Port Adelaide Football Club
| File:Port Adelaide Power logo.png | |
| Full name | Port Adelaide Football Club |
|---|---|
| Sport | Australian rules football |
| Founded | 1870 |
| League | Australian Football League |
| Home ground | AAMI Stadium |
| Anthem | The Power to Win |
| President | Greg Boulton |
| Head coach | Mark Williams |
| Captain | Warren Tredrea |
| Strip | |
| Black, white, teal and silver | |
The Port Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed The Power, is an Australian rules football club based in Adelaide, South Australia. From its foundation in 1870 to 1996, Port Adelaide competed in the SANFL, but in 1997, Port Adelaide moved into the national AFL. During its time in the SANFL, Port Adelaide established itself as the most dominant club in the competition by winning 34 senior premierships in that league. In its short stint in the AFL, the club has already won one premiership.
Port are currently competing in the 2006 AFL season.
History
Foundation years: 1870 - 1901
The Port Adelaide Football Club was established on 13 May 1870 with a meeting between President, Captain John Hart, Secretary, RW Leicester and treasurer, G Ireland. The club played its first match against a team called the 'Young Australians' on 24 May 1870 at Buck's Flat, a property owned by President Hart in Glanville, South Australia. Football in South Australia at this stage was rather unorganised and there were several sets of rules in use across the state.
In 1877 however, Port Adelaide joined seven other local clubs and formed the South Australian Football Association, the first organisation of its type in Australia. It competed its first few seasons of competition wearing a rose pink outfit with white knickerbockers. The club initially enjoyed modest success and did not win a premiership until 1884. By this time, the strip had change to magenta with navy knickerbockers. In 1881, the club moved to Alberton Oval which, except for the 1975 and 1976 seasons, has been its base ever since. Port Adelaide's humble results continued before a second premiership in 1890. It was in this season that Port Adelaide was crowned 'Champions of Australia' for the first time after defeated VFA premier, South Melbourne.
The 1890s were grim economic times for Port Adelaide's working class base and many players were forced to move interstate to find work. This transferred into poor results on the field. In 1896, with the club in crisis, the club committee met with the aim of revitalising the spirit and instilling a new sense of pride in the Port Adelaide Football Club. It had immediate results and in 1897, Port Adelaide returned to the winners list with a third premiership.
Developing tradition: 1902 - 1949
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In 1902, Port Adelaide took to the field in the famous black and white for the first time. The club was now being referred to as 'the Magpies' and the Port Adelaide Football Club was taking a more familiar look. Something which was also becoming familiar was winning premierships with success in 1903, 1906, 1910, 1913 and 1914. Port Adelaide also added to its 'Champions of Australia' title in 1890 with victories in 1910, 1913 and 1914. In 1914, Port Adelaide achieved the rare distinction of going through the entire season without losing a match. SAFA competition was suspended from 1916-1918 because of World War One.
Port Adelaide's pre-war success did not continue post war and from 1919 to 1935, the club recorded only two premiership successes in 1921 and 1928. The depression of the early 1930s hit the club hard with several of its better players moving interstate to secure employment. However by late 1930s, the economy was on the improve and so was Port Adelaide's form. Tee club netted three premierships in four years with titles in 1936, 1937 and 1939. Just as in 1914, Port Adelaide had hit the peak of their form in the lead up to war, and, just as with World War One, the club was hit hard by players losses to World War Two. From 1942 to 1944, Port Adelaide merged with nearby West Torrens Football Club and the combined side picked up one premiership in this time. Port Adelaide struggled to regain its pre-war momentum once competition resumed in 1945 and played in only one grand final for the rest of the 1940s.
Fos Williams era: 1950 - 1973
Desperate seeking a change in fortunes, the Port Adelaide committee went in search of a coach that could win the club a premiership. In a decision which would shape the next 50 years of the Port Adelaide Football Club, the committee took a punt on a rover from West Adelaide with just 54 SANFL games to his name - Foster Neil Williams. Williams brought a new uncompromising coaching style based on success at any cost. In just his second season as coach, Williams led the Magpies to their first premiership since 1939. However this was just the beginning of an unprecedented run of success. From 1953, Port Adelaide played in every grand final for the rest of the decade and won a record six premierships in a row from 1954-1959. Williams left as coach in 1958 and Port Adelaide's success seemed to go with him. With his return in 1962, Port Adelaide won three of the next four premierships taking Williams' tally to nine.
