Why did they leave?

There's been a few really good SANFL players over the years, leave their club,and go to another one. Not for more opportunities, given how good a player they were, but for some other reason. Sometimes this is fairly well known - Clayton Lamb to Glenelg chasing finals glory; ditto Schneebichler and Christie. Ralph Sewer too, presumably.

But what about some other players, why did they leave?

- Neil Craig (Norwood to Sturt) - some others (perhaps Legs and Double Blues) supporters might know the story; I can remember him at Sturt, but don't have any knowledge on why he actually left his original club. I believe he was related to Rick Davies though, 1st (or perhaps 2nd) cousins.

- Alan and Wayne Stringer (North to Glenelg) - I saw Wayne Stringer at a social function on the weekend, which got me thinking as to why he and his brother would leave North for Glenelg. Was it anything to do with Nunan?

- Peter Woite - (Port to Glenelg) - I believe money had a bit to do with this one - no payrise after Magarey Medal? Port agreeable to move, I believe he had just come off a (knee?) injury.

- Darel Hart - (Centrals to North) - from memory, he wasn't overly established at Centrals, was it a just a case of a young player believing in himself and knowing he could do better elsewhere

- Mark Williams (West to Port) - if the story is to be believed, Fos had a clause in his coaching contract, that Mark was to be cleared to Port, when his coaching stint ended at West.

I remember reading that Craig wanted to play under Jack Oatey. Not sure if there was more to it than that. Hadn't heard the connection to the Jumbo.

Which reminds me of another one - I think John Paynter followed Halbert to Sturt?

FOOTYfollower wrote:Which reminds me of another one - I think John Paynter followed Halbert to Sturt?

yep correct

Bruce Winter was Sturt to Norwood is that correct - or vice versa?

chocko correct

Neil Craig then moved to North i think it was because he worked with Mick Nunan

Peter Woite from memory correct bad knee etc

Stringers, well i've heard 2 stories, i've never asked Wayne though so these are third hand...........
1) didn't get on with Nunan
2) one was wanted & one wasn't & they wanted to play together
take that for what its worth

Steven Sims - Torrens to North - I'm guessing it was a lack of success at the Eagles, or perhaps more money.

Re Neil Craig, I think he had a break for a year or 2 after leaving Sturt, until he rejoined the SANFL with North..

FOOTYfollower wrote:Bruce Winter was Sturt to Norwood is that correct - or vice versa?

Yes that is right.

Nunan was the first who was unhappy that he wasn't going to be guaranteed his spot after travelling overseas.
There was also Robert Barton that went to Norwood too after 1978.

This was the mini revolt against what was happening at the time and sort of culminated at the time of Sturt's 1978 Grand Final loss. Some of it was Oatey, some of it the Board. A lot of this discontent was never fully in the public domain and I am not sure it is even now.

John Schneebichler from South to Glenelg. after about 250 games with South.

Repercussions /reprisals and animosity from this right to this very day...

Rodney Pope from West to Norwood after 13 seasons and 209 games.

blueandwhite wrote:John Schneebichler from South to Glenelg. after about 250 games with South.

Repercussions /reprisals and animosity from this right to this very day...

So he's not particularly popular with the South Adelaide faithful then?

Is it the same situation with Gary Christie?

FOOTYfollower wrote:

blueandwhite wrote:John Schneebichler from South to Glenelg. after about 250 games with South.

Repercussions /reprisals and animosity from this right to this very day...

So he's not particularly popular with the South Adelaide faithful then?

Is it the same situation with Gary Christie?

or Ben Aulich ?

bayman wrote:

FOOTYfollower wrote:

blueandwhite wrote:John Schneebichler from South to Glenelg. after about 250 games with South.

Repercussions /reprisals and animosity from this right to this very day...

So he's not particularly popular with the South Adelaide faithful then?

Is it the same situation with Gary Christie?

or Ben Aulich ?

I think its pretty safe to say that some people in high places at the safc...have long memories...
.in my opinion its time we got over it, and inducted John S into the safc Hall of Fame to sit along side some of the clubs all time greats, where he rightly belongs.

i often see 'Scneeza' walking his dog around the Somerton Park area

blueandwhite wrote:I think its pretty safe to say that some people in high places at the safc...have long memories...
.in my opinion its time we got over it, and inducted John S into the safc Hall of Fame to sit along side some of the clubs all time greats, where he rightly belongs.

