The names of some of South Australia’s greatest football names – including Cahill, Kerley, Davies, Ricciuto and Wanganeen – will take pride of place at the Adelaide Oval from 2014.
They will join those already to be honoured with statues at the ground – Malcolm Blight, Russell Ebert, Ken Farmer and Barrie Robran – with their names to feature prominently throughout the stadium.
The list of greats and their location within the Oval is as follows:
- Bob Quinn (dual Magarey Medallist with Port Adelaide) – Bob Quinn Gate (adjacent to the Clarrie Grimmett Gate at the northern end)
- William Magarey (First chairman of the South Australian Football Association, creator of the Magarey Medal) – The William Magarey Room (City view dining room in the Southern Stand)
- Gavin Wanganeen (Brownlow Medallist, premiership player with Essendon and Port Adelaide)
- Jack Oatey (Norwood and Sturt legend, Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee)
- Max Basheer (the SANFL’s longest serving President, Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee)
- Fos Williams (Port Adelaide legend, Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee)
- Mark Ricciuto (Brownlow Medallist and Adelaide Crows premiership player)
The name of each individual will adorn one of the five pavilions of the new Eastern Stand
- Graham Cornes (Glenelg champion, inaugural Adelaide Football Club coach, Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee) – The Graham Cornes Deck (BBQ deck on the northern end of the Eastern Stand)
- Rick Davies (Sturt champion, Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee) – The Rick Davies Stadium Club Bar (Eastern Stand)
- Neil Kerley (SANFL premiership player and coach, Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee) – The Neil Kerley Members’ Bar (Southern Stand)
- Lindsay Head (Triple Magarey Medallist and premiership player with West Torrens, Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee) – The Lindsay Head Terrace (Southern Stand)
- Bob Hank (Dual Magarey Medallist with West Torrens, Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee)
- Len Fitzgerald (Collingwood and Sturt legend, triple Magarey Medallist, Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee)
The names of Bob Hank and Len Fitzgerald will adorn the two bridges that link the Southern and Eastern stands on levels 4 and 3 respectively
- John Cahill (Port Adelaide premiership player and coach, Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee)
- Andrew McLeod (Dual Adelaide Football Club premiership player, duel Norm Smith Medallist, member of the Indigenous Team of the Century)
The John Cahill & Andrew McLeod Room in the Southern Stand will offer views of the AFC and PAFC warm-up areas
- Peter Carey (Glenelg premiership player and games record holder, Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee) – The Peter Carey Bar in the Southern Stand.
- John Halbert (Sturt premiership captain and coach, Magarey Medallist).
- John Platten (Magarey Medallist, Brownlow Medallist, four-time Hawthorn premiership player, Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee) .
The John Halbert Room will be located in the Eastern Stand; The John Platten Bar will be located within The John Halbert Room.
- Leigh Whicker (Sturt player, SANFL Executive Commissioner, SANFL and AFL Life Member) – The Leigh Whicker League Room (Southern Stand).
- Garry McIntosh (Norwood premiership player, captain and games record holder, dual Magarey Medallist) – The Garry McIntosh Bar will be located on the ground level of the Eastern Stand.
It is hoped that South Adelaide legend and Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee Dan Moriarty will also be recognised at the Adelaide Oval with a display to honour his feat of being the only player to win three consecutive Magarey Medals.
South Australian Football Commission Chairman John Olsen said the process of choosing the legends to be honoured had been long and exhaustive.
“Football in South Australia has had so many great players over our 136-year history that it was always going to be an incredibly difficult process to narrow it down to a select few,” Mr Olsen said.
“We put together a group which consulted with the South Australian Football Hall of Fame committee and the Commissioners with input from the SANFL league clubs and, over the course of many months, we have arrived at what we believe is an honour roll of this State’s football history.”
Mr Olsen said the way remained open for other greats to be honoured in the future.
“With Adelaide Oval becoming the new home of football in South Australia from next year, we will always continue to look at opportunities when and where they come up.”
Article courtesy of SANFL.
