Ironman hero Grant Kenny dominates at ASLSA Championships

Despite copping a boat to the chest, this legend of the 80s and former household name still looks like he could compete against men half his age.

Grant Kenny at the Australian Masters championsips.

As one of the highest profile sportsmen in the country in the 1980s there was a time when you could barely open a cereal box without Grant Kenny’s Ironman face staring back at you.

An icon of the surf, the blonde pin-up boy has continued to be a presence on beaches around the country and once again had fans swooning this week when he competed in the Masters division at the 2024 Australian Surf Life Saving Championships on the Sunshine Coast.

Bearing a chiselled rig which would make Michelangelo’s David envious, the now 61-year-old competed alongside his brother Martin and Alexandra Heads teammate Jeffery ‘Lemo’ Lemarseny in the 170 years ski relay final.

The life saving legend was clobbered by a rogue ski in the chest mid-race in a collision one witness described as “like someone being hit in the guts by Sam Thaiday full bore”, but not even that could stop Kenny and his team from surging to a remarkable 51-second victory over their nearest competitors.

International Life Saving Federation president Graham Ford has this week boldly declared that the sport should be included for the first time in the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.

Of course Grant Kenny will be nearing his 70s by that stage but we’re tipping nothing would please him more than seeing the current generation of ironmen and women competing for Olympic gold in the sport synonymous with his name.

Kenny wasn’t the only former big sporting name in the headlines this week.

High flying Bomber calls it a day

Nearly a quarter of a century after taking one of the most famous marks in the history of the AFL, an Essendon premiership player has finally hung up the boots for the last time.

On his 48th birthday earlier this week Gary Moorcroft finally pulled the pin on his footballing career which has stretched more than three decades.

Moorcroft is, of course, famous for the iconic mark he took at Marvel Stadium in a game against the Western Bulldogs in 2001.

While injury cut short his AFL career, Moorcroft continued to be a star at local level in Melbourne’s Northern Football Netball League where he played more than 350 games and bagged more than 1300 goals.

He was planning on playing again in 2024 before increased work commitments got in the way.

“I might take up golf, that’ll keep my body fresher,” he said.

While on the subject of local footy …

Gary Moorcroft marking over Brad Johnson.

Concerning signs for clubs across the country

Local AFL leagues returned en masse across the country in the past couple of weeks and while there have been some rip-roaring contests, there have been some other results which have left a lot to be desired.

There was a 349-point margin in one game in Tasmania’s Southern Football League and another 340-point margin in the Adelaide Football League.

In Melbourne’s western suburbs, four reserves teams kicked just four points between them in a horribly lopsided competition.

There seems to be a growing gap between the haves and the have-nots in many local competitions – a disparity which is now looming as one of the great challenges the game faces for player retention.

That challenge was further revealed this week in the case of the East Roxby Football Club which has declared the 2024 season would be its last.

Given East Roxby competes in a competition against just three other clubs, big questions must now be asked about the viability of the Far North Football League in rural South Australia.

And finally …

Best of luck to former Gold Coast Suns listed player Patrick Murtagh who this week penned a contract to become a punter in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

After signing the biggest pay cheque of his career we particularly loved how Murtagh is now planning to spend his new found wealth … on his mum!

Well done Patrick.

Originally published as Ironman hero Grant Kenny dominates at ASLSA Championships