Unfortunately for you guys IMO a team further south firmly have there hands on the cup already.

carey wrote:Unfortunately for you guys IMO a team further south firmly have there hands on the cup already.

And by the x MP Pres.

Long time reader first time poster.

Lonsdale to clean up in div7. Ex Mitchell park president knew that of course going there to “ help find a coach “ good move. Mitchell park to play c3 if they can get 21 players. Not such a good move by the ex Lonsdale coach

Thanks to the londsdale/osb lads for the hit out on saturday. Very fit and well drilled team as you would expect with the numbers at training.

simmo wrote:Thanks to the londsdale/osb lads for the hit out on saturday. Very fit and well drilled team as you would expect with the numbers at training.

Cheers mate the game was played in good spirits all the best for the season!

Junior85 wrote:What time is the Marion Vs Macclesfield game @ Mt Barker on Sunday?

Welcome aboard Junior... long time watcher first time poster?

Anyway, this recent conversation has hit on a theme and a post I’ve been thinking about for a while. It's a long one, but I don't care.

What happened to our culture of truly local, representative, grass roots, amateur football? I feel like its snuck up on us, this new toxicity of player payments, mass recruitment, coaching roundabouts and ruthless playing groups. When I first started playing I was in awe of Trevor Bennetts, Joe Leck, Bernie Kusterman, Phil Pike and Ian Colquhoun - all Mitchell Park legends who had been there for many years, including through the juniors. Seriously tough men, fiercely loyal types who other than earning a BoG would have never even dreamt of taking payment for playing. For them the Club was an entity to be respected, it came first and the privilege of playing senior football, even at a lower level, was seen as exactly that – a privilege. Wal and Joe in particular taught me a lot, and for that, a young introverted nerd more used to bricking threes and talking trash than shanking drop punts, their introduction to the inner sanctum of a football club shaped many of my ideals – inside of that world and out.

One would get the feeling the Club was an escape for those guys, a place to talk about tits and cars, to confess their woes and maybe even look for support, to relax and unwind with no social pressure or pretentiousness. The Front Bar at Mitchell Park certainly provided all of that, but even then, there was still a Club first attitude, they’d wash the dishes, help the canteen staff, fill water bottles, sell raffle tickets, help out with admin – whatever it was, they would always do whatever they could to help out the Football Club. As they knew that The Club provided them with so muc more. And that is precisely the right word. *Club*. To use an Americanism - a fraternity.

I fell in love with it. Mitchell Park soon turned into my happy place too. My Church. I would go there all the time, often by myself just to walk around and clear my head sometimes to celebrate or commiserate or simply to catch up. It was so incredibly important to me as a young fella to have a place to garner an instant feel of comradery and acceptance. In that regard it was so different to basketball and rugby, my childhood sports, where it was more like a high society bitch fest than sporting coterie. It didn’t matter if you were a bogan or a hipster – acceptance was for all, provided you put the Club first. Cross that Club, and sure enough street justice was known to have been handed out on occasion. In a really strange way it was like a fully legal, crime free (sort of) drug free (sort of) motor cycle gang.

Now? In its 50th Anniversary year, it is very close to death. Down from a full suite of junior teams to one and a half. From having powerful senior sides across 3 grades in the strong SAFA to lucky to be filling one in Division 7. Yeah, we’ve pulled some strings every now and then and won a flag or two along the way, but none of the above is true of the Club anymore. There are a few hanging on, but we all know of the likely impending doom that awaits.

I really like what Down the Hill wrote. It is rather sad how clubs are forced to survive these days when they were originally established to provide a recreational outlet with organised competition for their local communities. It’s a precise observation and one that rings painfully true. We’re structured from the bottom to the top that way. Despite the cries of the ignorant, there really isn’t much we can do. Smart people all sitting around the table all trying their hardest for hours on end – but constantly hitting road blocks. Be it business wise with limited options for revenue thanks to outdated management models, be it due the shifting populations and demands, be it the club reputation that despite all contrary evidence, still hangs like bad smell. We’re check mated.

