Coachless pre-season, Glenelg now a win from first unbeaten SANFL minor round in 107 years

Replays: Glenelg clash with Port Adelaide in the SANFL. And, catch a full replay of matches in the U18s and reserves.

Glenelg’s centenary season could so easily have gone pear-shaped. Instead it’s almost perfect.

With the momentum of its drought-breaking 2019 flag largely lost by a shortened, Covid-affected 2020 campaign, the Tigers were rocked just before Christmas last year when premiership coach Mark Stone announced he was joining the Brisbane Lions.

His shock call left Glenelg coachless as pre-season training was starting and scrambling for a replacement, after most coaches had already committed to clubs.

“A lot of coaches had already made decisions about where they were going to coach this year, so it would be fair to say there wasn’t an enormous pool to choose from,’’ Tigers legend and current president Peter Carey said.

11.30AM: SANFL RESERVES ROUND 19: WOODVILLE-WEST TORRENS V CENTRAL DISTRICT

12.30PM: SANFL U18 FINALS ROUND 1 GLENELG V WOODVILLE-WEST TORRENS

2.10PM: SANFL STATEWIDE SUPER LEAGUE: ROUND 19: PORT ADELAIDE V GLENELG

Glenelg coach Brett Hand during a SANFL game between Sturt and Glenelg at Unley Oval this season. Picture: Brenton Edwards

“Obviously ‘Stoney’, who had made an incredible contribution to our club in the three years he was here, left us late when he got the offer (as strategy coach) from Brisbane – and full credit to him for taking it because the job was perfect for him and too good to refuse.

“But it was a difficult time because things happened very quickly and to be left without a coach so close to Christmas wasn’t ideal.’’

Somehow Glenelg unearthed a diamond in the rough.

Former Norwood player and reserves coach Brett Hand, born in Broken Hill, was one of the unfortunate casualties of AFL coaching cuts because of the financial fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic, losing his job as Greater Western Sydney development mentor.

For the Tigers, he was in the right spot at the right time.

“We were really fortunate to get Brett on board,’’ Carey said.

“He had been made redundant at GWS and I think Norwood approached him just after his redundancy to put his name in the ring for the vacant Norwood coaching job, but it was too early for him.

“A few weeks later when ‘Stoney’ left us he (Hand) was ready to put his hand up to coach again.

Glenelg veteran Chris Curran on the run. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

Tiger Alex Martini takes a strong mark against the Roosters. Picture Dean Martin

“We got lucky because Brett has been fantastic, he’s a top bloke who the guys love playing for, he’s driven a really good culture and at 17-zip it’s hard to fault his coaching at this stage.’’

Remarkably, entering the SANFL’s final minor round on Saturday, Hand, who coached the Giants’ NEAFL team and has led NTFL side St Marys to two premierships, is yet to taste defeat as Glenelg coach.

Beat fierce rival Port Adelaide at Alberton Oval on Saturday and the Tigers will complete the first unblemished SANFL minor round campaign for 107 years.

The last team to go through a minor round unbeaten was, ironically, Port in 1914.

The Magpies won all 12 minor round games in a seven-team competition, plus both finals and the Champions of Australia match against Carlton.

This season a Port side – on Saturday packed with AFL-listed players – only has a faint chance of making the finals, but can still play spoiler for Glenelg.

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“It’s been an amazing season for us,’’ Carey said.

“The boys haven’t always been convincing but they’ve always found a way to win and a couple of our wins have been quite remarkable.

“Against Norwood at Norwood Oval (in round nine) we were eight goals down early in the third quarter and won by a point.

“The players are a very resilient bunch, have enjoyed playing together and have a great culture among the group.’’

Glenelg’s 17 consecutive wins is its most in one season and just one shy of the club record of 18 spread across 1973-74.

It has not lost for 335 days, last falling to South Adelaide in last year’s elimination final.

Eight of the Bays’ wins have been by less than 20 points, including five by 11 points or fewer.

They have won five times after trailing in the final term – twice against the Redlegs and once against premier Woodville-West Torrens, Sturt and Adelaide.

Gun forward Liam McBean celebrates a goal for Glenelg against Port Adelaide in April. Picture: Mark Brake

The Tigers’ success has not been restricted to their league team.

Their reserves and under-18s also finished minor premiers, the under-16s lost the grand final to South and the SANFLW team won its inaugural flag this year.

“The club is in really good shape right across the board,’’ Carey said, noting that it was only five years ago that Glenelg was in such a dire financial predicament that it had to rattle the tins, initiating a “Save the Tigers’’ fundraising campaign to keep its doors from being slammed shut.

Some Tiger fans have suggested for weeks that it might be in the club’s best interest to lose a game before the finals to take some of the September pressure off the players.

But Carey said Hand and the playing group were sticking to their all-season philosophy of

taking one game at a time.

“A number of people have been saying that for a few weeks, that we’ve got to lose one,’’ he said.

Brett Turner breaks away for Glenelg at the Bay. Picture: Tom Huntley

“I’ve been thinking, ‘Why, and which one do you want us to lose?’

“The players have just been going through their process each week, preparing for the next game, and that won't change.

“They’ve done a pretty good job and I know they’ll continue to have a fair dinkum crack.’’

Carey said the club was fully aware that no side had gone unbeaten since Port in 1914 but that creating history was not a priority.

“I don’t think you look to make history, it just happens,’’ he said.

“I don’t want to seem coy about it but we just try to win every game we turn up for, with the goal of making a grand final and then winning it.

“If we are able to do that and create some more history along the way, go through unbeaten, that would be the icing on the cake.’’

This weekend advertiser.com.au will live stream three SANFL clashes, including the Tigers v Magpies showdown, from 2.10pm.

Before that, it’s the reserves clash between the Eagles and Bulldogs, from 11.30am, and the under-18 semi-final between the Tigers and Eagles from 12.30pm.