Russell Ebert tribute game: How family will honour the Port Adelaide legend
To Port Adelaide fans he was ‘god’. But to the Eberts, he was Russell, Russ, Dad or Pa. Ahead of his tribute match, the Ebert family open up about Russell, the SA football legend.
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The Russell Ebert statue at Adelaide Oval will have special visitors before the SA football legend’s tribute game on Saturday night.
About 40 members of Ebert’s family are meeting there, outside the eastern gate, in the lead-up to Port Adelaide’s match against Hawthorn.
Some will be wearing prison-bar guernseys bearing his famous No.7.
A large replica of that will be draped behind the northern goals in front of the Moreton Bay figs in honour of Port Adelaide’s greatest player.
Russell, who died from leukaemia in November, aged 72, was called “god” by the club faithful.
To those gathering at the bronze sculpture off King William St, he was Russ, Dad, Pa or Herb.
“The statue means plenty now that he’s passed,” his brother Craig said.
“Forever, his contribution’s been recognised, he’s there and we can go whenever we want.
“We’re lucky to be able to go see it as a family this weekend.”
Russell’s wife, Di, and daughter Tammie, will toss the coin before Saturday night’s game.
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The whole family will then sit together in the stands, watching the Power play in guernseys with a 7 patch on the front.
Wingman Xavier Duursma will vacate the number for the night out of respect for the Eberts.
Fans plan to applaud at the seven-minute mark of the game.
“It will all be a fitting tribute,” Craig said.
“I think it’ll be great to go and be involved in it and then hopefully the team can win.”
Craig loved going to the footy with his brother, especially when their sons, Brad and Brett, were on the Power’s list at the same time in 2012-13.
It brought back memories of playing alongside Russell at Port Adelaide during the 1980s.
The respect for his brother in South Australia has long been obvious to Craig.
One recent memory – after a Power game at Adelaide Oval in 2020 – stands out.
“We were all walking – I was alongside Russ and my son-in-law Mark and daughter Ashleigh were just behind us – and I was just smiling because the Port Adelaide crowd were bowing and yelling out ‘god’, coming up asking how Russ was going, and he was just walking out from the footy,” Craig said.
“To see the reaction of my daughter and Mark, they’d experienced what Russ means to the footy community.
“Russ would speak to anybody and everybody felt comfortable saying hello to him and talking to him.
“It was commonplace whenever I was with him.”
Although Russell is the only four-time Magarey Medallist, a triple premiership player and has a host of other accolades, Craig believed his brother would have ranked his children’s achievements, including Brett’s 2003 Magarey Medal and 166 games with the Power, as his proudest moments.
“Then in the last few years he was able to watch his (six) grandkids run around, which was brilliant,” Craig said.
Russell’s passing has left an “empty space” in the family, according to Craig.
But it has also brought the siblings – Craig, Bill, Lynette, Gerry and Jeff – closer together.
“We keep ringing each other, making sure we’re OK and making sure Di’s going well,” Craig said.
“Sometimes you go ‘I’ll give him a ring’, then think ‘I can’t because he’s not there’.
“It would be nothing to do with footy, I’d just want to tell him what my kids are doing or what’s happening in the family.
“He was very good to talk to, a good listener and gave great advice.”
It would have been Russell and Di’s 48th wedding anniversary this week.
Brett said his father’s death still had not sunk in – “I’m not sure it ever will”.
But he had been overwhelmed by the support his family had received from the football club, friends and across the state.
“With a lot of legends it just becomes about the sport but with Dad there are those great stories you hear of all the charity work and helping those less fortunate,” Brett said.
“He got even bigger once he finished footy.
“He was still working at Port at 71 years of age in the community youth programs, which he helped set up and make what it is today.
“I think that’s where half our (younger) members and supporters have come from.”
Since his father’s death, Brett had received the odd message from friends who had been at the Adelaide Oval statue.
The figure shows Russell in possession of the footy, socks up, wearing boots with the heel fitted by Port Adelaide bootstudder Alf Trebilcock, looking down the field.
Brett usually turns to look at it whenever he drives past.
Standing alongside the sculpture on Friday, Brett took it all in.
“To be able to see him here with all these legends, people like Sir Donald Bradman, he’s front and centre, like he deserves to be,” he said.
PORT STARS LOOM AS DOUBLE INJECTION TO EASE PORT’S PAIN
Port Adelaide expects injured star Robbie Gray to return for the Showdown and is hopeful Charlie Dixon will also make his comeback next week.
Gray was one of five Power players hurt in the season-opening loss to Brisbane, but only he and Aliir Aliir were not named to face Hawthorn at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night.