This golden era introduced Magpies fans to players the likes of John Cahill, Peter Woite, David Boyd, Geof Motley and Russell Ebert. However, inspired by the success of Port Adelaide, the other clubs attempted to emulate the Williams style and North Adelaide, Sturt and Glenelg enjoyed considerable success from 1966 to 1976. This success came at the cost of the Magpies who did not win a premiership in this time.
John Cahill era: 1974 - 1988
One of Port Adelaide's finest players during the Fos Williams era was John Cahill. He eventually became William's protégé and ultimately took over as coach in 1974. While not experiencing success as soon as Williams, Cahill coached in the Williams mould and was, if anything, even more attacking. Cahill took the Magpies to their first Grand Final under his leadership in 1976. They lost the match but learnt a lot, and converted this experience into premierships in four out of five seasons from 1977 to 1981.
Off-field, a dispute between the Port Adelaide City Council and the SANFL forced the Magpies to move to Adelaide Oval for two seasons from 1975 to 1976. This dispute was eventually solved and the Magpies moved back to Alberton in 1977.
Cahill left the SANFL Magpies in 1983 to coach the VFL Magpies, Collingwood, for two seasons. This saw Port Adelaide fall back to the field somewhat and would not win another premiership until 1988.
Meanwhile, the 1980s marked the rise and rise of the VFL as the premier football competition in the country. SANFL players were flowing across the border to Victoria in search of the large salaries on offer.
Entering the AFL: 1989-1996
As early as 1982, there was talk of a side from South Australia entering the VFL. This was fast tracked in 1987 when a team from Western Australia, the West Coast Eagles, and a team from Brisbane, the Brisbane Bears joined the VFL. This left South Australia as the only mainland state in Australia without a team in an increasingly national competition.
The SANFL had been unwilling to entertain the thought of a South Australian side in the VFL. In 1990, the Port Adelaide Football Club, frustrated at the SANFL's lack of action and looking to secure its own future, formally applied to enter what had now become the AFL. The AFL signed a Heads of Agreement with the club in expectation that Port would enter the competition in 1991. What ensued was one of the most bitter episodes in South Australian football history that split the state, the fault lines of which are still evident today. Furious at what it perceived to be treacherous behaviour by Port Adelaide, the SANFL put forward a counter bid to enter a composite South Australian side into the AFL. After legal action from all parties, the AFL finally agreed to accept the SANFL's bid and the Adelaide Football Club was born. Ultimately, Port Adelaide could not compete against the SANFL's ownership of infrastructure and the support of the nine other clubs in South Australia.
The fallout from this failed bid was disastrous with some even calling for Port Adelaide to be expelled from the SANFL. However Port Adelaide continued to compete and continued to dominate. The Magpies followed their triple triumphs from 1988 to 1990 with a premiership in 1992 and three in a row again from 1994 to 1996. This equated to seven premierships in nine seasons.
But the anger from the failed AFL bid continued to simmer below the surface. In 1994, the AFL announced it would award a second AFL licence to a South Australian club. Port Adelaide seemed the obvious choice but this did not stop other clubs putting their case forward. The strongest threat came from a combined Norwood-Sturt bid. After much deliberation, the AFL awarded Port Adelaide the second licence and after years of delays, the most successful club in Australia was set to enter the premier competition in Australia.
However a licence did not guarantee entry and although a target year of 1996 was set, this was reliant on an existing AFL club folding or merging with another. In 1996, cash-strapped Fitzroy announced it would merge with the Brisbane Bears to form the Brisbane Lions. A spot had finally opened and it was announced that in 1997, one year later than expected, Port Adelaide would enter the AFL.
Because Collingwood, an existing AFL team, played in black and white stripes and were nicknamed the Magpies, it was incumbent on Port Adelaide to find new colours and a new nickname to avoid a clash. In 1995, with Port's entry into the AFL imminent, Port Adelaide's new look was unveiled. The 'Magpies' became the 'Power' and teal, which represents the water of the Port River, was added to the existing black and white. A new logo and three new strips, reflecting the new colours, were also unveiled.