Perhaps one of the most galling things, however, is this latest offseason where last year’s promising group of players, coaches and administrators have abandoned us like rats down a sewerage crusted outlet pipe. I recall the season Luke McDonnell wanted to try playing for Happy Valley. He was physically emotional and struggled to confront the playing group. We understood and wished him all the best. He returned two years later and won a GF. These days? One of our better players who smashed our highest paid player record last year by a long way – took us for every last cent and then still asked for more when the Club was on the skins of its arse. Another player, who I love dearly, left because he felt he deserved to be playing A’s but got dropped a couple of times - the Club owed him, apparently. A young star and Premiership player, son of a gun and much loved member of our club off to a nearby rival, I assume because it looked like it might be a struggle with us. Our coach who promised cultural change and 3 years of effort left half way through his contract for promises and thin air after realising that it wasn’t going to be easy and instant success might not be on the cards. Our President, who made awful decision after awful decision, also left, without so much as even having the guts to rock up to our AGM to hand over the keys. Countless more who for a bit more petrol money have decided to knife the institution that would provide them with much more valuable things than cash, should they merely give it the chance. Then we have clubs like Adelaide Lutheran, smelling a fresh carcass like a circling vulture, messaging players on Social Media from our list in an attempt to poach them.

Poisonous stuff, that’s for sure. As most on here would know I am hyper analytical. I have a yearning to understand why. Are we at fault? Sometimes, but I don’t think that’s the answer. To me we’re experiencing the consequences of a far more macro movement. One of individualism, narcissism and a generation of people that put image first. For a Club like ours that is about the group, humility and substance, this is decidedly out of step. Examples of this can be found all over the place – the best players in Sporting Pulse? Caused huge issues amongst our playing group. Complaints about not making it or being 4th instead of 2nd, absolutely ridiculous stuff, I tried to explain, but it was important to them. Payments? Heck, even average footballers deserve it as they are putting their body on the line, so the club ought to look after them. Forget earning it through awards. They were entitled to it for merely rocking up. Doing a chore for the club? No chance, they do enough of that at home, football is a place to escape nagging, god damnit! But easily the biggest indicator is what happens when it looks like we might not win much. It is unbelievable how quickly people pike out. The modern amateur footballer is a jellyfish, if it’s not going to be “fun” and by fun, of course we mean winning, then they want no part of it. Countless players have said exactly that. They haven’t left, per se, they just don’t want to play because it will be too hard.

So at 35 with dodgy knees, crippled hands and countless surgeries on other broken bones, I came to the realisation at full forward on Saturday that I’m now out of touch with the modern game. It’s no longer about the Club or the comradery, it’s about the person looking back from the mirror. I hope we hold on, but we’re on the precipice.

Are we good? Are we any bloody good? Well, we sure used to be.

Not sure what all this micky mouse college crap has got to do with Div 7 Football. Nobody cares about college crap.

1 week to the real stuff, whose ready for round 1!

If i was a 'young' aspiring footballer (not a grandpa footballer like most of you blokes) and i was told im just a surplus un-required footballer who might get a quarter or so on the field i would leave immediately

Who pays fees, buys uniforms and boots, trains twice, invites their wife kids or relatives to see you play footy all to spend most of the afternoon on the bench

Youre all bias and lack empathy for the individual who come to your club to play footy, and believing this player is having a wonderful time & developing immensly by spending 60% of the game sitting on a bench NOT PARTICIPATING youre in my opinion delusional. Sorry :D

So he goes to a less successful club, gets a full game and gets whalloped week in, week out and doesn't enjoy the day, doesn't get to socialise much after the game as not many go back to the club after a loss. He can be complacent that he doesn't need to improve his skills as he will get a game regardless as his new club has to make half a dozen calls every Thursday night to fill the last couple spots.

Then comes Saturday when the coach is waiting outside the changeroom door sucking on a durry watching the carpark to see who else might fill in or is going to rock up or not.

I think most blokes know where they stand in the team, it's not a great feeling as a coach telling players why they are starting on the bench or not getting a game but it's a part of life in sports.




There is a reason I don't play professional golf.

If you was a decent coach and cared about a kids development, rather than putting him on your bench for 60% of games for the next 2 years you instead encourage him to go get full games at mitchell park.

