Woodville-West Torrens Football Club

Infobox aus sport club | clubname = Woodville-West Torrens


fullname = Woodville-West Torrens Football Club
emblem = The Eagles
strip = Blue, green and gold
founded = 1990
sport = Australian rules football
league = South Australian National Football League
firstseason = 1991
ground = Woodville Oval
capacity = 15,000
song = We're the Mighty Eagles
president = L.G. Stevens
coach = Ron Fuller
captain = Mark McKenzie
season = 2007
position = 3rd of 9

Woodville-West Torrens Eagles is an Australian rules football club playing in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). It was formed in 1990 from an amalgamation of the neighbouring Woodville and West Torrens football clubs and played its inaugural game in 1991.

Club details

*Formed: 1990 when Woodville and West Torrens merged.
*League History: SANFL League 1991-
*Colours: Blue and green with gold eagle.
*Nickname: The Eagles.
*Current Coach: Ron Fuller
*Current Captain: Mark McKenzie
*Home Ground: Woodville Oval (1992-)
*Alternative Facilities: 2 home games per year are played at Thebarton Oval (Former home of West Torrens) which is also the club's pre-season base.
*Previous Grounds: Football Park (1991-1992)

Club coaches

*1991-1992 - Neil Balme
*1993-1997 - Bruce Winter+
*1998-1999 - Mark Mickan
*2000 - Paul Hamilton
*"2001 - Ron Fuller"+ (note: italics indicates current coach)+ denotes premiership coach

Club captains

*1991-1994 - Peter Schwarz*
*1995-2000 - Andrew Rogers
*2001-2006 - Gavin Colville
*2007 - Justin Cicolella*
*2008 - "Mark McKenzie"

(note: italics indicates current captain)* denotes premiership captain
*Justin Cicolella was acting captain for 2006 Premiership

Club history

West Torrens had competed in the SANFL since 1897 while Woodville entered the competition in 1964. Both sides had struggled throughout their respective existences; West Torrens having won four premierships in ninety seasons and Woodville none in thirty seven. Whispers grew throughout SA football circles that perhaps a merger would save these clubs.

These calls for mergers grew throughout the 1980s, culminating in 1990 when the imminent entry of the South Australian based Adelaide Crows into the national Australian Football League led officials of Woodville and West Torrens to realise that their clubs would struggle to exist as separate entities.

It was decided to merge the two sides as the Woodville-West Torrens Eagles, to play their home games at Woodville's home ground Woodville Oval and use the West Torrens Eagle emblem. The new club proved immediately competitive and won their first premiership in 1993.

One club

Although officially formed in 1991 it was after the 1993 Premiership that many finally accepted the 'new' Eagles. In accepting the Thomas Seymour Hill Trophy for the first time for the Eagles and the first time since 1953 when West Torrens last held the Trophy aloft, captain Peter Schwarz jubilantly proclaimed the now immortal words"

"This is a very sweet moment - the end result of two clubs that made a lot of tough decisions three years ago. This is for Woodville and for West Torrens. Now we are one club."

Club colours and emblems

The club colours of blue, gold and green incorporate the club colours of West Torrens (blue and gold) and Woodville (green and gold). The Eagle logo of the West Torrens Football Club was adopted as the official emblem of Woodville West Torrens. It was also agreed that blue would be the primary colour of the merged club.

Woodville-West Torrens 2007 playing list

Honours

*SANFL Premierships: 2 – 1993, 2006
*South Australian Night Series Winners: 2 – 1993-94
*SANFL Minor Round Premiership: 4 - 1993, 1994, 2000 & 2006
*Stanley H. Lewis Memorial Trophy: 2 - 1993 & 2000
*SANFL Grand Finals: 7 - 1993, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006
*SANFL Finals Appearances: 14 - 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
*SANFL Reserves Premierships: 5 - 1992, 1993, 2000, 2001, 2004
*SANFL Under 19's Premierships: 3 - 1996, 1998, 2000
*SANFL Under 17's Premierships: 4 - 1993, 1998, 1999, 2000

