Spencer Gulf Football League

Spencer Gulf Football League

General Information
Founded	1961
2010 Season
Premiers	Central Augusta
Minor Premiers	South Augusta
Wooden Spoon	Port
Madigan Medallist	Ryan Struck, South Augusta & Tyrone Price, Solomontown
Leading Goalkicker	Hayden Warren, West Augusta

The Spencer Gulf Football League is an Australian rules football competition based at the head of the Spencer Gulf in South Australia. It is an affiliated member of the South Australian National Football League.^[1]

The Spencer Gulf Football League was formed in 1961, via a merger of the Port Pirie Football League (PPFL), the Whyalla Football League (WFL), and the Port Augusta-based Great Northern Football Association (GNFA). At the end of the 1966 season the WFL contingent withdrew.

Brief history

In 1961 the Great Northern Football Association, the Port Pirie Football Association and the Whyalla Football League merged to form the Spencer Gulf Football League. The twelve founding clubs were Central Augusta, Central Whyalla, North Whyalla, Port, Proprietary, Risdon, Solomontown, South Augusta, South Whyalla, West Augusta, West Whyalla and Willsden.

The four Whyalla-based clubs left the Spencer Gulf Football League at the end of season 1966 to form the Whyalla Football League, leaving 8 teams from Port Augusta and Port Pirie.

In 1992 Willsden amalgamated with Quorn to form Quorn-Willsden Wolves. The league reverted to 7 teams in 1994 when Proprietary and Risdon amalgamated. In 2006 the league was cut down to 6 teams when the Quorn-Willsden Wolves folded due to financial woes.

Current clubs

Colours	Club	Nickname	Home Ground	Entered Competition	Premierships	Premiership Years
	Central Augusta	Bloods	Central Oval	1961	8	1978, 1980, 1982, 1991, 1992, 2009, 2010, 2011
	Port	Bulldogs	Memorial Oval	1961	13	1961, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008
	Pirie (Proprietary-Risdon)	Lions	Memorial Oval	1994	1	2015
	Solomontown	Cats	Memorial Oval	1961	5	1984, 1988, 1990, 1995, 2014
	South Augusta	Bulldogs	Central Oval	1961	8	1964, 1981, 1983, 1993, 1994, 2000, 2006, 2012
	West Augusta	Hawks	Central Oval	1961	12	1969, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1996, 2005, 2013

Previous clubs

Premierships

Madigan Medallist & Ken Mitchell Awards

AFL representatives

The Spencer Gulf League has been home to many AFL Footballers including:

• Greg Flanegan (Essedon Bombers, 1981)

• Mark Bickley (Adelaide Crows, 1991–2003) played his junior football for the Solomontown Football club and was a premiership player with the club in 1988, in that same year he won the Madigan Medal at the age of 19. Mark moved to the South Adelaide Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), where he was then selected as an inaugural member of the Adelaide Crows squad in 1991. In 1997 Bickley was appointed captain of the Adelaide Football Club, and captained the 1997 and 1998 Adelaide premiership sides. He is now a member of the SANFL Hall of Fame.

• Bryan Beinke (Adelaide Crows, 1999–2002)

• Jared Rivers (Melbourne Demons, 2003–present) played junior football for the South Augusta Bulldogs Football club and won a premiership with the club in 2000 at the age of 15. Jared was selected by the Melbourne Demons as the 26th pick overall in the National Draft of 2002. In 2004 he won the National Bank Rising Star.

• Mark Jamar (Melbourne Demons, 2003–present) played his early football at the Lions Football Club before moving to North Adelaide in the SANFL. Mark was selected at pick 6 of the 2001 Rookie Draft by the Melbourne Demons. In 2010 he was named as the second ruckman for the All-Australian squad.

• Elijah Ware (Port Adelaide, 2005–2006)

• Wade Thompson (Port Adelaide, 2009–2010)

• Lewis Johnston (Sydney Swans/Adelaide, 2009–present)

Grand Final results

2009

Central 12.6 (78) def Port 8.15 (63)

• Best: Central – M Fuller, J Dodd, A Fullerton, J Quigley, S Dawson. Port - C Stephens, T Clarke, K Johnanson, C Smith, M Burford.
• Goals: Central – R Morris 3, S Dawson, J Reid 2, R Clayton-Waye, S Curnow, M Fuller, M Harvey, A McKenzie. Port - G Phillips 3, S Treloar, T Clarke, J Clarke, M Gale

2008

Port 10.10 (70) def Central 8.21 (69)

• Best: Port – A Casey, M Burford, N Wombat, A Featherstonaugh, J Coombe. Central – A Williams, N Callary, T O’Connor, L Rathman, M Keatley.
• Goals: Port – G Phillips 4, N Wombat 3, J Coombe 2, A Casey. Central – S Dawson, S Wilson, M Fuller, D Baker, J Dodd, K Allen, N Lawrence

2007

Port 16.8 (104) def West 11.15 (81)

• Best: Port - N Wombat, S Treloar, M Burford, A Waters, C Stephens. West - Not Available.
• Goals: Port - B Mudge, A Bergsma 3, S Treloar, J Coombe 2, L Copley, A Fleming, S Humphreys, M Kendall. West - R McDonald, J Coulthard, R Dadleh 2, R Stapledon, C McKenzie, J Carn, H Warren, M Benbow

2006

South 16.13 (109) def Central 7.6 (48)

• Best: South – D Crombie, C Reid, G O’Brien, R Barnes. Central – S McIntyre, M Fuller, B Page, C Pannach
• Goals: South – B Amos 7, D Shillabeer 3, C Heron 2, B Jones, A Grantham, M Grantham, G O’Brien. Central – A Ruffles 3, J Harland 2, D Baker, M Kieboom

References

External links

• country footy