Revealed: Your SANFL club’s top 10 players of all time (Part 1)

Barrie Robran, Peter Carey, Len Fitzgerald, Bruce McGregor – these are just some of headliners on our SANFL stars all-time top 10 lists. Who made the cut from your club?

They are the best of the best.

The greatest 10 players to represent the SANFL clubs where they made their name.

In a painstaking exercise, The Advertiser has, in consultation with a panel of experts, selected the greatest 10 players from each of the eight standalone SANFL clubs.

Illustrating just how difficult the task was and the long list of outstanding candidates, plenty of superstars and household names missed the cut.

In the first of a two-part series, The Advertiser has named the greatest 10 players from Glenelg, North Adelaide, Sturt and West Adelaide – their greats read like a who’s who of South Australian football.

Part two of the greatest player series will reveal the finest players to have graced the Norwood, South Adelaide, Central District and Woodville-West Torrens clubs.

Peter Carey with the No. 5 guernsey he made famous at Glenelg. Picture: Matt Loxton

The best Tiger of all time

The man known as “Super’’, Peter Carey, was voted the greatest Tiger of all.

Currently Glenelg’s president, Carey played a SANFL record 448 games for the club from 1971-88 and is the Tigers’ only triple premiership player.

The ruckman/key forward kicked six goals as a 19-year-old in Glenelg’s famous 1973 grand final triumph against the Roosters as the Neil Kerley-coached club won just its second flag and first since 1934.

He later captained the Tigers to premierships in 1985 and 1986 and was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2009.

“We’ve had so many great players come through our club and to be held in such esteem is fantastic,’’ Carey said.

North Adelaide champion Barrie Robran at Prospect Oval. Picture: Morgan Sette

The best Rooster of all time

Triple Magarey medallist Barrie Robran – arguably the finest player to grace the SANFL – pipped the competition’s greatest ever goalkicker, Ken Farmer, as being named the best Rooster of all time.

Regarded as the best player to have never played in the VFL-AFL, the high-leaping Robran, who Farmer describes as “the Bradman of goalkickers”, won Magarey Medals in 1968, 1970 and 1973 and probably would have won more if not for a serious knee he suffered in a state game against Victoria in 1974 that ruined his career.

“What a wonderful honour … thank you,’’ Robran said when told of his selection as the top Rooster.

“North Adelaide was and always will be my club of choice and my greatest thrill in football was to wear the red and white guernsey for the very first time.’’

Len Fitzgerald with the three Magarey Medals he won at Sturt.

Len Fitzgerald leading the Sturt team into battle.

The best Sturt player of all time

Another triple Magarey medallist, Len Fitzgerald, was named 15-time premier Sturt’s most outstanding player.

“I rate Len Fitzgerald on the same level as Barrie Robran,’’ said Halbert, who was selected as the fourth greatest Double Blue of all-time.

“I think they are the two best players I have ever seen.”

“In terms of South Australian greats I rate Fitzgerald and Robran equal as number one.

“[Fitzgerald] started as a 15-year-old at Collingwood at full back ... and he could have played any position. Like Robran, I think he is just your premier all-round footballer.’’

West Adelaide’s Bruce McGregor (second from left), alongside other Magarey medallists, from left, Alick Lill (Norwood), G. B. "Blue" Johnston (Glenelg) and Bill McCallum (Norwood) in 1965.

The best Bloods player of all time

West Adelaide’s only dual Magarey medallist Bruce McGregor was adjudged the Bloods’ finest player.

McGregor, who won back-to-back medals in 1926-27, tipped out four-times premiership player Richard “Dick” Head and dual Bloods premiership coach Neil Kerley, who was honoured with a state funeral following his death in June, as the greatest Blood.

McGregor played only 102 games and kicked 173 goals for West from 1923-29 before moving to Tasmania but he was an out-and-out star who represented SA 22 times.

He won West’s best all-round player award six times before coaching Glenelg to its first premiership in 1934.

