Watch SANFL: Sturt v Eagles league, Under-18s matches | Replays
North Adelaide took on Sturt in the SANFL Under-18s this morning . And we streamed all the action then and when Sturt took on the Eagles.
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HE is the flame-haired, 173cm wrecking ball who once skateboarded or ran to training and didn’t cut his long locks for six years.
And while Angus Poole says he plays Australian football purely for the love of the game and mateship, his game style and quirky nature has earned him cult hero status at Woodville-West Torrens and seen him become one of the reigning premier’s unsung heroes.
He’ll take to the field at Unley Oval on Saturday when the Eagles face Sturt, a match that will be live streamed on Advertiser.com.au from 2.10pm.
WATCH LIVE FROM 9.20AM: NORTH v STURT UNDER 18s
“Pooley’s not (publicly) put at the heights of some other players in the competition but I think he’s well and truly in the conversation among the best because week-in, week-out he plays a tough position as a high half-forward for us and does a tremendous job,’’ Eagles and State coach Jade Sheedy said.
“He has the capabilities to play well at any level. I could have played him in the State team this year and I reckon you could throw him on an AFL field because he’s just built for that combative type game where he just does everything right under pressure.
“He doesn't lose his feet, he tackles well, he's good one-on-one, on the ground and overhead, as we saw in last year’s grand final when he helped turn the game on its head.
“He’s only small in stature but he’s really powerful and so explosive out of stoppages.’’
From the Yorke Peninsula town of Kadina, Poole, who played his 150th league game against the Crows in round 17, has taken the long and winding road to the Eagles’ Oval Avenue headquarters.
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After joining the club’s under-age programs at 14 and progressing through its junior grades, the now 27-year-old took time to make his mark at senior level.
He won the reserves Magarey Medal in 2012 and made his league debut at 19 the following season but didn’t cement his spot in the strong Eagles league line-up for three years.
Eventually his tough-tackling, game-breaking style proved so effective that the Eagles couldn’t drop him.
“I played mainly in the midfield on the way through the grades but the Eagles have had plenty of good midfielders, so I found this pretty tough role as a pressure forward who can pinch-hit in the middle if required,’’ Poole said.
“It can be a tough role because you are not always in the game but I was happy to do my part for the team and have learned to enjoy it because tackling is something I like, although perhaps a little too much at times.
WATCH LIVE FROM 11.30AM: CENTRAL v EAGLES UNDER 18s
“I can get a bit of whiteline fever and give away a few frees but the club seems to like the role I play.’’
Poole’s effectiveness was never more evident than in last year’s grand final against North Adelaide when he joined Jack Oatey Medallist Jordan Foote in turning the game the Eagles' way in the second term with two goals and some bone-crunching tackles.
His quirky nature and at times dishevelled appearance have endeared him to teammates and supporters.
Poole didn’t cut his hair for six years until two days after last year’s grand final when things were quietening down at the Eagles’ premiership celebrations and he wanted to liven things up, letting teammates shave his long locks and bushy beard at teammate Ethan Haylock’s home.
WATCH LIVE FROM 2.10PM: SANFL ROUND 18: SURT v EAGLES
“Before that I hadn’t trimmed my hair for six years, through laziness as much as anything else,’’ he said.
The pocket rocket has also earned a reputation for unique training arrivals.
For three years, when he was living close to Woodville Oval, he would roll up on a skateboard.
Last year, when he moved a few kilometres away from the ground, Poole would run to and from training, sometimes clocking 20km a night.
He was rewarded with a first league premiership.
“To have played 150 games and won a flag, I’m absolutely stoked with that,’’ Poole said.
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