Eagles unveil their colours on West End Brewery chimney after 2020 SANFL grand final success
The gold and green and blue colours of SANFL 2020 premiers Woodville-West Torrens have been unveiled at the West End Brewery in what could be the final time.
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WOODVILLE-West Torrens players continued to celebrate SANFL premiership glory when they unveiled the club’s blue, gold and green colours on top of the West End Brewery chimney on Tuesday.
The traditional chimney ceremony two days after the grand final has been a highlight for triumphant clubs for 67 years andthe Eagles’ party showed no sign of waning.
Luke Thompson, Matthew Goldsworthy, Jimmy Toumpas, Patrick Giuffreda and Jarrad Redden had lifted the cover off the chimneybefore, nine years earlier when the Eagles claimed their most recent flag before Sunday’s 39-point victory over North Adelaide.
But will they get a chance to enjoy the pleasure again?
Future chimney unveilings are at risk after West End announced last week would close in 2021 due to a combination of declining beer sales, changing tastes, and costs.
The brewery will close next June following an announcement by Lion last week, and mystery hangs over the chimney ceremonyand its future.
West End’s preferred option is for the chimney to remain at the site when the property on Port Road is redeveloped.
“We will work with Lion to find a solution,” SANFL chief executive Jake Parkinson said. “Lion is keen to keep the traditiongoing, along with the Riverbank.
“We will explore what some of those answers might be, but we feel confident we can come up with a solution which will reflectthe tradition so important to the state.”
Parkinson knows only too well the meaning of the chimney unveiling, having been regional director SA/NT for Lion before takingon the SANFL role. He will leave the post at the end of the month after six years.
“The tradition must continue, it is as important to the SANFL as it is to West End,” Parkinson said.
The Eagles have had their colours on top of the chimney for four seasons, although supporters were unable to join the playersyesterday because of COVID-19 social distance restrictions.
West End said it is to the stay committed to the SANFL and clubs.
‘I SHOULD NOT HAVE PLAYED’: LOWSON
Explosive Woodville-West Torrens VFL recruit Sam Lowson has revealed how he remarkably defied the injury odds to play in the club’s grand final victory.
Hurt in the last quarter of the Eagles’ final minor round game against Central District at Elizabeth Oval, Lowson said scansof his damaged right knee two days later revealed such major structural damage that he should have been booked in for immediatesurgery and sidelined for three months.
“I had no right to be playing in the grand final,’’ the 24-year-old small forward said after the Eagles’ stunning 39-point triumph against North Adelaide at Adelaide Oval.
“When the doctor looked at my scans he immediately said, ‘it’s not good, mate, you don’t have any MCL (medial collateral ligament)intact’
“He said there was only scar tissue holding it together and that I needed a full reconstruction of the ligament.’’
Lowson, who joined fellow VFL recruit James Tsitas in making the move from Victoria to the Eagles mid-season after the VFLseason was cancelled because of COVID-19, was rocked to the core by the news, thinking his season – and pursuit of a firstsenior flag – was over.
“I was shattered,’’ he said.
“I had come here to play footy and didn’t want to sit on the bench and not play in the finals, so I thought why not give ita shot and try to play without one (an MCL).’’
The injury to the inside of Lowson’s knee, which occurred when a Bulldog fell on him in a tackle, causes major instabilitybut his surgeon said if the knee was heavily strapped he didn’t risk further injury, only pain.
After discussions with coach Jade Sheedy he decided to roll the dice.
“We had a really good chat about it and Sam was keen to play,’’ Sheedy said.
“Once the medical staff confirmed he didn’t risk further damage – we would not have thrown him to the wolves if there wasa risk – we decided to give him a chance.
“But, not knowing how fit he would be, we didn’t want to risk playing him in a league final straight up so we gave him a runin the reserves.
“Once he got through that we put him back in the league side because he’s highly talented and can hit the scoreboard, whichis something we felt we needed, more firepower, and he gave us that in the preliminary final and granny.’’
