Podcast Club 1870 event tonight.

May 9, 2014
2,233
6,246
Perth
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Couldn't be bothered posting or searching in other threads. Is anyone attending the Club 1870 event at the club tonight? I'll be attending if anyone is going along.
 
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The event a what now?

Yeah I don’t actually remember getting an invite???

I probably did but normally when I do hear about these events I’ll try and pass my 3 tickets on for others to use.
 
I think it was a barbeque with a former Port Magpies player telling stories about Glory Days. Yeah they'll pass you by, in the wink of a young girl's eye.

Uninspiring, so I passed on it.
 
May 9, 2014
2,233
6,246
Perth
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
I think it was a barbeque with a former Port Magpies player telling stories about Glory Days. Yeah they'll pass you by, in the wink of a young girl's eye.

Uninspiring, so I passed on it.
It was really good. Had Ginevar, David Brown, Rohan Smith, Daryl Wakelin, Fiacchi and others I can't remember the names there and told some good stories about the Magpies days and a few other bits and pieces. Probably the best Club 1870 event I've been to, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Can't help but think after it that we need more of these guys involved in the club at some level..
 
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It was really good. Had Ginevar, Darren Brown, Rohan Smith, Daryl Wakelin, Fiacchi and others I can't remember the names there and told some good stories about the Magpies days and a few other bits and pieces. Probably the best Club 1870 event I've been to, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Can't help but think after it that we need more of these guys involved in the club at some level..

That's good to hear. I'm lucky that back in the day I used to go back to the club after matches and it was easy to talk to the players during the evening and night. So I heard many fascinating anecdotes. It's good that the history can still be passed on like old camp fire stories.

Some of the past players still say g'day if we cross paths. It is something it feels like footy has lost for the average supporter. Everything is so controlled and stage managed now.
 
May 9, 2014
2,233
6,246
Perth
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
That's good to hear. I'm lucky that back in the day I used to go back to the club after matches and it was easy to talk to the players during the evening and night. So I heard many fascinating anecdotes. It's good that the history can still be passed on like old camp fire stories.

Some of the past players still say g'day if we cross paths. It is something it feels like footy has lost for the average supporter. Everything is so controlled and stage managed now.
I missed all of that as I lived in Perth through the era in the 90's but I've heard enough Port Adelaide stories to last a lifetime from my old man, Uncle Paul and other Port Adelaide people I've been fortunate enough to meet through them.

It's the worry now that a huge part of that will be lost with how it is all managed now. It's what makes us unique as a football club, and it is who we are.

A huge credit to Benny D for organising the night, he does a fantastic job all round in a position that I imagine would be frustrating at times.
 
As Adam said it was a great event. Almost didn't go as being rained on last Saturday night my cold and flu came back but I'm glad I made the effort and went, as its probably the best Club 1870 event so far, definitely the most fun one.

Started off a bit strange, a bbq in the dark on the side of the Williams stand but after 40 minutes or so we we went into the Magpies change room. The other past players who attended that Adam didn't mention were Brett Chalmers, Damien Angove, Simon Pedler, Mark Tyler and Paul Rizonico. Pretty sure that's all of them.

We had a look at the locker room area, George told me when he started playing it was half the size as it was split in 2 into the A's and B's area. Went out into the gym area and Benny D said he tried to do something different for last night, so he rang Timmy G and asked if he could come and speak about his playing days and see if he could get a couple of past players along.

You can tell these blokes are close and still love the club, that they would give up 3 hours or so on a Friday night to talk to 100 or so fans about the club and their playing days.

As Ford said, if you used to go back to after match functions in the 1980's and 90's it was a little like that and all the players talked about how much they used to love going back to after match functions and talk to the fans, especially when they won.

Tim started off his talk by asking - can you smell something? Know what it is?? It's the smell of success! Then off he went.

He talked about how for the last 8 or 9 years he has done the induction process for the new AFL players. Says he takes them to The Port Club and has them in front of the plaques of the greats as says you are standing in the most successful club in Australia. We have won more premierships than anyone else and no other club has been successful enough to demand moving from their suburban roots to the AFL. He says that gets the kids attention straight away especially the ones from interstate.

Says he doesn't go thru all the names of the players up there but goes thru the big ones. Then mentioned Bob McLean and tells the players that for 6 months of year he ran the footy club and the other 6 months ran the cricket club, was a state footballer and state cricketer and was a manger at Cottee's Cordial at the same time.