A new club, the Port Adelaide Magpies Football Club, was formed to continue Port Adelaide's involvement in the SANFL. The club retained the Magpies name, black and white guernsey and Alberton base. The Magpies share records and history from 1870 to 1996 with the Port Adelaide Football Club.
Port becomes a Power: 1997-
Once an entry date had been confirmed, the Port Adelaide Football Club set about forming a side fit for competition in the AFL. It was announced that existing Magpies coach, John Cahill would make the transition to the AFL. Cahill then set about forming a group which would form the inaugaural squad. Brownlow medallist and former Magpie, Gavin Wanganeen was poached from Essendon and made captain of a team comprised of existing Magpies players, players from other SANFL clubs and some recruits from interstate.
1997
On 29 March 1997 Port Adelaide played its first match for AFL premiership points against Collingwood at the MCG and copped a 79-point thrashing. Port Adelaide was widely tipped to take the wooden spoon in its first season but defied the critics and recovered from its poor start to narrowly miss out on making the finals (finishing ninth).
1998
The Power finished the 1998 season 10th on the ladder with 9 wins 12 loses.
1999
In 1999, Port Adelaide played in its first grand final, albeit a pre-season grand final against Hawthorn at Waverly Park. The Power lost but continued their early success to make the finals for the first time. Despite being eliminated by eventual premier, North Melbourne, Port Adelaide had achieved real success for the first time in the national competition.
2000-2001
After a disappointing 2000 (where they finished 14th, recording 7 wins and 14 losses), Port Adelaide had a very successful 2001, starting with a maiden pre-season competition victory, defeating the Brisbane Lions 111-26. The Power finished their 2001 home and away season with 16 wins and 6 losses finishing 3rd on the ladder and qualifying for the finals series. However the club could not convert this into finals success and was eliminated in straight sets.
2002
The Power started 2002 strongly, winning the Pre Season competition for the second time in a row (71- 62 against the Richmond Tigers). The side built on its success in 2002 and won its first minor premiership with an 18-4 record. However, they could not convert this form into a Grand Final berth.
Qualifying for the finals series, they were defeated in the Qualifying Final but won their second match to qualify for the preliminary finals before losing to the eventual Grand Final winners the Brisbane Lions 138-82.
2003
Despite the disappointment of 2002, Port Adelaide continued its minor round dominance and again finished top to claim the McClelland Trophy in 2003. But, in what was now becoming a regular occurrence, Port Adelaide 'choked' in the finals series, losing in the first round to the Sydney Swans (who were a 7.00 outsider) and again failing to make the Grand Final.
2004
By 2004, after three consecutive failed finals campaigns, the tag of 'chokers' had stuck. Despite this, Port Adelaide continued its domination in the home and away season and for the third consecutive season finished top of the ladder after 22 rounds. But, in a break from tradition, Port Adelaide won its first final against Geelong, earning a home Preliminary Final. The Power made it through to its first AFL Grand Final after defeating St Kilda in a thrilling Preliminary Final by just six points. On 25 September 2004, Port Adelaide faced a highly fancied Brisbane side attempting to win a record-equalling fourth straight AFL premiership. Only one point separated the sides at half time, however late in the third quarter Port Adelaide took the ascendency and romped home in the final term to win by 40 points. After just eight seasons in the national competition, Port Adelaide had its first AFL premiership.
2005
After the euphoria of 2004, Port Adelaide struggled to maintain its form and endured a disappointing 2005. After a slow start to the season, they finished 8th to scrape into the finals series where they defeated the Kangaroos by 78 points. In the next round Port faced the highly fancied minor premiers Adelaide. This match, dubbed "The Ultimate Showdown", marked the first occasion where the two crosstown rivals had met in a finals series. The result was an anti-climax for Port, who went down by 83 points in a massive turnaround from their performance the previous week against the Kangaroos.
