Humble Glenelg great’s selfless act to allow predecessor to take fanfare of drought-breaking flag
Sport’s great achievers will be hailed with end-of-year award ceremonies in the next month. One hero from 2019 is a man who denied himself glory, writes Michelangelo Rucci.
Michelangelo Rucci
Don't miss out on the headlines from Michelangelo Rucci. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Premiership Tiger uncertain on playing future
- How to get the most out of your Advertiser digital subscription
Sport is about heroes. While so many of society’s failings make the front pages of newspapers, the back pages remind us of success – and inspire many to follow in search of glory.
Former Australian Test cricket captain Steve Smith is one of this year’s heroes as he has moved his name from the front pages in disgrace from the sandpaper folly in South Africa to the back pages with honour by his extraordinary batting in the Ashes series in England.
Ash Barty is another after rising to No. 1 in the world tennis rankings, the first Australian female player to hold this honour since Evonne Goolagong Cawley in the 1970s.
And this weekend there will be much-treasured trophies spread across mantelpieces from the SA Sport Awards and Hall of Fame dinner at Adelaide Oval on Friday night.
But not all of 2019 great sports achievers are heroes for their record-breaking achievements this year. Indeed, one of the greatest heroes of the year was a man who first volunteered for a task many refused to consider – and then stepped away from the role to allow others to savour in the glory that was unfolding at a sporting club that almost closed its doors.
Hail Peter Carey. Rise for a standing ovation the greatest player – and grandest contributor – to the Glenelg Football Club.
“Super” he is.
Stream over 50 sports Live & On-Demand with KAYO SPORTS on your TV, computer, mobile or tablet. Just $25/month, no lock-in contract. Get your 14-day free trial and start streaming instantly >
In April, Carey confirmed he would return to the Glenelg Football Club – where he played an Australian record 448 league games from 1971-1988 – as its president. There was a time, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s, when the title of “Glenelg Football Club president” made for a powerful calling card around Adelaide.
Not so since the fundamental shift in the SA football landscape in 1991 with the advent of the Adelaide Football Club in the AFL. Glenelg was most hit by the arrival of the national league in Adelaide – and the rise of the Crows.
Being Glenelg FC president in the past decade – while the Tigers endured financial pain and a premiership drought dating to 1986 – could have drawn comparisons to self-inflicted torture. Many good men have deep scars from this thankless role.
In July, when Carey cleared away his daytime job as chief executive of Youth Opportunities Association of SA with the close of the financial year, he stayed true to his promise to delay his rise to the presidency if Glenelg was on the verge of success in September’s SANFL finals.
Carey left his predecessor Nick Chigwidden to savour the glory after all the bitter taste gathered from seven years as club president and 11 as a volunteer board member at the Bay.
How many others would have done the same?
The Australian Football Hall of Fame finally recognised Carey in 2009 – more than a decade after his 18-season football career ended at Glenelg with three SANFL premierships. If the Hall was not impressed with Carey’s contribution in football – such as his understated six goals in the 1973 SANFL grand final at Adelaide Oval – it would need to be moved by his services since retiring at the end of 1988.
SA Football Commission. SA Football Hall of Fame selection committee. And now president of the Glenelg Football Club … while waiting for the glory train to pass with his predecessor Nick Chigwidden taking the hard-earned applause.
The notable tribute to Carey is how he keeps giving back to a game that has been so good to him, particularly in the halcyon days of SA league football in the 1970s and 1980s.
Carey always seemed a reluctant hero. But his commitment to serve an SANFL club when there is little limelight (when compared to the past) in a presidency deserves praise. His reluctance to take the standing ovation for the premiership plan set by Chigwidden merits even more praise.
Very classy, Super. You are indeed a hero.