SANFL honours 2022 Life Members

By ZAC MILBANK

Three outstanding stalwarts have had their tremendous service to South Australian football recognised with SANFL Player Life Membership at the League’s Annual General Meeting at Adelaide Oval on Tuesday night.

Glenelg premiership defender Andrew Bradley, West Adelaide premiership backman Logan Hill and Woodville-West Torrens premiership wingman Chris Hall, who finished his career with Adelaide, were all inducted into SANFL’s 200 Club.

To be awarded SANFL Player Life Membership, a player must play a combination of at least 200 SANFL League or State matches.

Bradley, who retired after Glenelg’s First Semi-Final loss last season, battled through his fair share of injuries – broken leg, broken and dislocated collarbones and a broken jaw – to reach his memorable milestone in the Elimination Final.

The 30-year-old tallied 201 League games since his debut in 2010, representing the Bays as captain from 2014 to 2018, winning best-and-fairests in 2013 and 2014 en route to claiming his prized premiership medal in 2019.

Highly-respected Bloods fan-favourite Hill displayed tremendous courage to reach his 200th SANFL League game in Round 19 last season, having missed the best part of his first three years at Richmond with a severely broken leg.

A member of West’s drought-breaking 2015 premiership, the reliable defender won two Neil Kerley Medals in 2019 and 2021 after starting his career in the country Victorian town of Catani.

Making his SANFL League debut in Round 6 of 2008, Chris Hall enjoyed a distinguished career with Woodville-West Torrens which included 183 matches and the heart-stopping 2011 premiership.

After finishing at Oval Avenue at the end of 2020, Hall linked up with his Eagles premiership mentor Michael Godden at West Lakes, where he played a total of 18 matches with Adelaide’s SANFL team.

Port Adelaide and Glenelg mentor Matthew Lokan received SANFL Player/Coach Life Membership after tallying a significant total of 254 games as a player and coach with the Magpies and Bays. 

To be awarded SANFL Player/Coach Life Membership, the recipient must play and/or coach a combination of at least 200 SANFL League or State matches across no less than 10 seasons.

Making his SANFL League debut with the Pies in 2002, Lokan played a total of 112 League matches in the black-and-white, forging a reputation as a reliable rebounding defender with a booming left-foot kick.

After starting his State League coaching journey with the Belconnen Magpies in Canberra, Lokan landed his first SANFL League coaching appointment with Glenelg, where he guided the Tigers from 2015 to the end of 2017.

In 2018, he made the move back to Alberton to coach his beloved Magpies for the next four seasons, through to the end of 2022. During Lokan’s four-season tenure – Port didn’t feature in SANFL’s 2020 campaign due to Covid-19 – Lokan guided his side to the 2019 Grand Final.

Long-serving North Adelaide and Adelaide administrator John Everingham was one of five SANFL Merit Award winners recognised at the AGM for their outstanding service to South Australian football.

Starting his involvement in the game as a player with Port Adelaide’s U18s, Everingham served 12 years as a board member for North, where he was also awarded life membership in 2005.

From 2014 through to 2022, he has acted as Adelaide’s SANFL Team Manager.

There isn’t much David Schell hasn’t done for his much-loved Glenelg Football Club.

Starting in 2001 as a time-keeper, Schell has been a statistician, Reserves Team Manager and League Team Manager.

Even acting as the club mascot, Schell has bravely overcome a significant hospital battle against Covid-19 to continue to contribute at Brighton Road with other duties such as loading the club property van with wife Belinda.

Joining the Norwood Football Club in 1979, Peter Mansfield is well and truly a red-and-blue numbers man.

Serving as a reliable and enthusiastic statistician for the Redlegs’ Men’s and Women’s teams, Mansfield has relished playing a role in supplying vital information to the club’s coaches during his 43 years at The Parade.

A proud Port Adelaide stalwart, John Settre has thrived in a number of roles at Alberton since 1978.

Settre has provided wonderful service to the club and junior football in the community, across many roles including junior delegate, chair of the club’s junior footy league, Team Manager of the U19 team, SANFL Reserves Team Manager and his current role as the Magpies’ SANFL League Team Manager.

Woodville-West Torrens Football Club has been fortunate to have the services of Mike Whinnen since as its Head Trainer since 1999.

Still proudly acting in this position heading into the 2023 season, Whinnen – awarded Eagles Life Membership in 2011 – oversees the club’s entire medical space working with the football department to attract and retain staff for all male and female senior and junior programs.