South Adelaide great Stuart Palmer joins elite in SA Football Hall of Fame company
LOYAL South Adelaide great Stuart Palmer calls his rise to the SA Football Hall of Fame as the “last chapter in the novel”.
LOYAL South Adelaide great Stuart Palmer calls his rise to the SA Football Hall of Fame as the “last chapter in the novel”.
And a great read it is. From northern England to the pantheon of SA football.
Palmer’s induction to the Hall of Fame - with Magarey Medallist Damian Squire, Sydney premiership hero Michael O’Loughlin and long-serving administrator John Condon - captures the essence of the SANFL’s 140th anniversary.
It also serves as a reminder of an era that created the strong foundation for a successful national AFL where O’Loughlin was taken by Sydney before he had reached senior ranks at SANFL club Central District.
Palmer left Nelson, in the Lancester district of north England, as a five-year-old to become South Adelaide’s longest-serving player (337 games) and the club chairman (1997-2001).
“Seven coaches in 16 years - a playing coach at the start (in 1969 with Peter Darley) and one at the end (Rick Davies in 1985),” notes Palmer.
Along that journey Palmer made his reputation by modesty, loyalty to the Panthers and as a reliable, strong-minded defender. And there is that unfulfilled dream - no SANFL premiership after South Adelaide was cursed by the toss of a coin that denied the Panthers first use of the gale in the rain-soaked 1979 grand final against Port Adelaide at Football Park.
“The footy gods got us,” Palmer recalls. “We went from playing a preliminary final against Central District in 35C conditions to a grand final against Port Adelaide on the worst day possible.
“I have huge admiration for Port Adelaide ... but I would never tell them.”
Palmer played in two “night” premiership teams - in the national NFL series in 1979 and in the SANFL night competition in 1984.
“They are the consolation prize,” he says. “Am I unfulfilled by not having an SANFL premiership? Absolutely. It’s why you play footy. But I don’t go to the doctor asking for a prescription (for a cure) ...”
Of those seven coaches in Palmer’s journey, he holds the fondest memories of the Victorian import who had the shortest stint with the Panthers - Hawthorn premiership ruckman Don Scott (six games in 1985).
And this is despite Scott taking the captaincy from Palmer, a decision Scott later regretted while recognising Palmer - who trained every day but the Friday before playing - was not only his fittest but also most-dedicated Panther.
“I liked him - he was inspiration and I still hold great respect for him,” Palmer says of Scott. “He was ahead of the game with his strong focus on defence. He once had us lined up at training needing to do 35 smothers ... he knew the importance of dour defensive action.”
Palmer was devoted to the Panthers from his teenage years when he would play as a forward in the morning at Urrbrae school and as a defender for the South Adelaide under-17s in the afternoon.
“Apparently, there was interest to get me interstate ... but it was not passed on to me,” Palmer said. “And there was a chance to go to Glenelg ... But my attitude (on loyalty) was the same in my career as it is in life. I have been married for 45 years.”
Palmer did make it to Melbourne in his professional career - 35 years in the transport industry - where his long association with football served as the “icebreaker” in winning trust among Victorians.
“I will be forever indebted to South Adelaide and the SANFL,” Palmer said. “Those 20 years in the game - with a depth of experiences - gave me lessons and skills that have been so influential beyond football.”
michelangelo.rucci@news.com.au