Lowson, who kicked seven goals in the Eagles’ final two minor round matches, played with his knee heavily taped and protectedby a thick brace.
After a slow start in the reserves second semi-final against Central – “I was a bit proppy and scared to get moving early,’’ he said – he finished with four goals to earn league promotion for the preliminary final against South Adelaide.
He had an influence, kicking two goals, to seal his spot in the grand final before booting one major in the big dance.
Lowson admitted he wasn’t at his best in the grand final and that every time he tried to change direction or copped a knockto the knee he felt a shot of pain run through his leg.
But Sheedy said he played an important role in the Eagles’ two finals wins.
“I did what I had to do for the team and I’m just so happy to be in this position now,,’’ Lowson said.
“Three weeks ago I thought my season was over and to now be a premiership player, it’s unbelievable, I feel blessed.’’
Lowson, who is still chasing his AFL dream after narrowly missing selection last year because of a mid-season ankle injury,is booked in for surgery in Melbourne in two weeks.
The Eagles are hopeful he will play for them again next season.
EAGLES KIDS COULD BE ON THE MOVE
SANFL premier Woodville-West Torrens is bracing itself to lose at least three, and possibly as many as six, premiership players to the AFL after its stunning grand final triumph against North Adelaide.
First-year flag coach Jade Sheedy said star teenager Lachlan Jones – tied to Port Adelaide as a Next Generation Academy prospect – will find his way to Alberton and he expects small forward sharpshooter James Rowe, who was a joint winner of this year’s Ken Farmer Medal as leading SANFL goalkicker, and playmaking defender Jacob Wehr to also find AFL homes.
Jack Oatey Medallist Jordan Foote, who produced an electrifying, four-goal grand final performance, pacy teenage wingman Lachlan McNeil and lockdown backman Rhyan Mansell also are attracting AFL attention, according to Sheedy.
“We’ll have a few go,’’ Sheedy said as he gathered with his victorious league and reserves premiership players at Woodville Oval on Monday following the double grand final win against arch rival North Adelaide.
“Jonesy is a star and obviously will go to Port, I think Rowey will go and probably Wehr as well.
“They are the most likely but there’ll also be interest in Foote, who was great in the grand final.
“He turned the game, he has elite attributes, he’s an unbelievable runner and is as good a two-way footballer as I’ve seen and I’d love to see him get an opportunity.
“McNeil would not have done his chances any harm with his grand final performance, he was brilliant, and there’s been some interest in Mansell during the year, so we’ll see how that pans out.
“It’s hard to know exactly how many will go, especially with the uncertainty around (AFL) list numbers and how that will affect mature-age players, but on their form throughout the year that group could all get drafted and play good AFL footy.’’
Premiership captain and former Crow Luke Thompson said Jones, who he mentored in the Eagles backline this year, would develop into an “AFL superstar’’.
“I can’t wait to see what that kid does,’’ he said, comparing Jones to West Coast premiership captain Shannon Hurn.
“I’ve been at the Eagles for 10 years and he’s the most developed kid I’ve seen come through the place.
“He has that hardened, country boy body, is tough, strong, quick, can kick the ball a long way and crashes packs to take big marks.
“That’s a pretty complete package, he’s going to be really special and will play in round one next year.’’
Sheedy said he didn’t expect any retirements from his premiership 22, saying veterans Thompson, fellow defender Patrick Giuffreda, ruckman Jarrad Redden and the classy Matthew Goldsworthy had all indicated their desire to go on.
He said he hoped mid-season VFL pick-ups James Tsitas and Sam Lowson, who were so important in the club’s premiership success, would return to Oval Avenue next year.
The Eagles will at 11am on Tuesday have their blue, green and gold colours unveiled at the top of the West End brewery chimney.
The event is not open to the public because of COVID-19 restrictions.
EAGLES BREAK NINE-YEAR FLAG DROUGHT
Call it the ultimate payback.
Two years after coughing up a 47-point lead against North Adelaide in the preliminary final and losing a game remembered for the infamous 19th man controversy, Woodville-West Torrens has finally gained some sweet redemption.
