SMOSH West Lakes defeats Mitcham with goal after the siren to repeat feat from 1999
Twenty years ago, SMOSH West Lakes kicked a goal with 20 seconds left to win a grand final against Mitcham by three points. On Saturday, it was like deja vu in the Adelaide Footy League.
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Welcome to One-Percenters – a wrap of some of the quirky talking points from across the Adelaide Footy League.
Each edition we will bring several titbits – they might be eye-catching results, milestones, comebacks, big wins, broken droughts or inspiring stories.
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Email: matthew.turner1@news.com.au
Here are some things that caught our eye in round three:
REPEATING HISTORY 20 YEARS ON
Twenty years ago, SMOSH West Lakes kicked a goal with 20 seconds left to win a grand final against Mitcham by three points.
On Saturday – as SMOSH’s 1999 C-grade team held its 20-year reunion – the Lions goaled after the siren to defeat the Hawks in their Adelaide Footy League division three match.
The margin was again three points.
Cohen Mattner was the hero at West Lakes Shore Oval last Saturday when, as seen in the video above, he kicked truly to win the match for SMOSH.
Mattner kept his cool to slot the goal, despite the protestations of Hawks’ players for a touch on the line, as the Lions prevailed 12.9 (81) to 10.18 (78).
But SMOSH’s 1999 C-grade team, celebrating its 20-year reunion on the sidelines, could have been excused for thinking its exploits were flashed before it.
In the 1999 division 10 south grand final, the Lions kicked a goal in the last minute to beat Mitcham 6.13 (49) to 6.10 (46).
SMOSH president Peter Curran said the parallels between the two matches two decades apart were “amazing”.
“As they say, the stars must have aligned and everything needed to go right for us,” Curran said.
“They went two goals up with two minutes to play (on Saturday).
“We just got a couple of lucky breaks like when the ball bobbles out to you and it’s just amazing how those things can go either way.
“It wasn’t his (Mattner) best kick but we’ll take it.
“It was close (to being touched) – it was very, very close.
“The boys were absolutely over the moon.”
Mattner finished with four goals for the Lions in a brilliant performance.
James Cibich and Rhys Woods were also more than handy and Dylan Olive booted four majors.
James Daly and Harrison Lyons were best for Mitcham.
SMOSH has been the league’s heart-stoppers this season with three games decided by three points or less and another by seven.
In round one the Lions beat Edwardstown away by two points, backed it up with a one-point thriller at Edwardstown the next week and then lost to Kilburn by seven last round.
“They’re trying to kill me these blokes – I’ve almost had a heart attack nearly every week,” Curran said.
“When you lose them it’s a bloody sad thing but when you win it’s great.
“Everyone’s very happy at the moment.”
SMOSH is second on the division four ladder with a 4-1 record.
As for the retired C-grade premiership team’s reunion on Saturday, Curran said the result on-field made the celebrations even sweeter.
“Everyone was stoked by it,” he said.
“I haven’t heard how the old blokes behaved later on but I’ll probably find out at training tonight.
“They were having a great day and by 6pm, as you can imagine, the kicks, the handballs the marks, everything from that grand final was getting better.”
SMOSH coach Shaun Glacken said it would have felt like “deja vu” for the 1999 side but he was unable to watch the final kick.
“We’ve lost a few close ones to Mitcham in recent years so it was sort of that feeling of here we go again, when they got on top late,” Glacken said.
“I’m always confident in Cohen’s kicking but I couldn’t watch so I put my head down. When I heard the cheers I knew he had got it.
“Anyone can beat anyone in this division, which is great, but the close games aren’t doing me any good.”
MARK OR POINT?
It was an even closer finish at Plympton Oval as division three clubs Plympton and Flinders Park drew with an odd ending to the match.
The Bulldogs led by a point with the clock ticking down but the Reds were pushing and had the ball inside 50.
A kick towards the goal line was up for grabs as Flinders Park’s Anthony Laudato appeared to mark the ball with the chance to win the match.
But the goal umpire ruled the ball had crossed the line, resulting in a point and a gut-wrenching draw for both sides.
The scores finished 13.11 (89) apiece.
DRAGONS DO IT AGAIN
It was one of those great local footy last week when Greenacres broke its 659-day winless drought in division seven.
