Sturt

Full name	Sturt Football Club
Nickname	The Double-Blues
Strip	Light blue guernsey with navy blue 'SFC' monogram, navy blue shorts and socks.
Founded	1901
Sport	Australian rules football
League	South Australian National Football League
First season	1901
Ground	Unley Oval
Club song	It’s A Grand Old Flag
President/Chair
Coach	Rick MacGowan
Captain	Ben Nelson
2006	8th of 9

The Sturt Football Club is an Australian rules football club in the South Australian National Football League. The club is best known for its period of dominance from 1966-76 under legendary coach Jack Oatey, during which it revolutionised the style of play by emphasising teamwork and accurate ball disposal. Image File history File links Sturt Football Club Logo File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Year 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday [1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... High marking is a key skill and spectacular attribute of Australian rules football Precise field and goal kicking using the oval shaped ball is the key skill in Australian rules football Australian rules football, also known as Australian football, Aussie rules, or simply football or footy is a code of... The South Australian National Football League (SANFL) is the premier league and governing body for the sport of Australian rules football in the state of South Australia. ... Unley Oval is a multi-use stadium in Unley, a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. ... High marking is a key skill and spectacular attribute of Australian rules football Precise field and goal kicking using the oval shaped ball is the key skill in Australian rules football Australian rules football, also known as Australian football, Aussie rules, or simply football or footy is a code of... The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL as it is usually referred to, is the premier league for Australian Rules football in the state of South Australia. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jack Oatey (born 29 August 1920, died 26 February 1994) was a former Australian rules football player and coach. ...

Establishment

The club was established in 1901 when the Sturt Cricket Club decided to form a football club in the Unley (suburban Adelaide) area in the Division of Sturt (named after Australian explorer Charles Sturt). The club used the two shades of blue of Oxford and Cambridge Universities as its home ground, Unley Oval, is situated on the junction of Oxford Terrace and Cambridge Terrace, hence the nickname of "Double Blues". Sturt played its first game against Norwood, losing by 33 points. Bowler Shaun Pollock bowls to batsman Michael Hussey. ... For other uses, see Adelaide (disambiguation). ... The Division of Sturt is an Australian Electoral Division in South Australia. ... Charles Sturt c. ... The University of Oxford (usually abbreviated as Oxon. ... The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University), located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and has a reputation as one of the worlds most prestigious universities. ...

Sturt enjoyed little success initially and struggled to make the finals. In 1909, the club was strengthened by a number of interstate players enticed by offers of employment and accommodation and in 1910, Sturt played in their first Grand Final, losing to Port Adelaide. This article is about the Australian Football League. ...

Early success

The first premiership came in 1915 with a two goal win over Port Adelaide. The competition was suspended during the First World War, then in 1919, Sturt faced North Adelaide in the Grand Final. Despite giving up a big lead early, Sturt fought back and forced a draw. In a low scoring replay the following week, Sturt kicked its only three goals of the match in the last quarter (the last coming with thirty seconds remaining) to win by five points and secure consecutive premierships four years apart. Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... The North Adelaide Roosters are a South Australian National Football League club. ...

Sturt won another premiership in 1926 with Vic Richardson after he was not selected for the 1925 Ashes cricket tour of England. Between 1930 and 1941, Sturt played in five Grand Finals, winning in 1932 and 1940. From 1942 to 1944, Sturt combined with South Adelaide to compete in a restricted wartime competition. Victor York Richardson (born September 7, 1894 in Adelaide, South Australia - died October 30, 1969 in Adelaide) was an Australian cricketer and outstanding all-round sportsman. ... The Ashes is a Test cricket series, played between England and Australia - it is international crickets most celebrated rivalry and dates back to 1882. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... The South Adelaide Football Club competes in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). ...

Golden era

From 1945 to 1961, despite the efforts of triple Magarey Medalist Len Fitzgerald, Sturt performed poorly, “winning” five wooden spoons and failing to make a Grand Final. In 1962, former Norwood and South Melbourne player and West Adelaide coach Jack Oatey was appointed coach of Sturt and began to institute an innovative style of play that would modernise the game in South Australia. The Magarey Medal is an Australian Rules Football award, given annually since 1897 to the best and fairest player in the South Australian National Football League as adjudged by the field umpires. ... The Norwood Football Club, known as the Redlegs, is an Australian rules football club belonging to the South Australian National Football League in the state of South Australia. ... Sydney Swans is an Australian Football League (AFL) club based in Sydney, New South Wales. ... West Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club, nicknamed The Bloods in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). ... Jack Oatey (born 29 August 1920, died 26 February 1994) was a former Australian rules football player and coach. ...

Sturt showed gradual improvement in Oatey’s first years, losing the 1965 Grand Final to Port Adelaide by three points. They reversed that result in 1966, winning their first premiership in 26 years and entering a period of dominance that saw them win seven premierships in eleven years, including five in a row.

