SA Footy

Before my time, but I know Nan Boon held Gerlach in very high regard. Was a quality person on and off field by all accounts.

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PORT Adelaide goalkicking hero Randall Gerlach has died. He was 65.

Gerlach made his fame as a reliable goalkicker in his 110 SANFL league games with the Magpies from 1971-1977. He played a significant role in ending Port Adelaide’s 12-year premiership drought in 1977 with his assertive form as a key forward in the league’s centenary season.

Gerlach also lifted the public profile on those battling kidney disease.

Gerlach was just 24 when he retired from football, just six months after playing in the 1977 grand final win against Glenelg at Football Park. His kidneys had shut down, consigning him to dialysis and kidney transplants - three of which failed.

Gerlach topped Port Adelaide’s goalkicking list in 1976 with 90 goals.

As a kid I used to love reading those footy budget “looking back” recaps of games of yesteryear, and this blokes name always seemed to feature prominently. Like a few others (Ken Whelan for eg) would loved to have seen him play.

Booney wrote:Before my time, but I know Nan Boon held Gerlach in very high regard. Was a quality person on and off field by all accounts.

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PORT Adelaide goalkicking hero Randall Gerlach has died. He was 65.

Gerlach made his fame as a reliable goalkicker in his 110 SANFL league games with the Magpies from 1971-1977. He played a significant role in ending Port Adelaide’s 12-year premiership drought in 1977 with his assertive form as a key forward in the league’s centenary season.

Gerlach also lifted the public profile on those battling kidney disease.

Gerlach was just 24 when he retired from football, just six months after playing in the 1977 grand final win against Glenelg at Football Park. His kidneys had shut down, consigning him to dialysis and kidney transplants - three of which failed.

Gerlach topped Port Adelaide’s goalkicking list in 1976 with 90 goals.

Sad news, another one who has left us too early. Too early for my time as a spectator too, it sounds like he could've dominated the comp if not for his kidney ailment. A name I associate with those strong Port Adelaide sides in the golden SANFL years of the 1970s. RIP.

Wasn't he also the comp's leading goal-kicker in 1976?

He was a wonderful footballer.
As a 19 year old he played a couple of great games for Port against the roosters. At Prospect late in the season he kicked 7 goals in a dominant display as Port thrashed the reigning premiers. Then in the Grand Final he took 13 marks standing a great player, Bohdan Jaworksyj. Unfortunately for Port he didn't have his kicking boot on and North won the Grand Final by 56 points.
My next memories of him were as the dominant forward in the league in 1976. Sadly his father passed away during Grand Final week and it clearly affected Randall's performance in the Grand Final.
It was at that time he was diagnosed with the kidney ailment and announced his retirement.
He did play in 1977 and played a vital role in the premiership win, playing as a ruckman. He then retired.
He and Peter Carey commenced at the same time and it is not stretching the truth to say they were on a par as young SANFL stars

JK wrote:As a kid I used to love reading those footy budget “looking back” recaps of games of yesteryear, and this blokes name always seemed to feature prominently. Like a few others (Ken Whelan for eg) would loved to have seen him play.

Yes, I read those too with interest as a kid in the mid-80s, hoping that North had won in the same round 10 years earlier (didn't happen much). Gerlach's was definitely a name that came up often.

robranisgod wrote:He was a wonderful footballer.
As a 19 year old he played a couple of great games for Port against the roosters. At Prospect late in the season he kicked 7 goals in a dominant display as Port thrashed the reigning premiers. Then in the Grand Final he took 13 marks standing a great player, Bohdan Jaworksyj. Unfortunately for Port he didn't have his kicking boot on and North won the Grand Final by 56 points.
My next memories of him were as the dominant forward in the league in 1976. Sadly his father passed away during Grand Final week and it clearly affected Randall's performance in the Grand Final.
It was at that time he was diagnosed with the kidney ailment and announced his retirement.
He did play in 1977 and played a vital role in the premiership win, playing as a ruckman. He then retired.
He and Peter Carey commenced at the same time and it is not stretching the truth to say they were on a par as young SANFL stars

Brilliant, thanks RiG.

The 1972 Grand Final is available on the Internet. You can see Gerlach's fantastic pack marking but alas for him you see his kicking at its worst. He wasn't always a bad kick though. I think he had one of those days.

For those posters here who were too young to see him play I would suggest that Stewart Loewe was a similar type of player to Randall Gerlach.

And I will name drop here, the greatest player I, or anyone else is likely to see, Barrie Robran, said that he only ever saw Jaworskyj beaten twice, and one of the times was the 1972 Grand Final by Randall Gerlach.

I would regularly get on my pushbike as a young lad, and ride to Alberton Oval to watch the great PA teams in action in the 1970s
I would secretly half barrack for PA , but not admit to it

Of the players i would seek out to watch included these 4 players Russell Ebert , Johnny Cahill, Andy Porplycia and Randall Gerlach
Randall Gerlach was a BIG man , fantastic mark, really stood out as he played with a beard
He played up forward and rucked as well
PA was unfortunate to lose Randall Gerlach , but fortunate another bearded star, Timmy Evans , could replace Randall Gerlach in the forward line

There was some shattering news in the 70s
Star Hawthorn VFL rover Peter Crimmins passed away with cancer
Neil Sasche was crippled whilst playing for Footscray in the VFL
Randall Gerlach had to retire due to a kidney ailment in the SANFL

Randall Gerlach
R.I.P.