Then said he recently had gone to the funeral of Big Bob's secretary. Big Bob in 1960 advertised for the position and Sue Richardson applied (pretty sure her name was Sue). She got the position and was so happy she went home to tell hubby. Hubby asked is it a paid position? He said most sporting clubs dont pay a salary. She said she didn't know as she didn't ask, so she rang Bob and sheepishly asked if it was a paid position. Bob confirmed it was. So Port's first ever full time paid employee was a female. Groundbreaking as usual.

Tim then went thru some anecdotes and hanging s**t on some of the past players who were there, and others who weren't, others returned fire and then went thru a typical John Cahill pre game speech - had a team up on the white board of the players there and others of that 88-99 era. There was some funny stuff in that segment but even better was when Tim reenacted what Jack would say and do if they lost and he went thru when they lost to South Adelaide one day, for the first time at Aberton in about 15 years. He went thru how Jack ripped into him about playing 20m off Mark Naley at a couple of stoppages, as well as others.

After he finished and he walked off to let the others speak, one of the other players said to Tim, tell them what he would say to Stephen Williams after a loss. Tim walked up to the whiteboard and point at Stephen Williams and said - he's Fos' boy! :D

Tim talked a lot about Jack being so positive, would rip into players if they lost, but drew a line under it by Monday and moved on to the next game.

There was a bit of a Q&A and all the players got to speak about their experiences and tell some story both on and off field. Daryl Wakelin gave a great chat about how Bob Clayton would bring prospective juniors 15/16/17 year olds from the west coast to watch the GF's so by the time they moved down to the club they knew who the players were, but wanted to get to know them and win their respect, and be mates with them. Said it was a great way to drive players to improve.

The star of the night for me was Rohan Smith. So many great stories about him. Leaving his car at Alberton after a game and asking Timmy G to check it before he went out to training on Sunday morning - he was asleep in the back seat after a big night out. Playing Freo in a preseason game, next day recovery was at Cottesloe Beach, Rohan Smith rocks up out of a cab, hat on, dart in his mouth and says g'day to a shocked 1st year player whose name I forget. The player sees Jack coming towards them and thinks, he is going to go off at Rohan. Jack gets there puts his hand on Rohan, looks at the young player and says, you gotta have characters in the game kid.

We finished up about 8.15, but most of the players stuck around for 45 minutes having a drink back in the locker room area with probably 1/2 to 1/3 of the members who stuck around. I left around 9.30 and Rohan, Tim and Rizza were still there talking to a handful of members. I got to talk at length to Rohan Smith for the first time ever and it was a real treat.

It was a great night, great stories, some I had heard, but having moved away from Adelaide in the early 90's most I hadn't. What comes thru is that these guys are great mates and are like family and love the club. The club has to keep this spirit, bottle it and hopefully our AFL players get to have some similar fun experiences and success.

Well done to Benny D and colleagues for setting it up, and Timmy G, who said ok will do, and I'll round up a few of the boys to come along.
 
I missed all of that as I lived in Perth through the era in the 90's but I've heard enough Port Adelaide stories to last a lifetime from my old man, Uncle Paul and other Port Adelaide people I've been fortunate enough to meet through them.

It's the worry now that a huge part of that will be lost with how it is all managed now. It's what makes us unique as a football club, and it is who we are.

A huge credit to Benny D for organising the night, he does a fantastic job all round in a position that I imagine would be frustrating at times.

Ben D is a genuine superstar. Port Adelaide through and through.
 
As Adam said it was a great event. Almost didn't go as being rained on last Saturday night my cold and flu came back but I'm glad I made the effort and went, as its probably the best Club 1870 event so far, definitely the most fun one.

Started off a bit strange, a bbq in the dark on the side of the Williams stand but after 40 minutes or so we we went into the Magpies change room. The other past players who attended that Adam didn't mention were Brett Chalmers, Damien Angove, Simon Pedler, Mark Tyler and Paul Rizonico. Pretty sure that's all of them.

We had a look at the locker room area, George told me when he started playing it was half the size as it was split in 2 into the A's and B's area. Went out into the gym area and Benny D said he tried to do something different for last night, so he rang Timmy G and asked if he could come and speak about his playing days and see if he could get a couple of past players along.

You can tell these blokes are close and still love the club, that they would give up 3 hours or so on a Friday night to talk to 100 or so fans about the club and their playing days.

As Ford said, if you used to go back to after match functions in the 1980's and 90's it was a little like that and all the players talked about how much they used to love going back to after match functions and talk to the fans, especially when they won.

Tim started off his talk by asking - can you smell something? Know what it is?? It's the smell of success! Then off he went.