Key defender Trent McKenzie (knee), wingman Xavier Duursma (collarbone) and forward Connor Rozee (ankle) have overcome their respective issues.
Aliir will miss between four and six weeks after having ankle syndesmosis surgery.
Dixon has trained all week and is likely to play against the Crows, although it may be in the SANFL, seven weeks on from ankle surgery.
Power coach Ken Hinkley said the club would not take any risks with Dixon.
As for Gray, Hinkley said he thought he would be sidelined for just the Hawks game.
“Clearly, we’ve still got two big players out — they make a big difference to our side — but it helps a little we haven’t lost any more,” Hinkley said.
“We did have a fair bit on our plate by the end of the game last week but most of them motion we thought at the time would be OK.”
McKenzie left the field in a medi-cab last Saturday night and there initially were fears he had ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament.
Hinkley said he had pulled up well.
“I’ve seen them over the journey where you look at them and you think the absolute worst when they happen and then some people luckily enough, don’t do too much damage,” Hinkley said.
“It’s more around how much bone bruising they get out of those incidents and Trent was pretty, pretty lucky.”
Hinkley said Sam Skinner had earned his spot as Aliir’s replacement and was a great story, having overcome three ACLs at Brisbane then revitalised his career at South Adelaide.
Skinner, 24, played three games for the Lions from 2016-20.
Hinkley was excited about the debut of the club’s top draftee from last year, Josh Sinn, and expected him to offer versatility from the wing to half-back.
Saturday night’s game will be special for Port Adelaide, which will be celebrating SA football legend Russell Ebert’s life.
The club’s games record holder and greatest player died from leukaemia in November, aged 72.
Xavier Duursma will vacate the No. 7 guernsey — synonymous with Ebert — for Saturday night and instead wear 50, once donned by his father.
“With great respect we would like to deliver to Russell and his family,” Hinkley said.
“The number 7 tomorrow night, there’s some real meaning in that for us as a football club.”
Hinkley said even though his side lost against the Lions, it showed the type of performance expected each week.
Seven heaven: Special night of tributes for Port legend
Port Adelaide is retiring Russell Ebert’s long-time guernsey number for this weekend among a host of matchday tributes to the SA football legend.
Power wingman Xavier Duursma will take to the field in a yet-to-be-determined jumper, rather than his usual No. 7, if he is passed fit to face Hawthorn at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night, when the club celebrates its greatest player at its first home game of the season.
Ebert, Port Adelaide’s games record holder, died in November from leukaemia, aged 72.
He donned the No. 7 guernsey in 197 of his 392 matches, winning two of his three premierships and two of his four Magarey Medals in it, having played in one while captain, as per club tradition.
His nephew, Brad Ebert, later pulled on his uncle’s number in 184 games for the Power from 2012-20.
Duursma, who took over the No. 7 guernsey before the start of last season, said it was appropriate to forego wearing it on Saturday night.
He needs to get through training on Thursday and Friday to be cleared to play after injuring his collarbone against Brisbane in Round 1.
“Being able to celebrate his number seven, which he made famous and the Eberts have made famous, I just think it’s the right thing to do,” Duursma said.
“It’s obviously a very special number – it’s become an immortalised number for the Port Adelaide faithful.
“Russell was obviously an amazing person, an amazing player, not just for Port Adelaide but people all around South Australia and Australia.
“This (gesture) is not about me, it’s about the Ebert family and Russ, to be able to honour that.”
Ebert’s wife, Di, and daughter, Tammie, will toss the coin before Saturday night’s match, while his grandson, Albert, will kick the ceremonial first goal.
The number seven will also be hung up at the northern end of Adelaide Oval.
Power players will have Ebert close to their hearts in more ways than one.
Although Duursma will not wear ‘7’ on his back, he and his teammates will sport a patch with the number on the front of their guernseys, on the left side of the chest.
They will also don black armbands.
Duursma got to know Ebert through the Power’s community youth programs after being drafted to Alberton at the end of 2018.
The 21-year-old said the six-time best-and-fairest winner had a huge influence off the field.
“You could just see how much of a genuinely good person he was, trying to help kids and people all around the state,” he said.
The one-off guernseys will be auctioned after Saturday night’s match and all proceeds will go to Novita – Ebert’s favourite charity – to support children living with disabilities.
Ebert’s oldest son, Ben, said it was a special way to continue his dad’s legacy and recognise his achievements.
“Number seven was obviously his number until he became captain and it was important to him so it’s a huge acknowledgment by the club,” Ben said.
The SANFL also planned to honour Ebert in May when Port Adelaide faced West Adelaide in Loxton, where the Australian and SA Football Hall of Fame member played junior football.
Originally published as Russell Ebert tribute game: How family will honour the Port Adelaide legend
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