Adelaide’s greatest sporting rivalries, from football and cricket to badminton and hockey
Whether it’s played on an oval, court or diamond, in a pool or at a pool hall, every sport has heated rivalries. We’ve picked the biggest blockbusters in Adelaide suburban sport.
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Rivalries are part of the rich fabric of sport at any level, whether it’s Australia and England for the Ashes at the international level, the Crows versus the Power for Showdown bragging rights or Port and Norwood in the SANFL’s famous old feud.
In no small way, those “us versus them” match-ups are what make sport as compelling as it is for both participants and spectators alike.
They make victory so much sweeter, and defeat all the more painful.
As strong as those high-level rivalries are, equally, it’s the contests at suburban level that get old enemies’ blood boiling even before the first kick, pass or hit.
Away from the TV cameras and capacity crowds, grassroots sport is the cauldron where suburban drama spills over.
Every code and every competition has any number of rivalries that stand out, whether it stems from a single incident or the result of years of butting heads.
It could be a historical player recruitment conflict, an after-the-siren grand final result, or that common neighbourhood theme of simply hating the club closest down the road.
Each has its own unique origin story and way of playing out.
Here are some of the greatest rivalries in SA suburban sport.
AMERICAN FOOTBALL
Adelaide Uni Hogs v UniSA Eagles
The Hogs have established themselves as one of the club forces in Australian gridiron, winning an astonishing 27 championships in the SA league’s 37-season history.
Clearly entrenching themselves as the GridronSA benchmark has emblazoned the Hogs with a target on their backs the entire competition takes aim at.
And when it comes to championship games, the Eagles have made it their personal mission to bring the Hogs down a peg.
In December, they finally did it. This past season, the Eagles ended an eight-year Hogs title streak, downing the favourites and winning their first Great Southern Bowl in a decade. Adding fuel to the fire, championship matches between these two are typically nailbiters.
The Eagles ran away with their 2021 triumph 35-17, the fifth grand final between the clubs. But the previous four, all won by the Hogs, were decided by five points or less.
BADMINTON
Prince Alfred Old Collegians v St Peter’s Old Collegians
In a largely individual sport, there is one deep-seated rivalry. Put simply, the intense competitiveness between prestigious colleges Prince Alfred and St Peter’s spills into its old collegians teams.
They are the best resourced and structured badminton clubs in SA, competing in pennant competition from C-grade through to state league and at school level with junior players. The old collegians meet about four times in each grade per year during the regular season, with matches played on Tuesday and Wednesday nights at Lockleys, while they are regular finals combatants.
The juniors play an annual school, weekend blockbuster. There is no love lost between junior or senior players when it comes to getting one up on the opposition.
BASEBALL
Port Adelaide v Goodwood
It’s a rivalry built on a grand final that many in SA baseball circles regard as the league’s greatest — the 1972 arm-wrestle at Norwood Oval that lasted 19 innings across six hours, won 4-2 by Port Adelaide.
In a match so epic it inspired a book, written by SA baseball historian Robert Laidlaw, Port and SA legend Kevin Greatrex hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the 19th inning to deliver Port’s sixth successive premiership.
Today, many Baseball SA clubs maintain heated neighbourhood competition, and the likes of Glenelg and Southern Districts play for the annual Blake Horrocks Cup.
But for a rivalry forged in the fire of an all-time premiership battle, it’s impossible to go past the Magpies and Indians head-to-head.
BASKETBALL
Sturt Sabres v Forrestville Eagles
On the basketball court, this rivalry goes back decades.
From the days of United Church and West Torrens Basketball clubs, the Sabres and the Eagles have been at the top of the tree when producing some of South Australia’s well-known basketball talent. Arguably the greatest Adelaide 36er ever, Brett Maher, hails from the Sabres, while the Newley name is royalty at Forestville with Arthur, Brad and Mia making the national stage.
Adelaide 36ers’ three-time NBL championship winner Jason Williams, a born and bred Sabre, says the rivalry has always been strong and a game you always wanted to win.
“It started for me in U20s when Forestville won the under 20 men’s state champs, they were the benchmark,” Williams said. “All I wanted to do for the rest of my time in under 20s was to beat Forestville. Every time we played them. That determination carried into my senior career.”
The rivalry is just as fierce in the women’s competition, with the Sabres and Eagles playing in four grand finals against each other in the past two decades.