2006
After having a shaky start to the 2006 season the side played into some form, winning four consecutive matches, before losing four consecutive matches. After having lost to St Kilda, the Power sat in 12th position with only six wins out of a possible sixteen. The Power then went on to lose to the Swans and the Kangaroos which gave them their worst ever losing streak of six consecutive losses. The Power then travelled to Darwin to take on finals bound Western Bulldogs and fought to a gutsy 14 point win after some last quarter heroics from Michael Pettigrew. The Power currently sit in 11th position with 7 wins and 12 losses with three games remaining in the season.
The Creed of the Port Adelaide Football Club
Upon his return to Alberton as coach in 1962, Fos Williams penned this creed which still hangs on the walls of Alberton Oval.
"We the players and management of the Port Adelaide Football Club accept the heritage which players and administrators have passed down to us; in so doing we do not intend to rest in idleness but shall strive with all our power to further this club's unexcelled achievements.
To do this we believe there is great merit and noble achievements in winning a premiership. To be successful, each of us must be active, aggressive and devoted to this cause. We agree that success is well within our reach and have confidence that each member of both the team and management will suffer personal sacrifices for the common end. Also we know that should we, after striving to our utmost and giving our everything, still not be successful, our efforts will become a further part of this club's enviable tradition."
- Foster Neil Williams, Port Adelaide coach.
"Greatest Team of the Greatest Club"
In June 2001, the Port Adelaide Football Club announced its greatest team (1870-2000). Between them, the 22 players had 201 premiership medals, 532 state games, 16 Magarey Medals and numerous other football accolades to their name. The club hailed the group the "Greatest Team of the Greatest Club".[1]
| Greatest Team of The Greatest Club | |||
| B: | Dick Russell | John Abley | Ted Whelan |
| HB: | Neville Hayes | Greg Phillips | Geof Motley |
| C: | Craig Bradley | Russell Ebert | John Cahill |
| HF: | Dave Boyd | "Bro" Dayman | Harold Oliver |
| F: | Scott Hodges | Tim Evans | Bob Quinn |
| Foll: | Russell Johnston | "Bull" Reval | Fos Williams |
| Int: | Harry Phillips | Jeff Potter | Peter Woite |
| Lloyd Zucker | |||
| Coach: | Fos Williams | ||
Current playing list
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Rookies:
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¹ Gavin Wanganeen retired after Round 10 of the 2006 AFL season. [1]
Other notable players
AwardsPremiershipsAFL Premierships (1) SANFL premierships (34, record) 1884, 1890, 1897, 1903, 1906, 1910, 1913, 1914, 1921, 1928, 1936, 1937, 1939, 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996 Champions of Australia (4, record) AFL minor premierships (3) AFL pre-season competition (2) Individual awardsMagarey Medal (SANFL) winners
Norm Smith Medal winnersAFL Rising Star winners
Club RecordsHighest Score AFL - 29.14 (188) v Hawthorn, Round 13, 2005 AAMI Stadium, Adelaide SANFL - 37.21 (243) v Woodville, April 19, 1980 Greatest Winning Margin AFL - 117 points v Hawthorn, Round 13, 2005 AAMI Stadium, Adelaide SANFL - 179 points v Woodville, August 8, 1970 Most Games AFL - 179 - Warren Tredrea (1997- Present (Round 1, 2006)) SANFL - 392 - Russell Ebert (1968-1978 & 1980-1985) Most Goals AFL - 409 - Warren Tredrea (1997- Present (Round 1, 2006)) SANFL - 1044 - Tim Evans (1975-1986) Longest winning streak against any club From the 19th of May 2000 (Round 11) to July 23rd 2006 (Round 16) Port Adelaide never lost to St Kilda. Never losing to the club for over six years. CorporateSponsorship:
Presidents:
Membership and attendance
¹(as at 30 June, 2006)[2] ²following finals matches Home grounds
Club jumper
These are the current 2006 jumper designs. The club's current major sponsors are Vodafone, Scotts Transport and Nike. From 2007, the all-teal clash jumper will be ditched, with a predominantly silver jumper rumoured to be the replacement. It is also rumoured that Reebok will replace Nike as manufacturer of Port Adelaide's jumpers. See also
Notes
External links |
