John Stokes’ legacy honoured by Palmerston Magpies in special NTFL round

The North Darwin / Palmerston Magpies have honoured one of their most legendary figures, John Stokes, by immortalising his name at the club. Read how he’s remembered.

Palmerston Magpies club president Carmine Rauseo, Mathew Stokes, Amy Stokes and coach Mark Tyrrell at the newly named John Stokes changerooms.

John Stokes left a permanent mark on NTFL club North Darwin in half a century of playing, coaching and administrative work with the club now known as the Palmerston Magpies

So it was no surprise when the 53-year-old club named the change rooms at their Palmerston headquarters after their 1980-81 premiership captain.

Stokes died in 2023, but the Magpies, who went retro by renaming themselves North Darwin for Round 15, made sure his place in the club’s history would be remembered.

His son Mathew Stokes, a premiership hero with the Magpies and AFL club Geelong, was on hand to make the official announcement at Cazaly’s Arena on Saturday.

Club president Carmine Rauseo, the Stokes family, ‘80-81 premiership coach and AFLNT Hall of Famer Ian Smith, today’s coach Mark Tyrrell, star defender and Hall of Famer Warren McCoy and Life Member Ray Hayes all spoke of Stokes’ significant contribution to the club.

John Stokes is a legend of the North Darwin / Palmerston Magpies.

Stokes said his dad loved the game of Australian football and the relationships that came with it, particularly at the Palmerston club.

“Footy’s an amazing vehicle to learn about life and make a living out of, but in my dad’s case it was more to do with the people you meet along the way,” he added.

“That’s why I think it’s fitting the club has named its change rooms after him, dad was a person who trained his arse off, worked very hard and more importantly, loved people.”

Coach Tyrrell, who captained the Magpies in their heyday when they won back-to-back senior flags in 1999-2000 and 2000-2021, said John Stokes had been his mentor when the black and white jumpers ruled the NTFL.

“We worked pretty closely together on what it meant to be captain of this great club and where it needed to go after some lean years since the ‘81 flag,” Tyrrell said,

“For me and everyone else he was an in the rooms guy who mixed regularly with the players and always offered words of advice.

“We were really lucky at that time (early noughties) to have a great crop of junior players, Matty of course, who won a premiership with the club after debuting in senior footy up here when he was 15, before going on to play in the SANFL and later in two premierships at Geelong.

“Playing in four grand finals in a row from 2000-2003 meant we were a good side back then with Trent Hentschel at Adelaide, Aaron Davey at Melbourne and Alwyn Davey at Essendon at a time when John Stokes was a big influence at the Magpies.”

Originally published as John Stokes’ legacy honoured by Palmerston Magpies in special NTFL round