1978 The year it was

[Interceptor]

Imagine how even greater Roberts may have been if he was 100% fit throughout his career

Apart from other injuries, wasn't he afflicted with chronic arthritis?
When I was a kid, I can remember a newspaper story saying he had the bones/joints of a 60 year old.

[GWW]

He used to wear that unusual looking helmet too.

[bayman]

Imagine how even greater Roberts may have been if he was 100% fit throughout his career

Apart from other injuries, wasn't he afflicted with chronic arthritis?
When I was a kid, I can remember a newspaper story saying he had the bones/joints of a 60 year old.

yeah i remember that story (bones of a 60-70 yo) god knows what those bones would be like today hopefully he isn't in any pain or discomfort.....wasn't he selling kitchen tables & the like not that long ago ?

[mal]

JANUARY 15
Sturts gun recruit Gary Hardeman denied reports that he would leave ST to play with ES
Hardeman played 217 games for ML, b4 transferring to ST to play this season

HARDEMAN
One of the biggest high profiled recruits at the time
Hardeman was a star CHB for the Demons, and played for VI regularly
Remember him well when playing VFL and state games , but dont think he made an impact in the SANFL

[dedja]

Bob Loveday - West Adelaide captain.

i am sure Bob Loveday after his SANFL career coached at Payneham in about 1982, i remember training there and he would take us up to the hills to run, dawn near killed me.

You sure it was '82? ... my hazy memory seems to recall Grant Zubrinich that year but I could easily be wrong.

[JK]

Bob Loveday - West Adelaide captain.

i am sure Bob Loveday after his SANFL career coached at Payneham in about 1982, i remember training there and he would take us up to the hills to run, dawn near killed me.

You sure it was '82? ... my hazy memory seems to recall Grant Zubrinich that year but I could easily be wrong.

Zub's was still playing with Sturt in 82 (and 83', not sure about 84')

[dedja]

Thanks CP ... you're just confirming my early signs of dementia.

[bayman]

JANUARY 15
Sturts gun recruit Gary Hardeman denied reports that he would leave ST to play with ES
Hardeman played 217 games for ML, b4 transferring to ST to play this season

HARDEMAN
One of the biggest high profiled recruits at the time
Hardeman was a star CHB for the Demons, and played for VI regularly
Remember him well when playing VFL and state games , but dont think he made an impact in the SANFL

I remember Hardeman when he came over, but got a serious (knee i think) injury that ruined his career at sturt, i don't think he played much after that for sturt because of that injury, happy to be corrected but that's how my memory remembers it

[baggy8]

I wasn't going to talk about 1978, but a couple of things need to be said. Russell Ebert would've been deciding whether to stay at Port or to go to North Melbourne (which he did a year later). And IMHO, Buckley was better than Ebert and the best Port footballer I've seen was John Cahill.

Grant Zubrinich played for Sturt from 1981-85.

Gary Hardeman was one of the best Victorian recruits Sturt have had. His '78 season was wrecked by injury, but he came back brilliantly in '79 to finish 3rd in the MM (in the 9th-placed side) and also had a fine 1980 season.

[GWW]

You didn't rate Ebert, baggy 8?

[nickname]

I'd rate Ebert above Buckley because Ebert was much better, in my opinion, at winning his own footy.

[GWW]

In a strange way i would have liked Ebert to have gone to the VFL earlier to prove himself. As a Magpies supporter though that would have meant he wouldn't have been around to play for Port for as many years.

Perhaps he could have gone over there in 71/72 because we were never going to win those flags anyway with Robran playing for North.

[mal]

JANUARY 17
WT sign up 17 year old Mark Hewett
Hewett won the 1977 News Whyalla Medal

WT also signed up Kim MALcolm
MALcolm played 18 games for Claremont in 1977[was he a ruckman ?]

[baggy8]

You didn't rate Ebert, baggy 8?

Ebert was a champion, but I couldn't rate him as being in the same echelon as Robran, Blight, Head and (at the risk of being accused of bias) Bagshaw.

Obviously you form your opinions of other players when they play against your team. Ebert's first game against Sturt as an 18 yr. old full forward was sensational, but I can't recall him playing a better game against Sturt. He would invariably be minded by Robbert Klomp (until he went to Carlton), and would have very little influence on proceedings.

It's also a strong (and pleasant) memory to recall the day at Unley that Ebert was playing CHB. For some reason our regular full back, Colin Casey played CHF that day and kicked 6.4

I don't wish to denigrate Ebert, but just because he won 4 MMs doesn't mean he was the greatest. To me, John Cahill was a far superior Port player (against Sturt anyway). Wouldn't mind Spelly advising how many MM votes Ebert and Cahill got against Sturt.

[spell_check]

I don't have round by round votes back then. Only from 1990 onwards. I could only give the yearly totals before that I'm afraid.

[bayman]

JANUARY 17
WT sign up 17 year old Mark Hewett
Hewett won the 1977 News Whyalla Medal

WT also signed up Kim MALcolm
MALcolm played 18 games for Claremont in 1977[was he a ruckman ?]

mark hewett is the son of a great glenelg player in don, mark ended up at the bay through the 80's & played in 1 or 2 losing grand finals before narrowly missing out on the premiership years...was an underrated player in my book.....i can't recall the name of kim malcolm

[GWW]

I remember watching Mark Hewitt in the 88 grand final. Was impressed with him, I thought he was one of Glenelg's better players that day.

[200 Killer Wasps]

Mark Hewett played briefly with Loxton North when he retired and played in their 1986 grand final loss.

[Mickyj]

JANUARY 17
WT sign up 17 year old Mark Hewett
Hewett won the 1977 News Whyalla Medal

WT also signed up Kim MALcolm
MALcolm played 18 games for Claremont in 1977[was he a ruckman ?]

mark hewett is the son of a great glenelg player in don, mark ended up at the bay through the 80's & played in 1 or 2 losing grand finals before narrowly missing out on the premiership years...was an underrated player in my book.....i can't recall the name of kim malcolm

Hewett I remember for the Eagles Knuckles got him to thebarton .Malcolm doesnt ring a bell and I was at most games back in 1978.Way back in my high school days

[mal]

JANUARY 18
Doubts on Peter Markers future at Glenelg
In the last round in 1977 , Marker broke an ankle that required a steel plate


MARKER
Gutsy and talented midfielder for the bays,
Is a member of the 200 game club

QUESTION
Is he better than Kane Cornes ?
Would Marker have been a gun in the VFL if he played there ?