O’Sullivan Beach/Lonsdale set for Adelaide Footy League’s longest trip – 100km to Elizabeth Vale-based Central United

A SOUTHERN suburbs club will embark on the Adelaide Footy League’s longest journey this Saturday when it makes a near 100km round trip to a northern rival’s home ground.

O’Sullivan Beach/Lonsdale B grade coach Tyrone Ivanica, player Drew Clark and assistant coach Michael Dean. Picture: AAP/Russell Millard.

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A SOUTHERN suburbs club will embark on the Adelaide Footy League’s longest journey this Saturday when it makes a near 100km round trip to a northern rival’s home ground.

O’Sullivan Beach/Lonsdale has hired two buses to take players and officials from its Sherriffs Rd base to play Central United at Mofflin Reserve, Elizabeth Vale.

The trip is about an hour each way but the Lions will travel in exuberant spirits hoping to improve their record to 10-0 to start the division seven season.

“There certainly is some travel but everyone looks forward to it,” O’Sullivan Beach/Lonsdale football director Shane Clark says.

“The guys love it, they really do, and all the supporters.”

O’Sullivan Beach/Lonsdale joined the seventh tier at the end of last season from the Southern Football League, where it was a perennial struggler often losing by more than 100 points.

OSB/Lonsdale players Jacob Bagshaw and Beau Kempster. Picture: AAP/Russell Millard.

The Lions’ longest drive to a game in the SFL was about 20km to Aldinga.

Now they are faced with lengthy trips to Central United, Houghton Districts, Tea Tree Gully, Golden Grove, St Paul’s Old Scholars and Mawson Lakes.

“In reality, there’s six long trips to the other side of the city,” Clark says.

“That’s only six days out of 365 in the year, so it really wasn’t that hard a sell (to move divisions). We’re still that southern football club we always have been but it’s just a new journey, in a new league, facing new clubs.

“And every single person at the footy club is enjoying it … none more so than the long-suffering life members.

“The last 15-20 years most of these guys have been playing SFL, going to play the same clubs each week.

“Now they can see what’s going on everywhere else and we love it – the excitement of going to different clubs and meeting different people.”

The Lions may meet an entire new set of teams if they maintain their form.

If it gains promotion to division six for 2019, O’Sullivan Beach/Lonsdale will be in line to play Evanston South-based Trinity Old Scholars.

This will require a near 75km trip and will take over from the journey to Elizabeth Vale as the league’s longest route.

OSB/LONSDALE 2018 ROAD TRIPS

■ To Central United – 50km

■ To Golden Grove – 48km

■ To Houghton Districts – 48km

■ To Tea Tree Gully – 47km

■ To Mawson Lakes – 40km

■ To St Paul’s Old Scholars – 38km