Whilst the 1966 Premiership is remembered as the drought breaking final, the 1976 win over Port Adelaide is surely the Rick Davies final. Before a record Football Park crowd of 66,897, Sturt entered the final as rank outsiders. Ruckman Rick Davies, sensing early pressure from Port, positioned himself in the back lines in the first quarter. In an often quoted anecdote, coach Jack Oatey turned to runner David ( Daffy ) Edwards and said:'What's he doing down there? I didn't put him down there. I run this side. Go and ask him what he thinks he's up to." After Davies had taken his fourth strong mark, Edwards came back with the news: "He says he's down there getting kicks, that's where the ball is." Oatey's response:"Course he is. He's a champion isn't he?"^[1]

Rick Davies dominated the final with 21 kicks, 21 handballs, 21 hit outs and 15 marks, with Sturt winning by 41 points. Captain Paul Bagshaw described the win as "Sturt's finest hour".^[2]

Jack Oatey’s legacy has continued to influence football in South Australia. Since their inception into the AFL, the Adelaide Crows have embodied much of the approach to the game that Oatey pioneered. Oatey is also credited with popularising the checkside punt, a kicking style the causes the ball to bend away from the body. In the 1968 Grand Final against Port Adelaide Football Club, Peter Endersbee used the checkside punt to kick two goals in the space of a few minutes turning the game in Sturt’s favour. Since 1981, the Jack Oatey Medal has been awarded to the best player in the SANFL Grand Final. Jack Oatey (born 29 August 1920, died 26 February 1994) was a former Australian rules football player and coach. ... This article is about the national league in Australian rules football. ... The Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed the Crows, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League, based in Adelaide, South Australia. ... Also known as a banana kick, the checkside punt is a kicking style used in Australian Rules and rugby league football. ... This article is about the Australian Football League. ... The Jack Oatey Medal is awarded to the best player during the SANFL Grand Final. ...

Drought

After Oatey’s retirement in 1982, Sturt entered the worst period of its history. In the middle of a 26 year premiership drought, the club won eight consecutive wooden spoons between 1989 and 1996, including a winless season in 1995, and churned through five coaches. A joint bid with Norwood in 1994 to enter the AFL was rejected in favour of Port Adelaide.

Facing financial difficulties in 1995, the board proposed a merger with North Adelaide. This was opposed by supporters who, along with former players, raised the required $250,000 in two weeks to keep the club in existence.

Resurgence

Sturt reached the Grand Final in 1998, losing to Port Adelaide by nine points. Damian Squire won consecutive Magarey medals in 1999-2000 and Jade Sheedy and Tim Weatherald shared the award in 2002. Sturt played Central Districts in the 2002 Grand Final, winning by 47 points, their first premiership in 26 years. Six days after the win, the club was celebrating the win at the Sari Club in Bali when the Bali bombing incident occurred. Player Josh Deegan and trainer Bob Marshall were killed. The Central District Bulldogs is an Australian rules football club based in the city of Elizabeth about 40km to the north of Adelaide, South Australia. ... This article is about the Indonesian island. ... National flags at Kuta explosion site (October 17, 2002) The 2002 Bali Bombing occurred on October 12, 2002 in the town of Kuta on the Indonesian island of Bali, killing 202 people and injuring a further 209. ...

Facts

Year 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday [1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday[1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Year 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1932 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... Year 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ...

Famous players

• Vic Richardson
• Len Fitzgerald
• P.T. ( Bo ) Morton
• John Halbert
• Paul Bagshaw
• Peter Motley
• Gil Langley
• E.R. ( Rick ) Davies

Victor York Richardson (born September 7, 1894 in Adelaide, South Australia - died October 30, 1969 in Adelaide) was an Australian cricketer and outstanding all-round sportsman. ... Len Fitzgerald (May 7, 1929 – April 17, 2007) was a former Australian rules footballer of exceptional talent in the VFL and SANFL. At various time he played in the key positions of centre half-forward, centre half-back and ruck-rover. ... Paul Bagshaw played for Sturt Football Club from 1964 to 1980. ... Played for the Sturt Football Club from 1982-1985. ... Gilbert (Gil) Roche Andrews Langley (September 14, 1919 in North Adelaide, South Australia - May 14, 2001 in Adelaide) was a South Australian and Australian wicket-keeper. ...

Club Song

The Sturt Football Club's song is "It's A Grand Old Flag".

Its a Grand old flag, Its a high-flying flag
Its the emblem for me and for you
Its the emblem of the team we love
The team of the old Double Blues
Every heart beats true for the old Double Blues
As we sing this song to you………what do we sing?
Should old acquaintance be forgot
Keep your eye on the old Double Blues.

Notes

1. ^ Lysikatos.J :True Blue- The History of the Sturt Football Club page 254, Sturt Football Club, 1995
2. ^ Sunday Mail, page 1, 26th September 1976

External links

1. Sturt Football Club Official Website
2. The Sturt Football Club Scrapbook & Supporters Forum
3. Full Points Footy History of Sturt Football Club

v • d • e Clubs in the South Australian National Football League
Central District | Glenelg | North Adelaide | Norwood | Port Adelaide South Adelaide | Sturt | West Adelaide | Woodville-West Torrens Defunct clubs: West Torrens | Woodville