2014 Round 18, Half time.

10th July Birthdays.

 

Tom Jones 1930, Andrew Shipp 1979.

 PLAYER OF THE DAY. Matthew Egan, born 10th July 1983.

After playing for VFL side Geelong, it wasn't much of a move for Matthew when drafted to the Geelong AFL side in 2005. 

Finding the going tough in his first couple of games he managed to come back for the last 13 games of 2005 and showed he could match it as a tall defender on some quality opposition.

Playing every game in 2006 and selected in the All Australian team in 2007 it is unfortunate that a foot injury suffered late in that year saw him miss all of 2008.

Between 2005 and 2007 Matthew played 59 games for Geelong and kicked 1 goal.

Source: The Encyclopaedia Of AFL Footballers.

The South Australian Derby.

Round 15 2014, Port Adelaide v Adelaide.  Up to this point in the season Port have led the way and are a game clear on top of the ladder. Adelaide on the other hand are struggling a bit.  It is a game most pundits would have Port winning, but this game is more than a local rivalry, it is a battle in the coaches boxes between 2 ex Geelong players.

Ken Hinkley coaching port Adelaide, played 2 seasons at Fitzroy before going to the Cats.  In 1987 and 88 he donned the Lions jumper in 11 games and kicked 20 goals.

Playing as a forward at Fitzroy he never seemed to settle, but after moving to Geelong he found his niche in the back line.

From 1989 to 1995 he played 121 games for the Cat’s and kicked 59 goals. He was the clubs Best and Fairest in 1992 and All Australian in ’91 and ’92.

 

It is interesting that Brenton Sanderson is coaching Adelaide as that is where his football journey began in 1992.  He played 6 games for them over 2 seasons and then moved to Collingwood. In his one season with the Magpies (1994) he played just 4 games for 1 goal.

The final club he called home was Geelong where he spent 10 years, playing in 199 games, kicking 29 goals.

It took him a while to get a regular birth, but by 1996 he had done this, playing as a running half back flanker on opposition small/medium forwards.

He had his best years up until 2001 when he won the Best and Fairest award but after that injuries kept him out of a lot of games and the end came in 2004 when he was diagnosed with a heart condition.

Source: The Encyclopaedia Of AFL Footballers.

Southport AFC.

The Southport (Queensland) Football Club was established in 1961 and was known as the Magpies. They were part of the Gold Coast Australian Football League and won the league’s first 2 Premierships in 1961 and 1962.

In 1983 they moved into the Queensland Australian Football League and changed their name to the Southport Sharks.

Some people thought they would struggle playing against mainly Brisbane based clubs but they won the flag in their first year. They then went on to win 3 more Premierships and come runners up twice through the rest of the decade.

They played in more finals during the ‘90’s and 2000’s and overall have won 21 Premierships in 53 years.

Some ex Southport players to join AFL ranks include Marcus Ashcroft, Matthew Kennedy and Steven Lawrence.

Source: Wikipedia.   

3 Players Born Overseas.

We have seen a number of Irish players come to Australia and pick up the game, but there are players born in other countries who have also played some great football.

Peter Bell was born in Korea but adopted by an Australian couple and grew up in Western Australia.

He holds the honour of being Fremantle’s first recruit, having previously played for South Fremantle.

For a number of reasons he was only able to play 2 games in the 1995 season and was traded to North Melbourne at the end of the year.

After 123 games and 120 goals from 1996 to 2000, Peter left the Kangaroos to go back west and have another crack at Fremantle.

This time he played 161 games and kicked 130 goals between 2001 and 2008, was All Australian in 2003 and club Best and Fairest twice.

Milham Hanna hails from Lebanon and played for Carlton from 1986 to 1997 in 128 games for 49 goals.

Only playing 1 game in 1986, he came back to be a very effective, if not always consistent, utility player.

Part of the clubs 1995 flag side, he also played 7 state of origin games and was All Australian in 1992.

 

Jose Romero, who was in Chile, was with North Melbourne from 1988 to 1994.  During his time at the Kangaroos he played 89 games for 98 goals.

After a patchy carer with North he moved to Footscray in 1995 and from then until 2001 he played 122 games for 71 goals.

He again had some ups and downs, but by 1996 he moved from the forward pocket to a ‘run with’ role and was able to use his fitness to full advantage.

His football had improved and he was joint Best and Fairest winner that year. Injuries saw him have a horror few years after that,  however, he came back for another good year in 2000.

Source: The Encyclopaedia Of AFL Footballers.