He talked about how for the last 8 or 9 years he has done the induction process for the new AFL players. Says he takes them to The Port Club and has them in front of the plaques of the greats as says you are standing in the most successful club in Australia. We have won more premierships than anyone else and no other club has been successful enough to demand moving from their suburban roots to the AFL. He says that gets the kids attention straight away especially the ones from interstate.

Says he doesn't go thru all the names of the players up there but goes thru the big ones. Then mentioned Bob McLean and tells the players that for 6 months of year he ran the footy club and the other 6 months ran the cricket club, was a state footballer and state cricketer and was a manger at Cottee's Cordial at the same time.

Then said he recently had gone to the funeral of Big Bob's secretary. Big Bob in 1960 advertised for the position and Sue Richardson applied (pretty sure her name was Sue). She got the position and was so happy she went home to tell hubby. Hubby asked is it a paid position? He said most sporting clubs dont pay a salary. She said she didn't know as she didn't ask, so she rang Bob and sheepishly asked if it was a paid position. Bob confirmed it was. So Port's first ever full time paid employee was a female. Groundbreaking as usual.

Tim then went thru some anecdotes and hanging s**t on some of the past players who were there, and others who weren't, others returned fire and then went thru a typical John Cahill pre game speech - had a team up on the white board of the players there and others of that 88-99 era. There was some funny stuff in that segment but even better was when Tim reenacted what Jack would say and do if they lost and he went thru when they lost to South Adelaide one day, for the first time at Aberton in about 15 years. He went thru how Jack ripped into him about playing 20m off Mark Naley at a couple of stoppages, as well as others.

After he finished and he walked off to let the others speak, one of the other players said to Tim, tell them what he would say to Stephen Williams after a loss. Tim walked up to the whiteboard and point at Stephen Williams and said - he's Fos' boy! :D

Tim talked a lot about Jack being so positive, would rip into players if they lost, but drew a line under it by Monday and moved on to the next game.

There was a bit of a Q&A and all the players got to speak about their experiences and tell some story both on and off field. Daryl Wakelin gave a great chat about how Bob Clayton would bring prospective juniors 15/16/17 year olds from the west coast to watch the GF's so by the time they moved down to the club they knew who the players were, but wanted to get to know them and win their respect, and be mates with them. Said it was a great way to drive players to improve.

The star of the night for me was Rohan Smith. So many great stories about him. Leaving his car at Alberton after a game and asking Timmy G to check it before he went out to training on Sunday morning - he was asleep in the back seat after a big night out. Playing Freo in a preseason game, next day recovery was at Cottesloe Beach, Rohan Smith rocks up out of a cab, hat on, dart in his mouth and says g'day to a shocked 1st year player whose name I forget. The player sees Jack coming towards them and thinks, he is going to go off at Rohan. Jack gets there puts his hand on Rohan, looks at the young player and says, you gotta have characters in the game kid.

We finished up about 8.15, but most of the players stuck around for 45 minutes having a drink back in the locker room area with probably 1/2 to 1/3 of the members who stuck around. I left around 9.30 and Rohan, Tim and Rizza were still there talking to a handful of members. I got to talk at length to Rohan Smith for the first time ever and it was a real treat.

It was a great night, great stories, some I had heard, but having moved away from Adelaide in the early 90's most I hadn't. What comes thru is that these guys are great mates and are like family and love the club. The club has to keep this spirit, bottle it and hopefully our AFL players get to have some similar fun experiences and success.

Well done to Benny D and colleagues for setting it up, and Timmy G, who said ok will do, and I'll round up a few of the boys to come along.
Top stuff REH. That’s what I call a Club. That’s what I call Identity.
 
I said I thought the event started off a bit strange, a bbq in the dark on the side of the Williams stand but after 40 minutes we moved in side. The light towers were on but I don't think they were operating at 100%.

Just remembered that Ben told us that the intention was to watch 30 minutes or so of the Magpies train whilst the barbie was cooking and then go into the change room, but because we have so few injuries at the moment, only 1 contracted Maggies player has been picked for tomorrow's game, so they all trained earlier in the day and canceled the night training sessions.
 
Took a couple of photos that I forgot about.

This is in the gym area for those who haven't been inside the Magpies change room area underneath the Williams stand.

From the left hand corner Simon Pedler, Daryl Wakelin, Brett Chalmers, Rohan Smith, George Fiachi, David Brown, Tim Ginever, Paul Rizonico with the beers for the boys and behind him in black shirt Mark Tyler.

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In the Locker Room area Damien Angove on the right with the white shirt, all the other players except for Brett Chalmers who left before this photo was taken. Dont know who the guy to the left of Rohan Smith is, but I think he is a club 1870 member, not a player, but was involved with the club in some capacity when the boys played.

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