From SANFL retirement to a grand final - how veteran Max Proud and Chris Curran’s backflips inspired Tigers’ flag push

At the end of last season, Glenelg’s past two premiership captains had walked away from the SANFL. On Sunday, the dynamic duo will play key roles in the Tigers’ pursuit of back-to-back flags, writes Andrew Capel.

They weren’t supposed to be here.

Glenelg’s past two premiership captains were on different paths before backflipping on plans and returning to Tigerland to play key roles in one of the club’s greatest eras.

Just hours after hoisting Glenelg’s sixth Thomas Seymour Hill premiership trophy aloft on SANFL grand final day last year, star key defender Max Proud announced to the Tigers faithful that he was retiring from the state league competition and would play at a lower level.

Chris Curran - Glenelg’s 2019 premiership skipper - had left the Bays two years earlier due to work (in the medical field) and personal commitments.

Unable to commit to the training demands of the SANFL, the ace backman played for Prince Alfred Old Collegians in the Adelaide Footy League, winning a Division 1 premiership last season.

On Sunday, the dynamic duo will pair up at Adelaide Oval on a mission to land Glenelg its seventh flag.

Chris Curran (left) and Max Proud at Glenelg Oval this week. Picture: Ben Clark

“I guess you get a window of opportunity to play at this level and you don’t want to waste a minute of it,’’ Proud, 32, said of his SANFL retirement U-turn, which came less than three months after his decision to pull the pin.

“If you still have the hunger and desire and physically and mentally you feel that you can still do it, you might as well.

“The fact the club was in a good position - I knew we had the coach, team and squad to have another crack at it - well, I wouldn’t have been a very good spectator watching the boys go this year, so I’m glad I stuck around.’’

Curran, 33, said a phone call from new Glenelg captain Liam McBean - the leadership position was announced soon after Proud’s retirement call - had opened the door for his shock return to the Bay.

“It probably started with the incoming skipper,’’ Curran said.

“Liam’s like a brother to me and floated the idea at the end of last year. At the same time, Proudy, who is another one of my best mates, was having second thoughts about stepping away.

“Once Liam planted the seed and ‘Reeva’ (Glenelg coach Darren Reeves) got wind of it, I was able to catch up with him and ‘Sandy’ (head of football Paul Sandercock) again and ‘Reeva’ was just such an impressive guy.

“Once I had more formal discussions it became a possibility and worked in with where I was going to be working this year and with my family life, with the little man (son Grayson) coming along in March.’’

Max Proud (left) embraces Chris Curran after Curran goaled during Glenelg’s elimination final win against Woodville-West Torrens. Picture: Cory Sutton/SANFL

Curran, who is married to Kelly, the daughter of dual Glenelg premiership defender Ross Gibbs and sister of former Carlton and Crows AFL star Bryce Gibbs, lives just a stone’s throw from Glenelg Oval.

He also transferred from working in hospitals to a GP clinic in the western suburbs, allowing him to juggle the return to the SANFL.

“The way the worlds collided for me, along with ‘Reeva’ being very accommodating with training, allowed me to fit the SANFL back into my life,’’ Curran said.

Curran not only fitted back in at the Bay, he has starred.

Moving from a key defensive post to the wing, he has relished his new role, representing the SANFL state side against the WAFL for the third time this year, while averaging 19 disposals and seven marks in 20 games for the Tigers.

He played his 150th SANFL game against the Crows in Round 12.

“I’ve loved being back and have learnt new things by playing on the wing,’’ Curran said.

“One of the things I wanted to get out of this year was building my coaching philosophy and working with guys like ‘Reeva’ has allowed me to do that.’’

While Curran, who first joined Glenelg from Horsham in 2010, has seamlessly slotted into his new role, Proud has been so good in his old one that he has been in arguably career-best form, despite his age.

Proud said it took time to work into his best form this season but that he had been “really happy’’ with the back end of his campaign.

Chris Curran (left) and Max Proud before training at the Bay in the lead-up to Sunday’s SANFL grand final. Picture: Ben Clark

“I’ve really enjoyed the whole year because not having the captaincy has allowed me to help Liam a little bit but also get around a lot of the younger blokes, which you don’t have much time to do when you’re captain, so that’s been really rewarding,’’ he said.

“And I still feel that I am contributing on the field, which is good.’’

The pair - Tigers premiership teammates in 2019 - have great on-ground synergy, with Proud saying “every time I get the footy down back I look out to the wing and Chris is there’’.

Proud, who has played 190 games for the Bays since debuting in 2012, is one of seven Glenelg grand final-named players who are on Sunday aiming to join club legend and Australian Football Hall of Famer Peter Carey (1973, 1985-86) as triple Tigers premiership players.

McBean, Matthew Snook, Luke Reynolds, Darcy Bailey, Jonty Scharenberg and Brad McCarthy would be the others.

“The fact the club has been in four grand finals in six years is a great achievement, especially when you consider it took seven or eight full seasons before I played a final, and I know Chris is in the same boat, so it’s a great credit to everyone involved at the footy club,’’ Proud said.

“But you want to make sure you capitalise on your opportunities. To win three premierships and be mentioned in the same sentence as Peter Carey would be pretty special.

“Hopefully we can have another premiership skipper (McBean) this year too.’’