Currently, the Sabres and Eagles are in playoff contention for the 2022 NBL1 Central success and every rivalry round, the two clubs play for the Bauer-Newley Cup in the men’s and the Simons-Bowley Cup in the women’s.
BILLIARDS/SNOOKER
Max Rendziak v Peter Udycz
Billiards’ greatest master, Australian Walter Lindrum, has a family link to Adelaide and the city retains a small but passionate billiards community to this day.
The SA State Billiards Title has a history spanning almost 100 years, but for the past three decades the championship has been a virtual two-horse race — and one that is showing no signs of going away any time soon.
Max Rendziak and Peter Udycz have dominated the fight for the SA crown, between them winning 28 of the past 33 titles. Udycz has 16, Rendziak 12.
Billiards in SA was helped along in no small part by Lindrum’s grandfather, Fred, who landed in Adelaide from England in 1838 and launched his famous family’s legacy in the sport by opening a billiards parlour.
BRIDGE
SA v NSW
The Australian National Bridge Championships (ANC) have been running since 1933, pitting the eight states and territories against each other every year.
The Championships run for four days of qualifying between eight, six-person teams, followed by a one-day grand final between the top two qualifiers. The open teams play for the Herald Cup.
In its early history, the event was dominated by Australia’s greatest ever card player, Tim Seres from Sydney who won the event playing in the NSW open team an incredible 28 times from 1948 to 1995.
SA won its first Herald Cup in 1956 breaking the dominance of the eastern states, in particular NSW, following it up with other victories in 1960, ‘71 and ‘74 before a 26-year drought.
In 2000 SA sent one of its youngest and least experienced teams to the ANC, beating NSW in a day-long, close match.
Following that breakthrough win in 2000, SA has dominated the ANC in the 2000s with eight victories, more than any other state or territory.
CRICKET
Kensington v Sturt (Premier Cricket)
Two of SACA Premier Cricket’s strongest clubs have a rivalry borne as eastern suburbs neighbours and the fact that they draw players from two of Adelaide’s most prestigious colleges, Prince Alfred and St Peter’s.
Sturt was founded in 1897 and Kensington in 1920.
Kensington, which soon became known as the Browns because of the chocolate-coloured caps its players wore, quickly established itself as a big-name club, acquiring State and Australian stars Sir Donald Bradman and Clarrie Grimmett.
Sturt wasn’t short of stars itself, with Test captains Joe Darling and Clem Hill among its early heroes. In the 1920s, Vic Richardson, who captained Australia and was arguably the greatest all-round sportsman produced in SA, moulded one of the club’s greatest teams.
Gil Langley, Wayne Phillips, Ken Cunningham, Shaun Tait, Megan Schutt and Brad Davis are other names synonymous with the Blues. Sturt, buoyed by a powerhouse junior program run by club legend Mick Weatherald, proudly states on its website that it has won more than 100 premierships through the grades - ‘the greatest number of any SA Premier Cricket club,’’ it says.
But Kensington - where former State batter Jake Brown has led from the front - has become the more dominant senior club in recent years, being a regular finalist and premier in most competitions.
Payneham v Brighton (Adelaide Turf)
There is no love lost between long-time rivals Payneham and Brighton, with the Dukes recalling a game in the mid-1990s when they turned up at Brighton Oval and were greeted by “filthy’’ visitors changerooms and cold showers.
The clubs’ rivalry dates back to 1940, with Payneham winning the first encounter.
In their last meeting in January, Brighton prevailed in a thriller by one wicket.
Payneham claims to be the oldest cricket club in Adelaide (established in 1868) that still carries its original name.
A foundation member of the Adelaide Turf Cricket Association, its emblem became ‘‘Dukes’’ — after previously being known as the Knights — in recognition of club legend Keith Duke, who was a player-administrator for the club for 65 consecutive years.
He played 355 games for Payneham, including 14 seasons as A-grade captain, from 1935-71.
The Payneham Oval cricket pitch became known as ‘Duke’s Highway’ in his honour.
While the rivalry between the clubs is strong, there is also great respect. Given the distance between the clubs, players from both sides usually get together for a drink after games.
Any player that doesn’t respect the rivalry is quickly brought into line.
