One-Percenters: Adelaide Footy League season 2019 year in review
Beers on the field, the 800-game marathon man and a viral goal umpire. As the Adelaide Footy League season comes to a close the final One-Percenters column looks back on a unique, weird and wonderful 2019.
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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.
There were beers on the field, a umpire going viral, an amazing milestone and even some footy in between.
Season 2019 has been another jam-packed one in the Adelaide Footy League and in the last One-Percenters column for the year we look back on the biggest moments.
From the quirky to the inspiration, the weird, wonderful and everything in between this is the year in review.
BRIGHTON BEER BOYS
A pair of Brighton Bombers made headlines for all the wrong reasons in August when they were snapped drinking a beer on-field in a division one reserves match.
The stunt meant the B grade player William Cheesman-Dutton and water boy Tim Pearman each copped one-week suspensions from the league, which did not see the funny side.
Images of water runner Pearman, who is also a C grade player at the Bombers, and Cheesman-Dutton consuming the beer from a glass bottle were brought to the attention of the league.
They were each been stood down for bringing the league into disrepute while the club was also fined an undisclosed amount.
Under competition regulations, “alcohol or any drinks in glass are not permitted to be taken onto the playing field at any time” during a match.
The widely respected rule is most commonly applicable to spectators at quarter-time breaks – but these penalties proved players with a hard-earned thirst are not exempt.
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MAWSON LAKES’ MARATHON MAN
There were many milestones reached across the season but they all paled in comparison to Kim Pearce’s 800 games.
The Mawson Lakes veteran notched up the remarkable tally in round 17 for the Saints in C6.
A 62-year-old bricklayer, Pearce’s also played more than 350 masters games and a stack of junior matches to extend his total tally well beyond 1000 appearances.
Pearce played more than 500 games in the Adelaide Hills for Kersbrook and when we last spoke to him was planning on finally hanging the boots up after this season.
As for his longevity Pearce said: “I work in the building trade – I’m a brickie – I reckon that helps keep me fit and keeps the stamina going.”
THE UMPIRE STRIKES BACK
One minute Jack Strange was trying to take a kick in for Adelaide University, the next he was flat on the floor after being whacked by a goal umpire, shortly after he was going viral on the internet.
The vision of the Blacks defender copping a flag in the face spread wildly across the internet in August and ended up on more than one TV show.
We shared the vision from the round 16 game here in the One-Percenters column.
When the video hit Facebook, Twitter and Instagram it immediately started doing the rounds among footy fans.
Strange said the response to the video had been “pretty funny” — much like his interaction with the goal umpire in question following the incident.
“I asked him ‘mate, what are you doing?’,” Strange, 21, said.
“His response was ‘mate, I’ve been here all day’, which I thought was an interesting comment from an umpire.”
FALCONS SOAR HIGHEST
It was a premiership 14 years in the making and Garry McIntosh’s Payneham Norwood Union are now the champions of the Adelaide Footy League.
The Falcons’ first ever division one title in the amateurs came after grand final heartbreak in 2015 and 2017.
Their rise to the top of the competition was not without a challenge, as Prince Alfred Old Collegians took it right up to PNU in one of the most thrilling top flight deciders in recent memory.
The Old Reds were 48 points down midway through the second quarter but stormed home only to fall four points short in a nailbiter at Thebarton Oval.
Despite going scoreless in the final term, the Falcons just held on.
The flag marked a pinnacle at PNU for Norwood great and now undoubted Falcons legend McIntosh, his fourth A grade premiership since taking over at the club in 2005.
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DROUGHT BREAKERS
Season 2019 was arguably the year of the drought-breaker as long-time battlers Flinders University and Greenacres snapped extensive losing streaks.
For the Crabs, it was a long road but after 29 games – including a 283-0 thrashing – and 693 days without a win, they finally tasted victory.
The almost two-year drought included an average losing margin of 103.7 points.
Flinders Uni went onto win one more game for the season in the final round, ironically against Greenacres.
The Dragons broke a drought of their own in round four when they got over Mawson Lakes in a one-point thriller.
It ended a 659-day streak without a victory going back to July 15, 2017.
Scores were level between the Dragons and Saints at Mawson Lakes Oval when Blake Rogan got a free kick for the visitors in range of the goals.
The siren blew and Rogan went back needing just a score for victory and squeezed it through for a point to seal a 10.11 (71) to 11.4 (70) triumph.
Greenacres would go on to make the finals but bow out in the first round against Adelaide Lutheran.
MARK OF THE YEAR?
With about 100 games happening across the league on any given weekend, it’s difficult to see every big grab.
But Lockleys ruckman Charlie Rogers has strong claims for the AdFL mark of the year.
He took this screamer in the Demons’ round 17 clash against Kenilworth at St Mary’s Park.
At the time his coach Stephen Zweck said the grab was up there with the best he had seen in 40 years in footy.
“He’s like a big giraffe out there at times. He jumps and doesn’t know how high he is,” Zweck said.
If only the camera was closer to truly capture the hanger.
Another ripper was the below effort from Unley Mercedes defender Mitch Duval, who decided to use teammate Oscar Munn to help him on his way.
RAM REVOLUTION
Local footy rises don’t come as remarkable or as swift as that of the Glenunga Football Club.
A division three flag earlier this month marked a new high point on the Rams’ surge to prominence in the league, following on from back-to-back premierships in 2017/18.
They were made to work hard for glory in the grand final by a plucky Old Ignatians side before sealing a 21-point win.
Glenunga will play in division two next season for the first time since 1982.
This club has serious ambition, the support behind the scenes and the talent on the field needed to continue its push.
Do not be surprised if you see the Rams reach the top flight in the near future.
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WOLVES’ RISE AND FALL
It was the story of the season in 2018 but the 2019 campaign could not have gone much worse for Tea Tree Gully.
The Wolves, inspired by a tragedy at the club, surged to the division one flag last season but fell to the wooden spoon straight after.
An exodus of 11 players from that flag winning side was to blame, with TTG blooding a number of youngsters throughout the year.
It should hold them in good stead for the future as the Wolves look to rebuild in division two in 2020.
WHERE DID THE GUERNSEYS GO?
One of the season’s unsolved mysteries was the case of the missing guernseys.
In May, Salisbury Football Club officials were looking for a set of stolen jumpers.
A bag containing 25 of the Magpies’ A-grade guernseys went missing overnight from the Hillbank home of Salisbury’s team manager following a match against Pulteney the previous day.
The Magpies estimated the gear was worth about $2000.
Thankfully for Salisbury, apparel supplier Port Road Sports produced a new set of guernseys by the following Friday so the club could wear them in their game the next day.
But as far as we’re aware here at One-Percenters, the stolen set case remains a mystery.
patrick.keam@news.com.au