18 full games vs 18 one & half quarters for the season. Gee i wonder what be better for the kid
Hahaha!! You still harping on about that? :lol:

Huge turnout by the OSB/Lonsdale players and faithful. The bbq was under the pump during the A-grade and punters were spilling out of the verandah to watch a great game of footy.

Waaaa waaaa waaaa you say I say he says. Couldn't care less about the opinions of some anonymous poster on SA footy.

Call our President if you would like to know more. I'm sure he'll oblige.
Seems you do. I just asked a question regarding a report. You fire up easy. You say you've addressed problems then I witness something from the 80's.
I care very deeply about the standards of my football club.

Exchanging biased interpretations and heresay about an incident that hasn't hit the tribunal yet with anonymous internet trolls, I do not care about.

Do not confuse clarity with anger.

No Worries, I thought the Tribunal would have sat by now. Is it a Weekly thing or do they wait until they have a few cases to do? Serious question as we are new to this league.

http://www.adelaidefootball.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Tribunal-Summary-2018-5.pdf

Couple of Div 7 sharpshooters get a write up.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_ ... 2701406946

Game of the week coming up. Tea Tree Gully Vs Houghton in the reserves. Both teams un-defeated. Will be a good test to us to see how we can adjust to a similar side to ours. Hopefully we can get the win. Looking forward to the game. Go Raiders!!!
Sullies beat TTG on the weekend just gone
****. I'll retract the part of both sides being un-defeated. Still going to be a test for us to see how we sit.

I'd expect Houghton to win comfortably tbh. Lions had a more balanced side on the weekend and our best footy is still ahead of us. With over 50 players used so far i don't think we have gone close to playing our best 21 yet....

I have really enjoyed the reserves comp this year, other than Flinders and Houghton we've had competitive games every week and our boys are loving it.

So for the 2nd week in a row we will have 1 v 2 in the A's. St Pauls are the surprise of the year so far. Not many had them at the pointy end come finals. I didn't. Marion showed a bit late but thought we put the cue in the rack at 3/4 time, the intencity went out in the last quarter. Big Wade will cause a few headaches in finals unless someone has a 6 foot 6, 100 kg fullback. Tag Saunders and it helps, kicked a couple but didn't have the 40 + possies he had last year.

So you want all clubs to show their annual player spend budgets in Jan each year and make decisions based on player spend?
No, not at all, but it's not hard to look over previous season results, see who has come in or out of a club leading into the season and be pretty well in the ball park.

I'll use Greenacres as an example again (sorry GFC), last year they struggled to field 2 sides in D5, they got pumped every week, over the break they lost Asfaha, Clark-Rantasa x2, Dolley, Maniotis, Liddle, Smith, Polkinghorne, Wheaton - so out of a side that lost by plenty already, they've now lost their best players.

Recruited reasonably well, but brought in B grade depth - picked up a swag of B graders from St Pauls who were mid table at best in the division BELOW where they were playing this year.

Add to that they fronted to their trial games with barely a full side, and had 50 scoring shots against them is a good indicator. Got touched up by OSB in one trial, where OSB also lent them players to fill a side - that should've been the final indicator to know these clubs were around the wrong way.

And Pulteney only beat OSB/ Lonsdale by 3 goals in a trial. Should they have been put in the same Div then? We were told they had 8 good players out. Trial game form doesn't always give a good indication of a teams ability. There is 1 win between 3rd and 7th and 6th missed a shot after the siren to beat 1st, and beat 2nd. Central United were talked up early and they sit 7th. From a newcomer this looks like an exciting season. Hardly a dogs breakfast.

Tough day at the Den today. St Pauls very physical, all tied up a 1/4 time. Lonsdale eventually pulled away by 6 goals. I think St Pauls will go along way this year.

Should be a cracking finish to the back half of the minor round. OSB Lonsdale the hunted, a win against them will be a huge factor in securing a berth in the finals with 6 other teams fighting for the final four spots in the top five.

