Raphael Clarke says it took him years to watch AFL again after being delisted by St Kilda by text message

A Darwin NTFL coach has relived the moment he was sacked via text match by an AFL club. But St Kilda’s loss is our gain as The St Mary’s leader makes his mark on Top End footy.

Former St Kilda footballer and now St Mary’s Division 2 coach Raph Clarke says he hated his old club for several years after being delisted by text message a decade ago.

The 37-year-old, who played 85 games at the highest level before being delisted in October, 2012, said his salvation was returning to St Mary’s for the 2012-13 season, a premiership year for the Saints.

It was the first of four Men’s Premier League flags with the Green Machine for Clarke, plus a Chaney Medal in 2020-21 in a losing cause to Nightcliff, before hanging up the boots.

However, Clarke also told SEN Top End late last month he despised St Kilda after being informed by text his career at Moorabbin was over.

“I actually hated AFL footy, it took me a while to actually get back and watch it,” Clarke said.

“I was shown the door.

“If I didn’t come back and play for St Mary’s straight away with (brother) Xavier it would have taken me a long time to enjoy football again.

Raph Clarke talks to coach Scott Watters at training in June, 2012. Picture: Michael Klein.

“A lot of people probably wouldn’t believe this.

“For somebody, to give nine years of everything you’ve got, to be delisted by text message, that’s probably the icing on the cake, which made me hate St Kilda for so long.

“I’m only just starting to get my passion back for St Kilda.”

He said that had happened through a connection with the club’s player welfare officer Tony Brown, and Territorian Ben Long, and Brad Hill and Paddy Ryder, who all played with St Kilda.

“I didn’t watch a lot of AFL footy for a good 3-4 years,” he said.

“I’m just starting to watch it again and really enjoying the game now.”

St Mary's coach Anthony Vallejo and Clarke at training before the 2019-20 grand final against Nightcliff. Picture: Grey Morris.

Meanwhile, in an in-depth interview, Clarke, who started his career at St Mary’s as an 11-year-old in 1996-97 in the Under 14s, said the key to success was “knowing what your club’s about” and the St Mary’s, like Port Adelaide in the SANFL, existed to win premierships.

“We talked finals, we always talked finals, you drove that from the very start,” Clarke said.

“We’re not here to come second. We train to win premierships.

“You’re not there to do 50 per cent, you’re not there to muck around.

“We always saw ourselves as finishing in the top two, and if you’re not talking premierships at St Mary’s, you’ve got a lot to learn very quickly.”

Both St Kilda and Clarke were contacted for comment.