League placings

*1991 - 4th
*1992 - 3rd
*1993 - Premiers
*1994 - 2nd
*1995 - 8th
*1996 - 4th
*1997 - 7th
*1998 - 6th
*1999 - 3rd
*2000 - 2nd
*2001 - 2nd
*2002 - 4th
*2003 - 3rd
*2004 - 2nd
*2005 - 2nd
*2006 - Premiers
*2007 - 3rd

Magarey Medallists

*None

Jack Oatey Medallists

Presented to best on ground in an SANFL Grand Final
*1993 - Steven Sziller
*2006 - Hayden Skipworth

Reserves Magarey Medallists

*1992 - J Sziller
*1996 - J King
*2003 - D Newett

Bob Lee Medallists

Presented to best on ground in an SANFL Reserves Grand Final
*2001 - Brett O'Hara
*2004 - Luke Spehr

Best and fairest

*1991 - Scott Morphett
*1992 - Robert Pyman
*1993 - Andrew Rogers
*1994 - Jason Sziller
*1995 - Andrew Rogers
*1996 - Andrew Rogers
*1997 - Steven Hall
*1998 - Nick Pesch
*1999 - Gavin Colville & Adam Pearce
*2000 - Gavin Colville
*2001 - Gavin Colville
*2002 - Justin Cicolella
*2003 - Justin Cicolella
*2004 - Gavin Colville
*2005 - Mark McKenzie
*2006 - Mark McKenzie
*2007 - Leigh Treeby

Life Governors

"The highest individual honour that is bestowed by the club"

*Bob Hank
*Lindsay Head
*Fred Bills
*Malcolm Blight
*Andrew Payze
*Andrew Rogers

Ken Farmer Medalists (SANFL Leading Goalkickers)

*Scott Morphett: 99 goals (1991)
*Chris Kluzek: 72 goals (2000)
*Mark Passador: 74 goals (2006)

Records

*Most Games: 232 by G Colville (1995-08)
*Most Goals: 302 by M Passador (2003-)
*Most Goals in a Match: 12 by A Taylor v North Adelaide in 1994
*Most Goals in a Season: 99 by S Morphett in 1991
*Most Years as Coach: 8 by R Fuller (2001-)
*Most Years as Captain: 6 by A Rogers (1995-2000)
*Highest Score: 30.14 (194) v North Adelaide in 1994
*Lowest Score: 3.9 (27) v North in 1995
*Greatest Win: 156 v North in 1993
*Greatest Loss: 158 v Norwood in 1995
*Longest Winning Run: 14 1993-1994
*Longest Losing Run: 8 1997

Team of the Decade

*B : Glenn Freeborn, Steven Hall, Peter Schwarz
*HB: Andrew Rogers, Paul Prymke, Jamie Tape
*C : Andrew Payze, Robert Pyman, Scott Camporeale
*HF: Shayne Breuer, Andrew Taylor, Gavin Colville
*F : Brett Burton, Scott Morphett, Steven Sziller
*R : David Niemann, Wayne Weidemann, Jason Sziller
*Interchange: Paul Bulluss, Nick Pesch, Adam Pearce
*Coach: Bruce Winter
*Captain: Peter Schwarz

Club grounds

*Woodville Oval (1991—present)

Famous players

Wayne "The Weed" Weidemann
Matthew Pavlich
Brett Burton
Nathan Bock
Scott Camporeale
Rhett Biglands
Bernie Vince
Trent Hentschel
Ken McGregor
Kent Kingsley
Scott McMahon
Brian Lake
Mathew Stokes
Jamie Tape

External links

* [http://www.wwtfc.com.au/ Eagles Official Website]
* [http://eagles.arecool.net/ Eagles Unofficial Website]
* [http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/wwt_eagles.htm Full Points Footy History of The Eagles]