HDFC with a real challenge sitting seventh- realistically need to win six of the last nine to get in. The bye coming at the right time and should see several players return from injury in a couple of weeks. Have shown we are capable of beating the top side, so 6 from 9 a real possibility.


Maybe Houghton could drop a couple from the reserves down to the A grade then :D ;)

All jokes aside there will be some absolute cracker games in the last 9 rounds. 7 teams still in the hunt for the top 5 with 6 teams of those eyeing a top 3 berth!

Looks like the finals will be starting early. Bring it on!

Many thanks to Sullies for their hospitality today. Great day for footy.

Junior85 wrote:Trev Rigney on 92 goals.. Kinda want him to hold off on the ton til Rd 17, our Sullies past players day.
Does anyone know if the C grade fella kicked his 100 on the weekend?

The great man Kicking his 100th in the old colours would be simply epic. Make it happen footy gods!

Huge day down at the Den coming up this week.

Top of the table clash, Sullies past players day where we will be wearing the Heritage O’Sullivan Beach FC guernsey’s. Sullies favourite son Trev Rigney sitting on 96 is sure to draw a crowd. Here’s hoping he can reach the magical ton and deliver a trademark hanger or 2 for good measure!

Great day down at the Den yesterday! A HUGE crowd witnessed a great game in the A grade, the Rams got the jump but the Lions pegged them back and came home strong for a big win! Pure elation after the game with some tears of joy from our long suffering players and supporters. Really hit home what we have been missing out on and the reason why we made the move to the AdFL!

Congrats to the Houghton reserves, they put on a clinic and had too much experience for our boys. Hopefully we can have a strong showing this week in the prelim and get another crack at them. It will be pretty special if we can get both sides through to the GF.

Must say Well done to OSB/Lonsdale, on making the Granny. Marion gave them a run though. Hopefully a rematch in a fortnight.

OSB/Lonsdale is definitely a very welcoming and friendly club, from people involved in the club to its supporters.. Drinks prices were very good also. very good. :D

* Also saw a chick walking a ferret, that's something I haven't seen at a local footy game.

Absolutely stoked for both clubs this weekend. Congratulations to the clubs for taking the gamble, paying off. Goodluck.

Saying that i'd like to see Lonsdale win

Good luck to both Marion and OSB/Lonsdale this weekend. Great to see both clubs having immediate success away from the SFL.

Dutchy wrote:Media ban at Houghton this week?

Training is tonight, will await B4E weekly update on how good training standard and numbers were tomorrow

Failed Creation wrote:Kilburn:

A Grade:
1st: Jason Sandercock
2nd: Darren Francis
3rd: Lloyd Carr

B Grade:
1st: Jayden Austin
2nd: Tomas Zang
3rd: Jamin Tripp

Old mate had a decent year! Should've got him down back earlier.

Then what was the situation with Lynch?
He only coaches when he can sniff a flag
Literally talking about the guy who was made famous by losing in record margins after coaching a losing Aldinga for years. Then took on a struggling Mitchell Park who were rank outsiders to do anything for a long time.

Facts are - OSB wanted to advertise for a coach - encouraged Lynchy to apply. Lynchy thought that was a bit rough after coaching for free and making the GF. Decided not to apply.

Media Hype

i like how his confidence grew over the 30 seconds from "could" to "probably"..

Does anyone think Marion could go back to back?

Due to cancellation the O'Sullivan Beach Lonsdale FC are looking for a trial game for Seniors + Reserves on either Saturday 17th or 24th.

Our ground is available. Contact Shane 0419 816 804
Have you got lights?


We do but they are not the greatest. We still don't have full power up and running after the shed fire. Twilight match perhaps?

We would be sure to provide your boys with cold refreshments after the match :D

Do you stock chardonnay and shiraz? He's at Pulteney now remember.

I think it’s a very interesting social experiment, you just don’t read or see these types of incidents happening very often if at all in the country leagues around the state.

Not quite a country league but I can think of at least three massive crowd brawls in the SFL that I personally saw (granted I stopped playing down their 15 years ago). The GF had to be permanently moved to South Adelaide's oval to help stop the crap that was happening in the crowd on GF day.

The ADFL is huge compared to the country/outer metro leagues.