlooked in picking during the inaugural SA lawn bowls Super League draft. Picture: AAP/Morgan Sette

Following Maggie Varcoe’s tragic death from an accidental collision with an Angle Vale teammate during the division two Adelaide Footy League women’s grand final, the club retired her number one guernsey. Picture: Supplied by teammates

TOP 50 FAVOURITE NAMES IN LOCAL SPORT FOR 2018

Some are tongue-twisters, others are amazingly alliterative, while most would be favourites with commentators.

Below are members of our ninth annual list of quirky names in local sport in Adelaide.

In no particular order:

1. Bosco Bora (Pirates soccer)

2. Stella Squire (Grange lawn bowls)

3. Velvet Klass (Adelaide University soccer)

4. Caleb Trout (Noarlunga football)

5. Portia Size (West Adelaide basketball)

6. Trent Rust (Fitzroy football)

7. India Pinch (Golden Grove football)

8. Tim Tran (Modbury soccer)

9. Rob Badger (South Adelaide football)

10. Will Wise III (Eastern Mavericks basketball)

Eastern Mavericks player Will Wise III. Picture: Rod Patterson.

11. Ivory Young (South Adelaide basketball)

12. Gilbert Fishook (SMOSH West Lakes football)

13. Michael Sweatman (Plympton football)

14. Tequila Lebois (Fitzroy football)

15. Zig De Zolt (Payneham Norwood Union football)

16. Moxon Kelly (Brighton football)

17. Sundal Bol (Central Districts basketball)

18. Keith Jumper (Central Districts basketball)

19. Zeb Kenny (Westminster Old Scholars football)

20. Indigo Beck de Silva (Sturt softball)

21. Yaak Yaak (North Adelaide basketball)

22. Trinity McNamara (O’Sullivan Beach/Lonsdale football)

O’Sullivan Beach/Lonsdale footballer Trinity McNamara. Picture: Bianca De Marchi

23. Susan Mountstephen (West Croydon soccer)

24. Kyson Cocking (Port District football)

25. Deacon Penn (Noarlunga football)

26. Chase Humphrey (Reynella football)

27. Rayne Rivalland (Kenilworth football)

28. Indy Cotton (Golden Grove football)

29. D’Arcy Rabbitt (Sturt cricket)

30. Niclas Junling-Medley (Unley cricket)

31. Sailor Cowen (sailing)

Optimist class sailor with an apt name Sailor Cowen, 9, pictured right earlier this month. Picture: AAP/Mike Burton

32. Jamieson House (Woodville-West Torrens football)

33. Jasper Raftery (Southern District cricket)

34. Hamish Height (Woodville cricket)

35. Hudson Jelly (Modbury football)

36. Rocklyn Dornford (Morphett Vale football)

37. Jaziah Rehutai-Reithoven (Christies Beach football)

38. Huon Byrne-Ockerby (Port Noarlunga football)

39. Brodie Venus (Reynella football)

40. Paxton Davis-Mattner (Sturt football)

Sturt’s Paxton-Davis Mattner, pictured far right, with the other SANFLW captains from last year. Picture: Sarah Reed

41. Archer Parsons-Smedley (Flagstaff Hill football)

42. Angus Angel (Noarlunga football)

43. Demi Morse (Salisbury Inter soccer)

44. Milan Spring (Happy Valley football)

45. Jeb Tester (Sacred Heart Old Collegians football)

46. Flayme Rollins (Plympton football)

47. Maxwell Thornquest (Glenunga football)

48. Will Groundwater (Goodwood football)

49. Trey Bland (Gawler soccer)

50. Seth Dolphin (Eastern United soccer)

TOP FIVE FAVOURITE VIDEOS OF 2018