Meet Waikerie footballer Daniel Nobes, South Australia’s most prolific goal kicker
HE’s the first player to kick a ton of goals in South Australia in 2017 — but now he has bigger feats in his sights. Meet Daniel Nobes, South Australia’s most prolific goal kicker.
ON weekdays he’s an apprentice horticulturalist for Adelaide City Council. On Saturdays he tears up country footy fields, terrorising full backs with bagfuls of goals.
Meet Daniel Nobes, South Australia’s most prolific goal kicker.
The 23-year-old, who plays for Waikerie in the Riverland Football League, became the state’s first centurion for season 2017 on Saturday when he threaded the big sticks in the seventh minute of the first quarter of his side’s 109-point away victory against rival Loxton.
In doing so, Nobes became the first Magpie in the club’s 109-year history to kick a ton of goals in the minor round and only the fifth player to manage the feat in the history of the Riverland Football League.
He follows in the trusty footy boots of former Woodville legend Barry ‘Buff’ Tyrrell for Barmera Monash in 1985 and 1986 and a young Tony Modra for Renmark in 1990 before he went on to become a goalkicking legend at the Adelaide Crows.
The tall full forward said it was a relief to achieve the feat early in the game after running out of time on Waikerie’s home deck in a 15-goal extravaganza the week prior.
“I needed two and just ran out of time,” he said. “It would have been good to do it at home, but it’s good to get it out of the way.”
And after adding another eight goals to his season tally on Saturday, he now has his deadeye on the six goals needed to overtake Tyrrell’s minor-round league record of 111 majors, with three games still remaining.
“It’s 111 I think so I’ve got five to go (to equal),” the unpretentious sharpshooter said. “I’m looking to do that. It would be an honour.”
Nobes is no stranger to the 100 club, having booted 109 goals for Christies Beach in the Southern Football League last year.
He said he made the decision to spend his Saturdays in the Riverland at the urging of good mate and Crows development player Matt Spencely who played in Waikerie’s 2016 premiership side.
“I went up last year to watch him play in the grand final and enjoyed the club atmosphere,” Nobes, who still trains with his old Christies Beach Saints teammates during the week, said.
“I’ve never played country footy before so I thought I’d give it a go and enjoy the lifestyle while it’s there while I am young.”
Waikerie president Henry Crawford said Nobes had been a welcome addition to the club, emphasising his arrival was more good luck than canny recruiting.
“He’s a terrific young lad and pretty popular among the boys,” Mr Crawford.
“I’ve never recruited anyone that doesn’t have some connection to the club.”
He said other clubs hadn’t been so lucky and there were some worrying signs across the league — and country footy in general — that the AFL needed to address.
“We’re fortunate in that being under two hours from Adelaide we have pretty good success attracting local lads who move away for university or work. About half of our A and B grade side is travelling from Adelaide each week. But to put that into perspective, only two players in our A Grade side never played juniors for the footy club.
“You throw in a bloke like Nobesy and it really strengthens you up.”
Waikerie is on track to defend last year’s premiership, sitting pretty on top of the table and undefeated. Nobes’ record-breaking achievements were “a bit of cream”, Mr Crawford said.
“He’s one of those fellas when he’s further out maybe he just concentrates a bit more or kicks through it a bit more so he’s probably a better kick from 40 metres out than he is from 20, but when you are having as many shots as he is, it doesn’t matter,” Mr Crawford said.
The passionate full forward, who has so far resisted attempts to chuck him in the ruck, said there were no secrets to his goalkicking success apart from having some handy teammates.
“A few of my mates said I should start getting into a routine because I have been missing a bit as well. I don’t have a routine or anything. If it goes through the big sticks, it goes through the big sticks, if I miss, I miss.
“It helps as well playing in a good side ... It’s a team effort for me to kick the goals.”
And despite having trained with the top-up list for Adelaide’s SANFL reserves side, he says his recent feats haven’t prompted any calls from the major leagues.
That might change after season 2017.