SA Footy

One thing I liked about footy in the 1960s (and before) were clubs played their best available 20 players in the league team, and then picked their next best 20 in the Reserves. It was only later on that clubs began culling their reserves lists and used it as the place to blood promising juniors rather than the U19 & U17 competitions.

It was possible for players to spend years in the Reserves, playing very little or no league football at all. These players usually became captains of the Reserves, or maybe even won a Reserves Magarey Medal, etc. They remained loyal to their clubs, even thought they probably would have scored a regular league game elsewhere.

This is a tribute to those loyal club stalwarts who gave great service to their clubs with very little reward.

One such player I recall is Sturt's Romeo Zoanetti, a nuggety player who captained the Sturt reserves through their golden era of the 60s. Another I remember is Port Adelaide full forward David Cheetham who kicked plenty of goal for the Port reserves as he couldn't score a game ahead of Rex Johns or Eric Freeman.

A few players of this ilk I recall from my club Norwood were Alex Staritski, Peter Blood, Brian Norsworthy, and Brian Woodcock who won the 1966 Reserves Magarey Medal.

I'm not sure what kind of response I will get to this thread, but can any other "old timers" such as myself mention any of these players from their own clubs?

John McInnes ...

I'm not an old timer, but when I started following Norwood, we had Dean Renfrey as this type of reserves stalwart in the 80s.

From memory he was captain of the reserves, occasionally played league games, but mostly reserves.

Interceptor wrote:I'm not an old timer, but when I started following Norwood, we had Dean Renfrey as this type of reserves stalwart in the 80s.

From memory he was captain of the reserves, occasionally played league games, but mostly reserves.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't he move to South to try to get a regular league game?

Des Drogemuller would be one i guess for Port. Moved on, i think to Centrals, to get an opportunity at League level.

In modern times Paul Jarvis for Sturt would be one.

dedja wrote:

Interceptor wrote:I'm not an old timer, but when I started following Norwood, we had Dean Renfrey as this type of reserves stalwart in the 80s.

From memory he was captain of the reserves, occasionally played league games, but mostly reserves.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't he move to South to try to get a regular league game?

Got me there, does sound vaguely familiar actually.
AH will know.

I double checked today ... he definitely ended up at South, then went back to Athelstone where he originally played juniors.

Malcolm Ellis

Interceptor wrote:

dedja wrote:

Interceptor wrote:I'm not an old timer, but when I started following Norwood, we had Dean Renfrey as this type of reserves stalwart in the 80s.

From memory he was captain of the reserves, occasionally played league games, but mostly reserves.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't he move to South to try to get a regular league game?

Got me there, does sound vaguely familiar actually.
AH will know.

Yeah he did, I reckon he would have played 100+ reserves games beforehand though (won the McCallum or Tomkins Medal too) .. Always thought at Norwood that Wayne Schmaal played a fair bit of Ressies footy.

For Glenelg I think Dennis "Bear" Eblen played for something like 10 years but in that 10 year epoch only racked up 28 League games. He started in 1968 and IIRC I have a couple of 1977 Budgets where he is still playing 2s as captain.

Another recent one is Guy "Boxhead" Ridgeway who first played 2s in 1991 and finished at the end of 1997 for 10 league games.

Craig Lum played 47 league games.

And over 100 in the ressies.

Colin 'Jock' McKenzie squeezed in 12 league games after WWII.

But is probably best known as the captain/coach of Port's reserves teams that won five premierships in-a-row in the '50s.

While Fos and Mots took the league side to six straight...

Spog McGorran was one from Centrals through the 90s.

At Westies in early 80's, they had Justin Mackie (uncle of Andrew) who played alot of reserves footy & dont think he cracked a league game - Spellcheck??
Also John Falting played a bit of league footy but was always behing Luders, Lindner, etc.
Craig Bennetts in 90's played alot of reserves footy before becoming a regular later in his career

Arguably the longest B grade stalwart in the 90s would have been Darren Chandler.

2 & 1/2 years at the Bays playing 2s footy and from 94-99?? (R&B, Wyc??) for not many league games?

Falting would have had a substantial career with us in any other period. Very talented player who, to his credit, didn't seek a move away from us even with Morris, Luders, Lindner, Meuret, and Mike Smith ahead of him.

Trevor Ellis is one I remember playing a lot of Reserves footy for Westies in the 70s, and captaining us. May have got one League game but I'm not 100% on that.

Peter Hamilton (70s/80s) was another - 9 seasons for 44 League games...must mean about 130-odd Reserves games.

Another I have a vague memory of is John Baruzzi who I think played for Port and maybe North in the late 60s/early 70s? Reserves Magarey medallist I think who never seemed to crack it at League level IIRC.

selion wrote: Also John Falting played a bit of league footy but was always behing Luders, Lindner, etc.

Now a well connected developer who was heavily involved in the development of the Wallaroo marina.

Seem to recall Kieran Ryan playing a lot of Ressies and few league games for Norwood In the 90's?

I could be wrong though!

selion wrote:At Westies in early 80's, they had Justin Mackie (uncle of Andrew) who played alot of reserves footy & dont think he cracked a league game - Spellcheck??
Also John Falting played a bit of league footy but was always behing Luders, Lindner, etc.
Craig Bennetts in 90's played alot of reserves footy before becoming a regular later in his career

i was in the same class with justing at salesian college, an absolute gun schoolboy footballer, and a super quick fast bowler as well, mark mackie ex league umpy is andrews dad i reckon

stampy wrote:

selion wrote:At Westies in early 80's, they had Justin Mackie (uncle of Andrew) who played alot of reserves footy & dont think he cracked a league game - Spellcheck??
Also John Falting played a bit of league footy but was always behing Luders, Lindner, etc.
Craig Bennetts in 90's played alot of reserves footy before becoming a regular later in his career

i was in the same class with justing at salesian college, an absolute gun schoolboy footballer, and a super quick fast bowler as well, mark mackie ex league umpy is andrews dad i reckon

I reckon Justin played district cricket for West Torrens IIRC.