According to Payneham, in a B-grade game a few years ago, a new Brighton player who had no knowledge of the rivalry — or respect between the clubs - was mouthing off when he was batting and a Payneham opponent stormed from long-on to let him know that his actions were completely out of line.
EIGHTBALL
The Holdfast v everyone
Was it a case of “choking” before Greg Norman made it famous, a simple run of bad luck or an example of rivals rising to the standard and bringing their A-game to beat the best on the biggest night?
Whatever the case, in the early days of Adelaide’s Super League, the Holdy on Brighton Rd was the pub to beat, and the competition knew it. Stacked with state and national representatives, between 1982 and 1995 the Holdfast reached the grand final no less than 11 times but managed to lift the West End Cup only twice.
Famously, the overwhelming favourites for the inaugural 1982 Super League title had stockpiled enough drinks to fill a hotel to mark their intended celebrations, only to fall to Tavern 63, now known as the Lord Melbourne.
In an act of grace, the Holdy team shared the liquid spoils with their victors — which no doubt tasted even sweeter for the Tavern 63 boys. The strong SA eightball scene has produced decorated stars including Alec Evreniades and Mick Delahunty.
FOOTBALL
Modbury v Tea Tree Gully (Adelaide Footy League)
Modbury and Tea Tree Gully started as a joint venture before going their separate ways, creating a rivalry that has lasted more than 150 years. They played as one club in their first game on August 30, 1862, against (the old) Adelaide Football Club.
The club was called Teatree Gully (note the inaugural spelling) and Modbury, with the match played at Modbury.
This has led to diehard Modbury supporters suggesting they are the original club. The clubs split a couple of years later, with the first recorded match between the now heated rivals occurring in the 1870s.
The clubs played for the Tea Tree Gully Council Shield in the 1990s when they met on a regular basis, with Gullies claiming most of the bragging rights.
In juniors, the “Dawson O’Brien Cup” was introduced in about 2000 with Tea Tree Gully usually victorious.
When the Gullies beat the Hawks in the 1990 Amateur League A4 grand final, players rubbed it into their opponents by taking a photo of the scoreboard and sending it to them in the middle of the night while they were wildly celebrating. Ironically, the clubs almost amalgamated again in the late 1970s when they faced financial trouble because of SAFA demands.
The management of both clubs held secret talks but were quickly quashed when members found out, creating uproar. With Gullies now being the more powerful club (it plays in Division 1 while Modbury is in Division 3), only their D-grade teams currently lock horns in seniors. Tea Tree Gully’s crowning glory came in 2018 when it won the Division 1 premiership.
Both clubs have been big producers of talent, with North Adelaide’s Ron Phillips and West Torrens’ Bruce Lindsay coming through Modbury’s ranks and Central District’s Barry and Mark Norsworthy, Torrens’ Richard Manogue and Paul Pisani, Port Adelaide and Brisbane’s Ben Harris, Adelaide’s Luke Brown and Richmond’s Jack Graham among Tea Tree Gully’s finest products.
Broadview v Kilburn (Adelaide Footy League)
Broadview and Kilburn created one of the great, modern-day football rivalries in the 1990s when they were perennial Division 1 amateur league flag contenders. From 1991 to 2004, 10 grand finals featured at least one of the teams, with each club winning three flags.
They met twice in grand finals in this period, with Broadview winning in 1993 and Kilburn claiming the 1995 flag. After the ‘93 grand final, which Kilburn started red-hot favourite, the Tigers claim they were offered the chance to buy some discounted fireworks from the Chics that were no longer going to be used.
Bragging rights, nurtured between great club men Trevor Thain (Broadview) and Phil Martin (Kilburn), on Main North Road went back and forth between the two bitter rivals. Folklore has it that there were some big wagers between members of both clubs placed on the result of games, which were usually played in front of big crowds.
Former North Adelaide rover Tony Roach had stints as coach of both teams during this period. After Roach’s Tigers beat red-hot favourite Kilburn in the 1993 grand final, some club members were at first convinced Broadview had planted Roach at their club just to rub in the ‘93 result. Overall, the two clubs have met 110 times since 1928 (according to club records), with Kilburn holding a 56-54 edge.
Morphett Vale v Reynella (Southern Football League)
An intense rivalry borne out of the closeness (five-minute drive) of the townships. These two great combatants have been going head-to-head for more than a century although, peculiarly, they have never faced off in a Division 1 grand final.