So how did the Dragons back it up on Saturday?
They made it back-to-back victories, of course.
Greenacres outlasted Mitchell Park in a 6.13 (49) to 6.5 (41) away triumph.
It may not have been the prettiest of wins but we are sure the Dragons boys do not care too much about how they come.
Greenacres will be hoping for another victory when it takes on Flinders University at home this Saturday.
The Crabs are hoping to break their own winless streak.
Flinders has not triumphed since round 17, 2017 – a 652-day drought by the time Saturday rolls around.
AND THEN THERE WERE TWO
We’ve been tracking the league’s unbeaten clubs – those without a loss in their A, B and C grades – and we are now down to just two.
Division two high-flyers Unley Mercedes and division six leaders Elizabeth are both still yet to sustain defeat in any of their three sides.
We started with 12 clubs after round one.
Fifth-tier Pulteney was the latest to fall after losing both its A and B grades to Kenilworth on Saturday.
Elizabeth’s C grade had another big win but its seniors and reserves both had a bye in division six, allowing their unbeaten run to continue.
The Eagles’ A grade takes on Para Hills at home this Saturday and will need to be on their game after the Big Reds’ 73-point thrashing of Fitzroy in round five.
For Unley Mercedes, which is top of the ladder in division two, the next couple of weeks will provide stiff competition.
The Jets face relegated division one side Athelstone at home this Saturday before making the trip out to Salisbury North the following round.
Last Saturday Unley had no problems getting over Gaza, thrashing the Eagles in all three matches at Kingswood Oval.
The Jets kicked a combined 72.54 (486) to their visitors’ 15.10 (100).
HOUNDS’ DIFFERING FORTUNES
Blackfriars Old Scholars’ teams are having mixed fortunes this season.
As the club’s A-grade men struggle in division five, where they are bottom with a 1-4 record, their blokes’ reserves outfit sits fifth with a 3-2 ratio and their new women’s side is unbeaten and on top of the fifth tier.
The Hounds’ men’s A grade have lost three games in a row – all by more than 70 points.
On Saturday, Blackfriars recorded an 89-point away loss to Eastern Park, the week before it went down by 78 points at home to Lockleys and three games ago was an 89-point road defeat to Rosewater.
The team’s other loss was to Pulteney at home by 119 points in round one and its sole win was against fellow 1-4 struggler Trinity, 47-36 in round two).
But it has been much better news for the Hounds’ women, who have won by 130, 87 and 76 points.
Blackfriars is Adelaide’s first all-boys school’s old scholars club to field a female football team.
GOAL MACHINES
Pulteney superboot Jesse Whinnen appears to be priming himself for another crack at a 100 goal season after booting 11 on Saturday.
The Navy Blues’ C5 spearhead, who kicked 120 goals last season, took his tally to 32 for the campaign with the big bag against Kenilworth at St Mary’s.
Whinnen leads all comers in the Adelaide Footy League when it comes to goals. He also plays state league lacrosse for Woodville and often backs up after a morning C grade game for Pulteney.
Blackfriars Old Scholars full forward is not far behind and first-year Walkerville player Adam Proud is also proving hard to stop in division four.
LEADING GOAL KICKERS:
32: Jesse Whinnen – Pulteney (C5)
31: Antonio Scaffidi-Muta – Blackfriars OS (D4R)
28: Adam Proud – Walkerville (D4)
27: Glen Simmons – Golden Grove (C3)
26: Paul McInerney – Colonel Light Gardens (D4R), Steven Willment - Para Hills (D6), Darren Mitchell – Hope Valley (C5)
NOT A HAPPY HUNTING GROUND
Home ground advantage did not exist in the division three reserves competition on Saturday.
All five home sides lost and the biggest score any of them posted was 5.4 (34).
Gepps Cross sustained a 96-point defeat to Old Ignatians, Morphettville Park’s 4.5 (29) was no match for Portland’s 14.15 (99), Plympton lost an 8.12 (60) to 5.4 (34) dogfight to Flinders Park, Westminster Old Scholars struggled in its 9.8 (62) to 4.4 (28) defeat to North Haven and Glenunga was thumped 19.8 (122) to 4.3 (27) by Golden Grove.
Westminster and Morphettville Park remain winless, while the Thunder have finally got off the mark for 2019.
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