St Paul’s Old Scholars to play Mawson Lakes in Adelaide Footy League division seven grand final
Undefeated St Paul’s Old Scholars will play in its first grand final this Saturday. In a twist of fate, it will face a team which shares the same colours, is also called the Saints and once carried the SPOS name.
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Five years ago, the St Paul’s Old Scholars Football Club was little more than a fledgling idea and a piece of the past.
The Saints had no playing list, no board, no money or even a Sherrin to train with.
This Saturday the reborn club will play in its first grand final when it takes on Mawson Lakes in the division seven Adelaide Footy League decider at Thebarton Oval.
The fixture has a strong smell of fate about it as the club, which joined the competition in 2015, was not the first team to use the SPOS name.
Another St Paul’s Old Scholars joined the amateur league for three seasons from 1980 before folding amid financial problems.
The club re-emerged in 1993 and rose to division four in eight years.
It moved home games from the school to Mawson Lakes Oval ahead of the 2009 season and changed its name to Mawson Lakes later that year.
Both the current SPOS and Mawson Lakes wear black and gold guernseys and are known as the Saints, so it is apt the two will meet in this Saturday’s grand final.
President Jake Winters, who helped found SPOS, says it will be the most significant point of a five year journey.
“We started from scratch,” Winters says.
“But each year we’ve built. This definitely feels like a culmination of a lot of that hard work.”
The Saints had not been able to reach a grand final or gain promotion to division six, until now.
And not only have they made the big dance, they’ve steamrolled the competition on their way.
An undefeated 18-0 record and an average winning margin of 73 points has sent a shiver down the spines of any team they face.
Mawson Lakes coach Rob O’Gorman said the rivalry between the two clubs was very real with their close historical links.
O’Gorman was confident his Saints could take it up to SPOS, with a near full-strength side including star Brayden Bennett.
Bennett received a 10-game suspension in June for a punch that left Central United’s Nathan Fenwick with a broken jaw.
He played his first game back for Mawson Lakes in last Saturday’s preliminary final win over Houghton Districts.
Bennett kicked two goals and was named fifth best by the club.
“Not having Brayden has been a huge out,” O’Gorman said.
“He was amazing on the weekend and he’s the most dangerous player in the division, no one can man him.
“Our skipper (Jake Tonkin) won the association medal last week and is great form too.”
Mawson Lakes will need Bennett, Tonkin and its other leaders to be at their best to take out the undefeated SPOS.
One thing is for certain – no matter who wins on Saturday – the winning song will go to the tune of When the Saints Go Marching In.
patrick.keam@news.com.au