Proud moment for Glenelg family as stars align in SANFL grand final
Glenelg grand final combatants Max Proud, Archie Lovelock and Jonty Scharenberg have more in common than just being SANFL teammates, writes Andrew Capel.
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Glenelg captain Max Proud describes it as a “pinch yourself moment’’.
He remembers a “three-foot tall’’ Archie Lovelock following him around in a Tigers guernsey when he started his SANFL career.
Now the 31-year-old is preparing to run out alongside his 18-year-old cousin and godson on the biggest SANFL stage of all – Sunday’s league grand final against Sturt at Adelaide Oval.
“It’s special, a real pinch yourself moment,’’ said Proud, who is chasing his second flag after being a member of the Tigers side that snapped a 33-year drought by beating Port Adelaide in the 2019 grand final.
“There are plenty of photos of Archie running around in a Glenelg guernsey when he was three-foot tall and I was first playing for the club and now we are going to play in a grand final together so, yeah, it's pretty crazy.
“We think of Glenelg as a real family and community club, so this is a nice little moment.’’
The family ties extend beyond Proud and Lovelock.
Tigers defender Jonty Scharenberg, who will play his 100th game in the grand final, has been dating Lovelock’s sister, Gracie, for four years.
“Our family has a fair bit of history with the Glenelg Football Club,’’ Proud said.
“My grandpa Bob Brinkworth is a life member, there are uncles and cousins who have played here, and now I get to play alongside my youngest cousin Archie.
“I am the oldest male cousin and Archie is the youngest, there is 13 years between us.
“Playing with him is something that I find really special, along with Jonty, who I have played alongside for his whole career really.
“When you get towards the end of your career and you get these type of moments, it’s something I – and the family – will look back on with great fondness.’’
Key defender Proud, who made his league debut in 2012, has played 168 games for the Tigers after a tough, injury-riddled start to his career.
Six years ago, at just 25, he contemplated early retirement after he was recovering in Wakefield Hospital after having four metal plates and a bunch of screws inserted into the right side of his face following a freak injury against Norwood that saw his face “cave in’’.
“It was a pretty serious injury and while I was lying in hospital I thought, ‘that’s it for me, I’m done with footy’, because I was sick of all the injuries,’’ he recalled before having second thoughts and becoming one of Glenelg’s great backmen and leaders.
Lovelock, who won the Alan Stewart Medal as best-afield in last year’s SANFL under-18s grand final win against North Adelaide, made his league debut in Round 1 against Sturt.
He has played eight matches and kicked his first goal in the second semi-final win against Adelaide.
Like Proud, Scharenberg, 25, was a member of the Tigers’ 2019 flag team but he fell out of favour under previous coach Brett Hand and played only six league games in 2021 and 2022.
He won the Bob Lee Medal as best afield in the 2021 reserves grand final and then watched his clubmates lose the league grand final to the Eagles.
He has played all 19 league games for Glenelg this season.
“Jonty’s worked incredibly hard to get to the 100-game milestone and what better way to bring it up than in a grand final,’’ Proud noted.
Scharenberg, who made his league debut as a 16-year-old in 2015, had contemplated leaving the Tigers before Darren Reeves was appointed coach at the end of last year.
“I had a few injuries in the past two years and then sort of just fell out of favour with the coach at the time,’’ he said.
“It was a pretty challenging two years but I’m really proud now to be playing my 100th game for Glenelg.’’
Adding to the household football flavour is that Archie and Gracie’s mum is SANFL media and communications manager Paula Brinkworth.
One of her sisters, Jenny, is married to Proud’s dad, Tony, who played league football for West Adelaide. Bob Brinkworth played for the Roosters.
Max’s sister, Maddy, has represented Australia, the Adelaide Thunderbirds and NSW Swifts at netball, highlighting the family’s strong sporting roots.
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