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FootballersJordan The oldest player ever to pull on a pair of football boots was Eric "Grandpa" Jordan. Eric arrived in South Australia with the first settlers in 1836. As as he waded ashore through the Glenelg surf he was spotted as a likely player by a scout from the Port Adelaide club and signed up. This was exceptionally far sighted of the club as football wasn't to be invented for another 22 years. But then the Port Adelaide club has always prided itself on being ahead of the pack.
Not that any of this worried Eric. A dour defender he was always quick to point out that no goals were scored against him during this period. Later he played as a defender in the forward pocket, which shows how much the game has changed over the years. Eric continued to play well into his ninties, but had to give the game away when he got into an arguement with a goal post and the goal post insisted on enforcing it's right of way. |
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Old Bill
Like every walk of life football has had it's fair share of shady characters. Notable among these was "Light-fingers" Bill Fairall whose propensity to make off with other people's wallets was legendary among Norwood's players of the '30's. Bill was unable to control his addiction for larcenous legerdemain. Eventually he was caught attempting to pick the umpires pocket in a minor round match against South Adelaide. This resulted in a 15 yard penalty which cost the redlegs a goal and the match. Inevitably the club decided to dispensed with Bill's services, so Bill left football to seek a job more in keeping with his talents. He became managing director of a bank. |
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copyright © 2000 Fred Willett |