The Eagles – on the back of a scintillating, nine-goal second quarter – on Sunday ended nine years of finals heartbreak by beating the Roosters in the SANFL grand final by 39 points to win their fourth flag and first since 2011.
This was arguably the sweetest of them all.
In trouble at quarter-time when they trailed by 15 points after being completely outplayed, the Eagles turned the game on its head with, statistically, the second greatest second quarter in SANFL grand final history.
SANFL FLASHBACK SERIES
1984 GRAND FINAL – FROM 5TH TO THE FLAG
1975: GLENELG’S 49 GOALS AT THE BAY
Inspired by Jack Oatey Medallist Jordan Foote, who kicked four first-half goals from 24 disposals, the Eagles kicked 9.2 to North’s solitary goal for the term to turn a 15-point deficit into a match winning 35-point lead.
Only West Adelaide (10.3 against Sturt in 1983) has kicked a higher score in the second term of a grand final.
From there, there was no way back for the Roosters, who imploded after the first change.
The win, where Foote was supported brilliantly by small forward Angus Poole and midfielders Jimmy Toumpas and Lachlan McNeil, was a spectacular triumph for first-year Eagles coach Jade Sheedy.
He took charge of a side which finished seventh last year and had plenty of finals demons.
Since its previous flag in 2011, Woodville-West Torrens had lost 11 of 15 finals and failed to capitalise on three minor premierships before turning things around this year.
Even then it had to overcome an upset loss to North in the second semi-final to raise the Thomas Seymour Hill Premiership Trophy.
The Roosters’ defeat continued a remarkable recent grand final record.
The past six winners of the second semi-final, who have earned a week’s break, have lost the grand final.
North Adelaide rolled the dice on former AFL speedster Billy Hartung, who had played just three games for the season in his first year at Prospect because of back and ankle injuries.
He had played just 65 minutes – against Sturt in round 13 – since round two but coach Jacob Surjan viewed his pace as a weapon on expansive Adelaide Oval.
The move seemed to work early when North hit the ground running.
Forward Keenan Ramsey produced a brilliant soccer off the ground from the edge of the goalsquare to open the scoring after just 73 seconds and when Lewis Hender and Kym LeBois also hit the scoreboard, the Roosters were out to an 18-point lead.
The minor premier Eagles were all at sea, making uncustomary mistakes, and took until the 22nd minute to register their first goal when Foote burst from a pack to snap superbly.
They were getting belted in the middle and trailed the inside 50 count 18-8.
But whatever Sheedy said to his troops at quarter-time sparked a stunning turnaround.
With Foote and Poole leading the way – they kicked five goals between them in the second term – the Eagles quickly blew the game wide open.
The victory completed a rare double for the Eagles, who also beat North in the reserves grand final.
SCOREBOARD
EAGLES 1.1 10.3 12.8 13.9 (87)
NORTH 3.4 4.4 5.6 7.6 (48)
BEST – Eagles: Foote, Poole, Toumpas, McNeil, J. Hayes, Rowland, Wehr, Sinor. North: Wigg, Moore, Hartung, LeBois, Harvey, Clisby.
GOALS – Eagles: Foote 4, Poole, Rowe, Goldsworthy 2, McNeil, Von Bertouch, Lowson. North: LeBois, Hender 2, Ramsey, Barns, W. Combe.
UMPIRES – Hundertmark, Bowen, Harris.
CROWD – 17,038 at Adelaide Oval.
JACK OATEY MEDALLIST: Jordan Foote (Eagles).
FOOTE-BALL GREAT: FAMILY AFFAIR FOR JORDAN
Eighty-seven years after his great grandfather won a premiership with West Torrens, fourth-generation Eagle Jordan Foote followed in his footsteps.
In an amazing chapter in the Foote family history, Jordan yesterday not only became an Eagles premiership player in his own right, he produced one of the great grand final performances.
With the Eagles in trouble early, former Sydney Swan Foote willed himself into the game and sparked one of the most incredible quarters in SANFL grand final history.