The clubs meet twice a year and often play in front of packed crowds. The matches are so popular that the Southern Football League often programs them as stand-alone Sunday games. Locals say the rivalry is as strong as that of Port Adelaide and Norwood in the SANFL.
Reynella won premierships in 1969, 1975, 1977, 2010, 2013 and 2015 while Morphett Vale held the cup aloft in 1978-81, 2004-07 and 2009.
Prominent past players for Reynella include Reg Beaufoy (Port Adelaide 1965 premiership player), Ray Horsfall, Darcy Cox (dual North Adelaide premiership player), former Crow Michael Doughty, ex Port Magpie Andy Porplycia, former Glenelg utility Colin Anderson and Colin Fitzgerald, son of triple Magarey Medallist Len Fitzgerald.
Morphett Vale stars include former Glenelg big man Reg Pollard, who won four premierships with the Emus, and his son, Scott, who won five flags, former West Adelaide player Graham Plew and the Gunn brothers, Graham and Terry. Graham is the only person to hold life membership at both clubs. Morphett Vale star goalkicker Baden Taylor was named at full forward in the SFL 125-year team, which was selected in 2011.
GOLF
Kooyonga v The Grange
Ever since Sir Donald Bradman teed it up in SA’s premier pennant competition, Kooyonga has been the club that rivals have had in their sights.
The men’s Simpson Cup competition dates back to 1927 when only Kooyonga and Royal Adelaide went head to head, but the introduction of The Grange and Glenelg in 1946 generated fresh sandbelt rivalries. Kooyonga holds the most pennants with 34 while The Grange sits second on the list with 22.
Avid golfer Bradman was famously a regular in Kooey’s pennant team after his Test retirement, in 1951-55 and in 1962, ‘63 and ‘65.
In the women’s Sanderson Cup, it’s hard to go past the two clubs with the most silverware, Kooyonga v Glenelg. Former Australian Open champion Jane Crafter represented Kooyonga before turning pro while fellow Hall of Famer Rhonda Watson played No. 1 for Glenelg.
HOCKEY
Burnside v Grange
The Burnside and Grange Hockey clubs play off every year for the Bowden-Bowley Cup, a
friendly cup between the two clubs that celebrates and commemorates the rivalry between
Russell Bowden (Grange) and Bruce Bowley (Burnside).
Their rivalry began back in the 1950s and ‘60s after the once-unbeatable Grange side was beaten by the newly formed Burnside team following a 1949 merger of the Kenwood and Knightsbridge clubs.
The cup is contested annually with the winner taking the trophy of the Bowden Bowley Cup for most games won on the day.
The Burnside Bulldogs have been a dominant force in the Bowden-Bowley Cup, winning 11 consecutive titles between 2004 and 2014, but the Grange Royals won the 2021 iteration.
LACROSSE
Brighton v Glenelg
When Glenelg joined the association in 1936, Brighton were on the verge of their first golden era and Glenelg themselves quickly went from third-grade premiers to second-grade premiers to first-grade runners-up (against Brighton) in their third year.
Glenelg dropped away and almost folded in the late 1950s, but came back strongly in the 1970s to emerge in the top three clubs along with Brighton and Adelaide Uni.
Brighton and Glenelg didn’t meet again in a grand final until 1987 (which Brighton won in overtime) and Glenelg exacted revenge the following year, winning by two. Their rivalry has only increased over time, playing eight of the 11 grand finals since 2010.
On the women’s side, the rivalry between these two clubs really started in 1997, and they have met in 17 of 25 grand finals since then.
There has been either Glenelg or Brighton in a grand final every year since 1990 and either Glenelg or Brighton has won all but five of them.
On the men’s side, the last 12 of 13 premierships (since 2009) and 14 of 18 premierships (since 2004) have been won between Glenelg and Brighton and every grand final since 2006 has been contested by at least one of them.
NETBALL
Contax v Garville
Both clubs are celebrating their 70th anniversaries in 2022, so this rivalry goes way back. But it was most fervent from the 1980s, when the two clubs were the most dominant teams in the state netball league. In fact, from 1987 to 1996, the clubs contested 10 consecutive grand finals, both winning five.
