Club of the week: St George
Founded in 1928 and enduring through the depression years of the 1930s and World War II, St George Australian Football Club has played an important role in the development of the game in NSW.
Among the club’s most notable achievements have been five First-Grade Premierships, seven Reserve Grade titles and 17 Third-Grade victories.
After celebrating the club’s 80th birthday in 2008, the team reverted to its traditional, and famous, colours of red and white in 2009, following extensive consultation with many former players and club fans in the St George area.
It was a decision which reinvigorated the club, and since then players, sponsors and supporters have been working tirelessly to develop local football talent, and plan for the club’s next First-Grade Premiership win under senior coach Terry Mudge.
Currently playing for the club is an impressive bill of talent, including Jason Saddington (ex-Sydney Swans and Carlton forward), Lewis Broome (former West Coast-listed Indigenous player) and Josiah Farrer, a new recruit from Claremont in the WAFL.
Many former St George players have also gone on to carve out successful careers at the elite AFL level, including Nick Davis who won a Premiership Flag with the Sydney Swans, and Dylan Addison, a key player for the Western Bulldogs.
Meanwhile Lloyd Perris, who played first grade for St George during last year’s season, is now at the beginning of his own AFL career and currently training with the Sydney Swans Academy.
To commemorate the club’s long and proud history, in 2005 St George AFC established its own Hall of Fame, into which 12 members had been inducted by the end of 2008, including Bob McConnell and Syd Felstead, who achieved Life Membership of NSW AFL for their contribution to the development of Australian Rules throughout the state.
St George’s next match is on Saturday, April 27 and will mark the first time in over a year that the Dragons have played on their home ground of Olds Park.
St George club president, Brendan Donohue said: “The club is really looking forward to this as not only has the ground been resurfaced and drainage installed, but the dressing room facilities at in the clubhouse have been expanded and refurbished.”
Donohue ranks the Olds Park revamp as one of the club’s three greatest achievements in the past five years as they continue to grow the code in the St George and Sutherland area.
“The other two are the appointment and retention of the coaching staff led by Terry Mudge and supplemented with Jason Saddington, as well as the formation of the St George Academy to develop juniors (Under-16s) in the region.”
In keeping with the club’s founding core values of friendship, loyalty and integrity, St George AFC believes it is in the process of forging a new era of glory for the club.
“We are determined to establish St George as the ‘Centre of Excellence’ for AFL in the south of Sydney,” Donohue said.
The Dragons will mark the official opening of the Olds Park clubrooms and new surface on Saturday, June 22, which will also act as the Back to St George Day and 20-year reunion of the 1993 Dragon Premiership side.
For more information about the reunion, contact Kieran Donohue at kieran.donohue@aflnswact.com.auEach week of the season we’ll be profiling an AFL club in Sydney, from junior clubs to senior clubs and all in between. If you want to be involved, get in touch with us on 02 8333 8000 or email info@aflnswact.com.au
