In this week’s round-up of local SA football, a country club prepares for the 50-year reunion of its last premiership team, the Tuck family enjoys a huge weekend of wins, a Centrals veteran vows to play on, and more.

A 50-year premiership reunion

After winning the flag, the next best thing for any good football person is the premiership reunion.

Back in 1965, the Lyndoch Football Club enjoyed its last flag, defeating the Gawler Central Tigers by four points in a low scoring thriller.

The final score was Lyndoch 8.7 (55) defeating Gawler Central 7.9 (51), in a competition then called the Gawler and District Football League.

On Saturday, 10 October, this side have its first and 50-year premiership reunion.

The team was captain-coached by Glenelg footballer Kevin Abley, who had a 174-game career with the Bays.

Fellow SANFL league footballers in the team included Frank Howard (65 games with Glenelg) and Bill Herron (64 games with Glenelg).

Tony Mann, who kicked four goals in that grand final victory, was to be asked down to Central District and made a single league appearance in 1968.

He would go on to coach the Central District under 19s to back to-back flags in 1981-82 with his players in these teams including stars of the game like John Platten, Derek Kickett and Richard Cousins.

Four members of this group had come out of the Lyndoch colts premiership the previous year, including a 16-year-old Mick Koch.

“It was a pretty special time and to catch up a half a century later will be great,” Koch said.

“Three members of the team have passed on, and some of the players and officials are in there 80 and 90s.”

Eleven players in the flag-winning combination were under 20.

“We are expecting 16 members of the premiership team, along with another half a dozen from our 1966 Grand Final team at the lunch.

“I had to wait another 12 years for my other flag, the 1977 premiership with Angaston.”

This was the Eagles last ever flag although they also played in the 1966, 1972, 1974 and 1978 Gawler and Districts Grand Finals.

In 1980, the Lyndoch Football Club amalgamated with neighbouring town Williamstown to become Barossa District.

Best nicknamed team wins the flag

The team with one of the great mascots in rural football, the Reynella Wineflies, has collected the 2015 Southern Football League premiership, dispatching the Brighton Bombers at Noarlunga Oval last weekend in emphatic style.

Already 26 points up at the main break, the Wineflies put on a seven-goal third quarter to ensure a comfortable 59 point triumph.

The final score was Reynella 18.7 (115) defeating Brighton 8.8 (56).

Luke McEntree, the helmeted Wineflies ruckman, produced a best on ground effort, while century goal kicker this year James McEntee finished with a game-high five majors.

Codey Ellison, Ryan Mahony and Ryan Frick, along with Adam Broadbent were all significant contributors.

For the well beaten Bombers Will Rivers was stoic in defence.

Former 200-game Crow and now AFL player manager Michael Doughty was also a part of the Wineflies team.

The Reynella seconds also beat Brighton in the curtain-raiser.

The crowd watching the Reynella victory. Photo: Peter Argent

Former Crow Michael Doughty in action for Reynella. Photo: Peter Argent

Thommo to continue

After an impressive third place in the 2015 Magarey Medal count, Central District co-captain Paul Thomas will continue next year with the Bulldogs.

Thomas, 34, was ultra-consistent over the second half of the 20115 campaign and while he has a couple of injury issues to clear with the doctors, he plans to prepare for his sixteenth season of league football.

“I need the medical people to tick off on an ankle, which at this stage I’m told looks to be a three to four week injury, and there is a shoulder from last year,” Thomas told InDaily.

“They look as they will come good and as long as I get through 85 per cent of the pre-season, I’ll be running around next year.”

Thomas is confident about the future with the ‘Dogs young midfield – Travis Schiller, Justin Hoskin, Chris Jansen and Jarrod Schiller – starting to find its feet.

The 2015 preliminary final was Thomas’s 268^th SANFL league game.

He already is the most decorated player in the Bulldogs history with the 2004 Magarey medal, six league and one reserves premierships, including four as captain, a pair of Norm Russell medals – 2004 and 2009 – and no less than four Bob Quinn medals as best on ground in the ANZAC Day Grand Final replays.

He has been captain of Central District for nine years (six years in a shared capacity role) and is already easily the longest serving skipper in the club’s history.

More premierships for the Tuck family

Seven-time Hawthorn premiership player and VFL/AFL games record-holder Michael Tuck enjoyed a big couple of days last weekend in Adelaide watching his sons.

On Saturday he was in the crowd at Thebarton Oval seeing ex-Richmond player Shane enjoy a come-from-behind flag with Goodwood Saints, as they defeated Norwood Payneham Union.

For Shane, this gave him back-to-back premiership medallions with the division one amateur league club.

On Sunday he was a member of the 25,000-strong Adelaide Oval crown that saw West Adelaide lead from start to finish and defeat minor premiers Woodville West Torrens by five goals to take the SANFL crown.

Travis Tuck, who endured a Grand Final loss with the Bloods in 2012, was a strong performer in this win with 24 touches, many of them contested, and a goal.

West Adelaide’s Travis Tuck during the Bloods’ grand final win.

Shane Tuck gets off a handball for the Goodwood Saints.

Sensational Schmidt

The lad that grew up in the small out-of-the -way town of Robertstown, famous for its bush Bradman, John L Mosey, is now the toast of SANFL football.

Located 23 kilometres north of Eudunda, in the Council of Goyder, this hamlet is hour and three quarter drive north of Adelaide, with the town and surrounding district having a population of 300.

Its remoteness is well explained, as the “World’s End Highway” is just a few kilometres north of the settlement.

West Adelaide captain and Robertstown export Chris Schmidt delivered when it counted the most, winning the Jack Oatey medal for his 44-possession game in the 2015 Grand Final to lead his side to a drought-breaking premiership.

Schmidt lifted the premiership cup with coach Mark Mickan for West’s first league premiership in 32 years.

Slight underdogs going into the game against minor premiers Woodville West Torrens, the Bloods kicked the first two goals of the contest and, while the margin was only eight points at half time, they never conceded the lead.

Grassroots is published on Wednesdays during the football season.