In 1994 Garville – with a team boasting Natalie Avolino, Jenny Borlase and Michelle den Dekker – lost the national netball title (despite winning the state title) after being beaten by Contax – a team featuring Kathryn Harby-Williams, Vicki Wilson and Tabia Obst – in highly controversial circumstances.
It was a closely fought game that finished in a draw at full time 47-47, however Garville protested, claiming the official scorer had inadvertently given a Garville goal to Contax and they had actually won the match 48–46. Despite protests from Garville, extra time was played and resulted in Contax prevailing 61-58.
Contax have had the likes of Kathryn Harby-Williams, Natalie von Bertouch, Michelle den Dekker and play for them, with coach Margaret Angove.
While Garville have had Peta Squire, Natalie Avolino and Jenny Borlase don their colours.
ROWING
Adelaide Rowing Club v Adelaide University Boat Club
In both men’s and women’s rowing, the main rivals are ARC and AUBC and in the biggest boats (eights).
In men’s rowing, the SA State championship eights race has seen each of the city’s clubs have a dominant time. From 1945-mid 1950s it was Port Adelaide, from the mid-1950s-1970s, it was Torrens, and from the 1970s to 1990, it was the Adelaide Uni Boat Club.
Since 1990, the ARC and AUBC have been main rivals, alternating victories each year, with the occasional two or three in a row.
Australian women’s rowing competed in a four-oared boat class until the 1980s. Since SA women moved to the eights, it’s been ARC and AUBC that have dominated the championship races, in fact, no other SA senior club has won the women’s title – although a couple of school crews have won the title.
Most recently ARC had won seven titles in a row until this year when AUBC (of course!) finally beat them again.
Olympic gold medallist Alex Hill, two-time Olympian Olympia Aldersey and 2017 world champion Molly Goodman are all famous alumni of the Adelaide Rowing Club.
RUGBY UNION
Brighton v Burnside
This is a classic clash of the heavyweights. In one corner, the blue-collar beachsiders; in the other, the eastern suburbs toffs.
From juniors to senior grades and state representation numbers, these two clubs are the clear one-two in SA rugby, and both clubs know exactly where they stand after each fresh chapter of this bruising battle.
Coaches, players and supporters alike scan the draw when each season’s fixture is released to mentally pencil in the match-ups.
By outright premierships, Brighton holds top honours but in 2021 Burnside achieved a competition first that even its fiercest rival hadn’t ticked off — a title sweep of all four senior grades.
SOCCER
Adelaide City v West Adelaide
South Australian soccer’s most famous rivalry began in the 1960s when West Adelaide Hellas was founded by a group of Greek migrants. Adelaide City was founded as Juventus in 1946 by a group of Italian migrants and by that time had already won six league titles and five league cups.
Between 1966 and 1976, the two clubs won all but one league championship between them. Only Polonia Adelaide managed to break their dominance for a single season, winning the league in 1975
So it was a no-brainer that the two clubs were part of the inaugural National Soccer League in 1977 and for more than 20 years it was Adelaide’s only intra-city derby.
The biggest game they ever played was the final round of the 1978 NSL season in front of 16,251 at Hindmarsh Stadium. West Adelaide needed just a draw to win its first NSL title and become the first Adelaide club, and first outside New South Wales, to be crowned Australian champion. Adelaide City couldn’t win the league but needed to win the game to deny its rival the title. John Perin scored the opening goal for the Italian-backed club with a long-range strike and City appeared destined to spoil West’s party until Vic Bozanić lobbed home an equaliser five minutes from time.
Both clubs don’t play at a national level anymore, West Adelaide is currently in the SA State League 1 competition after financial difficulties in the late 1990s, and City in the National Premier Lagues South Australia after it withdrew from the NSL in 2003, one year before the formation of new national A-League.
SOFTBALL
Sturt v West Torrens
This one boils down to trophy cabinets, amplified by finals campaigns in the past two decades.
By premierships won, Sturt (19) and West Torrens (15, tied with Glenelg) are the most successful clubs in Premier League Softball. Sturt has held the edge over its rivals, making them the team every club wants to beat.
West Torrens has regularly been their nearest rival — they won six successive flags in a run starting in the 2004/05 season, while Sturt claimed four in a row between 2013/14 and 2016/17.
Special mention to Walkerville v Glenelg, who play off each season for the Swinstead Cup as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Round.
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