After kicking the Eagles’ only goal in the first term, the electrifying midfielder bagged three in the second quarter as his side ran riot to boot nine goals to break arch rival North Adelaide’s resistance.
He finished with four goals, 24 disposals, seven clearances and a shiny Jack Oatey Medal around his neck as best-afield. Foote was voted best-on-ground by all eight judges, earning the maximum 24 votes.
“It’s a special moment,’’ said Foote, whose great grandfather Edwin played 84 games for Torrens from 1926-38, winning a flag in 1933, his grandfather John played one match for the club in 1961 and father David played with Torrens and Woodville-West Torrens from 1985-92. “There’s a fair bit of emotion for the family, dad and my grandfather were at the game, and during the lap of honour there were some tears from both of them because they are very proud.’’
Foote, who still harbours ambitions of returning to the AFL, described his second-quarter purple patch as the “best 30 minutes of my career’’.
JACK OATEY MEDAL VOTING
24: J. Foote (Eagles), 11: J. Toumpas (Eagles), 5: A. Poole (Eagles), 3: L. McNeil (Eagles), 2: J. Hayes, L. Jones (Eagles), 1. H. Wigg (North).
POOLE SHOWS THE WAY
Not many words could describe the Eagles’ stunning second quarter against the Roosters but the name Angus Poole can do for starters.
Poole, number 52 for those watching the game, showed just why Aussie Rules is such a great game.
Measuring 170cm in height and the shortest player on the ground and probably in the league, Poole produced a sensational second quarter which Eagles’ fans should remember for years.
He kicked two fantastic goals at the 11 and 13-minutes mark, took a strong overhead, contested mark, dished out a goal assist and laid two or three telling tackles which resulted in goals.
The often maligned Poole, usually by people who have no idea what goes behind the mechanics of team play, set the scene for his teammates to follow with an exceptional brand of aggression and skill.
At quarter time many followers were wondering how far North. At half-time it was more of a case of how to stop the Eagles from a crushing win.
Poole was not the only player to shine, Jimmy Toumpas and Jordan Foote among an army of Eagles standing tall.
For North the Football Gods, as we know, don’t always smile your way. The fairytale Magarey Medal win by Campbell Combe and the general success of the club in men’s and women’s competitions this season provided some shining moments the club can look back with pride.
But even with the game shot the Roosters didn’t chuck the towel in and were still trying their best against the odds in the last quarter, neither team scoring in the last for the first 15 minutes.
North’s effort to recover from a bleak 2019 to making it to the 2020 decider is worth celebrating.
Fielding teams in both reserves and league grand finals, as the Eagles did, shows great depth and a handy platform to launch 2021.
And what a great effort by first-year coaches Jade Sheedy and Jacob Surjan to manage their teams with great leadership and planning.
Hopefully we won’t be waiting until mid October 2021 to watch the next decider.
BEFORE THE GAME
STEADY HAND OF SURJAN
Sitting in the press area in the grandstand at Unley Oval, the music coming from below is so loud and thumping that you can feel the timber vibrating beneath your feet.
It is an hour before North Adelaide is preparing to play Sturt in round 13 and the visitors changerooms are rocking.
There is quiet during the match but the same loud music greets wellwishers after the game following the Roosters’ backs-to-the-walls triumph when they overcame the injury-enforced absence of their entire on-field leadership group, to beat Sturt and seal a top-two finals spot.
Welcome to North’s “Music Men”.
SANFL FLASHBACK SERIES
1984 GRAND FINAL – FROM 5TH TO THE FLAG
1975: GLENELG’S 49 GOALS AT THE BAY
“The boys love their music,’’ said coach Jacob Surjan, who in his first year at the helm has the Roosters one win from their second premiership in three years.
“They love putting on their tunes before a game, usually starting about 90 minutes before, and then having a singalong after a good win.
“The boys really crank it up, they have their little playlist they listen to week-in, week-out and they love it.