Could not more agree and I do think that people that have it in for Sneezer over it need to grow up. North Adelaide seemed to embrace Andrew Jarman back into the club after leaving it for Norwood. South need to get over it and do the same. Sneezer gave everything for the SAFC yet some of his team mates at the time did not, the same idiots over the years that had several coaches sacked from the club and saw it have stuff all success as internal bickering took a foothold. Well past time to embrace him back into the club for all that he put into it over many years. A big pity that he never returned after his career ended as our Senior Coach.

Rick Davies is still welcomed back to Sturt and has come along to several events in recent years.

He did get the coaching gig too in 1989, but that didn't really enhance his lot much perhaps.

If South are still anti- Schneezer, maybe they do need to grow up a bit.

Is he ever seen at any South games as a spectator?

What about Bob Shearman and his move from Torrens to Sturt - anyone know the reasons for that move?

It was before my time, but it seems he was a considerably more effective player at Sturt, than he was at Torrens.

FOOTYfollower wrote:What about Bob Shearman and his move from Torrens to Sturt - anyone know the reasons for that move?

It was before my time, but it seems he was a considerably more effective player at Sturt, than he was at Torrens.

It certainly must have been before your time. He was equally effective at Torrens. Remember that he was made state captain in front of Neil Kerley for the game against Victoria at the MCG in 1963.

As I have mentioned in other fora (or for the younger posters, forums), Torrens went from being one of the wealthiest clubs in Australia to broke within a couple of years in the early 1960s. Without repeating the whole sorry saga, I suggest anyone interested research Reid Murray and Ossie O'Grady. Torrens were wealthy enough to recruit Dick Reynolds as coach from Essendon, a young Shearman after he had been Essendon's best player in the 1959 VFL Grand Final, Geoff Kingston from Wagga Wagga, where they outbid Carlton for his signature and lured Neil Hawke back to South Australia from East Perth. In addition they had Linday Head playing for them, who would have been the highest paid SANFL player at the time. When they went broke, Shearman would have had to take a huge drop in pay, his mentor Reynolds went back to Melbourne and besides his hotel, which he had been set up in by Torrens was in the heart of the Sturt area.

Bob Keddie

Glynn Hewitt

Yes, that is all well before my time RIG, thanks for the background to the events in that era though.

Re Davies and Schneebichler, I think the circumstances were a little different, wasn't Davies appointed coach at South, so was player/coach capacity...whereas Schneebichler I imagine went essentially to play in a premiership I imagine (not that thats sufficient reason for him to still be shunned by his former club though).

I wonder how Clayton Lamb is regarded by the West faithful these days.

There's been a few quality Full Forwards move over the years.

I'm going by memory, without further looking things up - Dietrich North to WT - didn't get along with Nunan??......Trevor Pierson, was that West to Woodville? Did he move when Luders came on the scene perhaps?

John Roberts - played for 3 SANFL clubs from memory? North, WT and Woodville, but can't remember the sequence...Sydney Swans in the middle somewhere too I think.

I remember Paul Weston returning to the SANFL after his Essendon days, to coach WT...was a little surprising that he didn't go to Glenelg instead of Norwood after that, but his effectiveness as a player was significantly less by 1989.

Max Parker to North, from Woodville...but I think he had a year or 2 off in between?

Torrens cashed in and got Schache, Popplestone and Darryl Smith from Sturt. From memory they were all quite disillusioned about the events surrounding sacking of Keane.

McSporran Torrens to Woodville at end of his career, I think he wqs virtually finished by then.

Peter Meuret Woodville to West is an interesting one (perhaps a move back to Broken Hill in between?).

I think West traded Ken Deards to Woodville directly for Meuret.

Reasonable trade for West.

Another reasonable trade was 19's Medallist Craig Vozzo for a young ruck an.

Shaun Rehn.

What about Trevor Grimwood, I believe he was an ex Port player who went on to win a Magarey Medal with West.

FOOTYfollower wrote:What about Trevor Grimwood, I believe he was an ex Port player who went on to win a Magarey Medal with West.

He was actually a Norwood reserves player first before playing league at Port and then winning a Magarey medal at West.He actually played in the 1972 League Grand Final for Port and kicked a few goals in a losing side.

redandblack wrote:I think West traded Ken Deards to Woodville directly for Meuret.

Reasonable trade for West.

Another reasonable trade was 19's Medallist Craig Vozzo for a young ruck an.

Shaun Rehn.

Ken Deards. There's a blast from the past. He played in East Perth's 1972 premiership and then played an outstanding game for them in the Champions of Australia match against Carlton. That was the game where Mal Brown went beserk. West recruited Deards on the strength of that Carlton game but he never showed any of that form either for West or Woodville.