TERRIFIC TIGERS: Glenelg’s greatest 10 players

1. Peter Carey

(SANFL record 448 games from 1971-88, dual premiership captain, Glenelg’s only triple premiership player)

2. Stephen Kernahan

(Triple Tigers club champion, Jack Oatey medallist, captain Carlton’s team of the century)

3. Len Sallis

(Five-time best and fairest, dual Magarey Medal runner-up)

4. Neil Davies

(All-Australian, dual best and fairest, 20 State games)

5. Graham Cornes

(317 games for Glenelg, triple club champion, dual All-Australian, famously took the spectacular mark and kicked the decisive goal in the 1973 grand final)

6. Peter Marker

(Captain 1971-76, dual Magarey Medal runner-up, 15 state games, captain 1973 premiership team)

7. Jack Owens

(827 goals in 177 games from 1924-35, captained club to first flag in 1934)

8. George “Blue” Johnston

(Magarey medallist 1934, triple club champion, 16 state games)

9. Chris McDermott

(Dual premiership player, triple club champion and All-Australian, Crows captain 1991-94)

10. Colin Churchett

(555 goals in 145 games, SANFL leading goalkicker 1948-51, recognised as inventing the “check-side” punt.)

REMARKABLE ROOSTERS: North Adelaide’s greatest 10 players

1. Barrie Robran

(Triple Magarey medallist, seven-time best and fairest, dual premiership player)

2. Ken Farmer

(SANFL record 1417 goals in 224 games from 1929-41, 13 times North leading goalkicker)

3. Tom Leahy

(1913 Magarey medallist, triple club champion, known as ‘The Prince of ruckmen’)

4. Ian McKay

(The first full back to win the Magarey Medal (1950), remembered for his famous mark in the 1952 grand final)

5. Tom MacKenzie

(The first player to win three Magarey Medals (1902, 1905-06), represented SA 20 times)

6. Ron Phillips

(Won Magarey Medals as a centre half-back in 1948 and centre half-forward in 1949)

7. Don Lindner

(1967 Magarey medallist, triple club champion, 290 games and 273 goals from 1954-70)

8. Andrew Jarman

(Dual Magarey medallist, including one for Norwood, five-time Fos Williams medallist)

9. Michael Redden

(Club games record holder with 379 from 1978-93, dual premiership player)

10. Bob Hammond

(Dual premiership player whose arguably finest performance came in the 1973 grand final loss to Glenelg)

TRUE BLUES: Sturt’s greatest 10 players

1. Len Fitzgerald

(Triple Magarey medallist, triple club champion, All-Australian, represented SA and Victoria at state level)

2. Paul Bagshaw

(Seven-time premiership player, five-time best and fairest, leading goalkicker, captain 1973-80)

3. Rick Davies

(Dual premiership player, seven-time best and fairest, dual All-Australian, Magarey Medal runner-up, Ken Farmer medallist)

4. John Halbert

(Magarey medallist, triple Magarey Medal runner-up, four-time club champion, All-Australian)

5. Frank Golding

(Triple premiership player, including the club’s first in 1915; six-time leading goalkicker, 28 state games)

6. Rick Schoff

(Four-time premiership player, dual All-Australian, club champion 1968, leading goalkicker 1961)

7. Brenton Adcock

(Six-time premiership player, All-Australian, 20 state games)

8. Bob Shearman

(Five-time premiership player, 13 state games, a prodigious kick of the ball who twice won the national champion kick of Australia title)

9. Michael Graham

(282 games and 455 goals from 1971-85, dual premiership player, Magarey Medal runner-up)

10. Victor Richardson

(Magarey medallist, triple premiership player, dual best and fairest, state captain)

BRILLIANT BLOODS: West Adelaide’s greatest 10 players

1. Bruce McGregor

(Dual Magarey medallist, six-time best all-round player award, premiership captain-coach 1927, 22 state games)

2. Richard Head

(1909 Magarey medallist, four-time premiership player, club and state captain, 17 state games)

3. Neil Kerley

(Four-time best and fairest, All-Australian vice-captain, captain-coach 1961 premiership team)

4. Ken Eustice

(Magarey medallist 1962, premiership player 1961, 25 state games)

5. Bernie Smith

(West premiership player 1947, dual Geelong premiership player, 1951 Brownlow medallist)

6. Brian Faehse

(Premiership player, dual best and fairest, captain 1951-56, 19 state games, nicknamed ‘Iron Man’ after playing 128 consecutive games)

7. Robert Day

(Triple club champion, All-Australian, captain 1970, Hawthorn premiership player 1971, 12 state games)

8. Grantley Fielke

(1985 Magarey medallist, premiership player 1983, best and fairest, club games record holder with 364 from 1979-97)

9. Jeff Bray

(Dual club champion, premiership player 1961, The Advertiser player of the year 1963)

10. Roger Luders

(Booted a club record 558 goals in 165 games from 1978-87, six-times club leading goalkicker)

The Advertiser’s selection of the “best of the best’’ coincides with the “Our Footy, Our People, Our Stories: 145 Years of the SANFL exhibition’’ at the State Library.