Port Adelaide’s Matt Appleton, Jack Elsworthy and Ben Edwards are SANFL teammates but rivals in Yorke Peninsula League
They may be traditional enemies in the Yorke Peninsula Football League but this trio is hoping to help Port Adelaide win its first SANFL flag since 1999.
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They’ve been bush footy enemies for as long as they can remember but a black-and-white connection has transformed these three Yorke Peninsula lads from foes to friends.
Matt Appleton, Jack Elsworthy and Ben Edwards have formed part of Port Adelaide’s SANFL contracted list this season.
But when they are not picked for the Magpies all three line up in the Yorke Peninsula Football League with rival teams.
Appleton features with Moonta, Elsworthy dons a Kadina guernsey, while Edwards is a CMS Crow.
In a twist that fuelled the rivalry, the CMS Crows beat Moonta by 30 points in a knockout semi-final last weekend and on Saturday plays in a preliminary final against the Paskeville Magpies.
Edwards has played five league games for the Magpies but heads back to his family’s crop farm at Minlaton and the CMS Crows when he’s not in the SANFL team.
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“Once you cross the line you are definitely enemies,” Edwards, 24, says.
“But after you shake hands and have a beer with them and then come back to (Port) training and might be teammates with them the next weekend.
“(Knocking out Moonta) was a nice little one to brag about at Port training during the week but hopefully we can play together with the Magpies soon.”
Appleton and Elsworthy both featured with Port when it beat Adelaide in a SANFL qualifying final last weekend.
At least one is likely to be selected in Port’s team which will battle Glenelg at Adelaide Oval this Sunday.
Appleton crossed to Port this season from North after playing in all but two of the Roosters’ 18 minor round games before being dropped to the reserves for the finals and missing out on the league flag win.
The 26-year-old midfielder now hopes to taste ultimate success with the Magpies and help them claim a flag for the first time in 20 years.
“I’ve been brought up to hate Kadina, it’s kind of been blooded into me,” Appleton says.
“But CMS Crows are going really well this year and they should push to win the flag.
“I’ve played against Jack twice this year and it’s pretty fun, we always have a bit of banter on the field.
“This year has been great with Port (and) to win a grand final with them would mean a lot.”
Elsworthy, 24, reckons there hasn’t been any “biffs” between them and enjoys being teammates with Appleton and Edwards at the Magpies.
“I played against Matt but I didn’t get to play Ben this year,” Elsworthy says.
“It was quite frustrating because we were lining up against each other in the midfield and his team was well and truly on top.
“There was no biffs or anything like that but I was trying to exploit his weaknesses and make sure his strengths didn’t get too far in front of us.”
Port plays minor premier Glenelg in the second semi-final at Adelaide Oval this Sunday.
The winner will earn a spot in the grand final and the loser will take on the winner of Sunday’s Norwood v Crows clash in next week’s preliminary final.