“I think it’s been one of the reasons we’ve been successful this season, that the boys have been able to keep a fun, relaxed, enjoyable atmosphere where we play hard on the ground but understand footy is a game and it’s there to be enjoyed.
“Sometimes people can make it a bit sterile, a bit too serious, so we like to keep things exciting, open and fun. I think our style of play reflects that.’’
The music still blares in the rooms after losses.
“Yep, win, lose or draw, we like to keep things the same,’’ Surjan said.
“I think it’s really important to have consistency, it’s part of my coaching style.
“I don’t like to change who I am as a person and if that means we need to put some tracks on to get the vibe back up and going, so be it.
“That’s the way we do things at the Roosters because we know at the end of the day it’s just a game of footy, although this week is obviously a bit more important.’’
Surjan, who played 121 AFL games for Port Adelaide and was an assistant coach to Josh Carr when the Roosters won the 2018 flag, said the players all chipped in $50 in the pre-season to buy a big JBL Boombox.
Surjan said key forward Keenan Ramsey was the leader of the music gang while prized recruit Billy Hartung also liked to be heavily involved in the playlist.
“Before and after games is the players’ time and if they feel free, they play free and I’ve been really proud with what they’ve achieved this year,’’ he said.
North will contest the league and reserves grand finals, both against the Eagles, while it won this year’s SANFLW premiership, the league (Campbell Combe) and reserves (Dakota Nixon) Magarey Medals and joint winner (Anne Hatchard) of the SANFLW best and fairest.
BEST FOOTE FORWARD
The heartstrings pulled so strongly that Jordan Foote could easily have flown the Eagles nest.
As Woodville-West Torrens zeros in on its first premiership since 2011, the game breaking midfielder and reigning club champion revealed he was close to not being at Oval Avenue this year.
Just one season after joining the club, which means so much to his family, from the Sydney Swans, Foote was missing those dearest to him so badly he nearly returned to the Harbour City.
“It was something I gave serious thought to,’’ said the 24-year-old speedster, whose immediate family is based in Sydney.
“Most of my family and friends are back in Sydney, which is tough, leaving that behind, so I was weighing up whether to go back there permanently.
“I returned home for a good break at the end of last season to see everyone, with the intention of coming back for pre-season training, and there were times when I was considering whether to just stay there.
“But I was really enjoying my time at the Eagles and have made some good friends here, so that got me over the line in the end, to stay another year.
“I’m pretty happy with that decision now.’’
Foote was born in Adelaide but moved to Sydney with his family – dad, former Eagles star David, mum, Christine, and brothers, Alex, 26, and Bailey, 21 – when he was four because of David’s work in the insurance industry.
His parents and siblings still live there.
Foote came through the Swans’ Academy but only managed six appearances in the red and white in four years from 2015-18 before being delisted.
He moved to the SANFL in the hope of reviving his AFL career and was never going anywhere else but the Eagles because of his family history.
Foote is a fourth-generation Eagle, following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather, John, and great-grandfather, Edwin.
Edwin (84 games from 1926-38) and John (one game in 1961) played for West Torrens while David lined up for West Torrens from 1985-90 (72 games) and Woodville-West Torrens in 1991-92 (five games).
Foote, who is renowned for his meticulous preparation for games – “I follow a routine with what I eat (pasta with a bowl of vegetables on match eve) and my recovery,’’ he said – was crowned club champion in his first season at the club last year.
He is now eyeing an Eagles flag, which he said would be a dream come true for his family.
“To pull on the Eagles guernsey has been really special but to help them win a premiership, with our family history, would be something else, a very proud moment,’’ he said, adding his parents were flying in from Sydney for the game.
Foote’s role in the grand final will be crucial.
He is one of the Eagles key playmakers, using his power and pace to burst clear from packs, and was one of their best in last week’s preliminary final win against South Adelaide with 20 disposals, two goals and six clearances.
As for being at the Eagles next year, Foote said he would worry about that after Sunday’s grand final.
“That’s up in the air,’’ he said.
“My sole focus right now is on trying to win a premiership.’’