In a now traditional part of the Senior Presentation Night, a number of Life Memberships were awarded in recognition of past and ongoing service to the Sherwood Football Club.

In 2019, the newest inductees were as follows:

STEVE MITCHELL

Steve was awarded a Life Membership in recognition of the almost 40 years of service he gave to the club as a player,  junior coach, Reserves and assistant Senior Coach and football director.

The nomination process for Steve to be awarded Life Membership commenced in late 2018 and the club felt it was fitting he still be honoured with this award despite his untimely passing just 2 months ago.

Steve played juniors for the Magpies and then many years in Seniors for 3 premierships and after he finished his playing days, he coached junior teams for years and also coached the Reserves  in the Western Magpies in 1999 and again in 2000, 2001 and 2007 (a premiership year). He was involved in the resurrection of the club in 1998 when moves were made to reboot the Magpies after a 12 month hiatus from Senior Football in 1998 after the merger with Wests folded at the conclusion of the 1997 season after delivering a QAFL Premiership in 1996. Recently he was the club football manager in 2013 and had major involvement in the organizing and completion of the club’s new honour boards after previous versions were destroyed by floods.

Steve’s Life Membership award was a poignant moment at the Presentation Night and it was presented by his great friend Des Lashman to his sons Drew and Luke Mitchell with Luke speaking  eloquently about his father and his love of the club and that he would have been very honoured to receive Life Membership.

SEAN MCEVOY

Sean reached the 200 senior club games milestone for the club this year with 13 Seniors, 189 Reserves and 1 Woodsmen game for a total of 203 games to meet the criteria for automatic life membership.

He commenced playing in Reserves in 2007 and has been a member of the senior playing group for 13 seasons. He started as a Sherwood junior in 1994 and has been a fixture at the club for 26 consecutive years since starting as a 7 year old. He has likely played over 400 games in the black and white.  Life membership was due recognition for his loyalty and dedication to the club. He played in the 2007 Reserves premiership as well as the disappointing Reserves grand final losses in 2008 and 2011. He plays mainly in defence and has the occasional run in the ruck and in many matches has given away height and weight but he always manages to win many of the contests. He has never won any best and fairest awards but was always a consistent performer and won a couple of best player in the finals awards which says a lot as he played well at the business end of the season. He joins his father Michael, brother Tim and brother-in-law Reid Dobson as Life Members of the club.

JIM EVANS

Jim commenced at Sherwood Football Club in U11s in 1963 and was a member of the first Senior side in 1968, so if our maths is solid - he can’t have been older than 16 when he made his debut. He then played for 11 seasons where he featured on the wing and in later years in the back pocket. He hung up the boots in 1978, where despite his relative youth he had played in 6 Senior Premierships, including winning the Senior Best & Fairest in a Premiership year in 1976. He then coached U9’s to U11’s from 1967-1970, and incredibly also served on the commitee as a teenager in the 1960’s. It is estimated Jim played approximately 180 Senior Games (unfortunately records were lost in 1974 and again in 2011!) and he was named in the best 50 players of all time at the Sherwood Australian Football Club

GREG ADAMS

Greg first played junior football for the Club in 1960, however he had to wait until U17’s in 1969 before he won his first Premiership for Sherwood.

He Captained teams in U11’s, U13’s, U15’s, U17’s at Sherwood and U19’s at the neighbouring Western Districts, before playing Senior Football for Western Districts in the QAFL at the age of 17. He won 5 Best & Fairest Awards, along with 4 Most Consistent Player Awards, including a Queensland Junior Australian Football League Best & Fairest in 1970. A terrific effort for a player who played the game at its most physical limits.

Greg represented Queensland in U15 Schoolboys in 1967, then U17’s Schoolboys in 1968/1969 (Vice Captain) and 1970 (Captain).

He was described as ‘pound for pound, probably the hardest , toughest player ever to play for the Club, highly skilled, and a great competitor, with a strength of character that rubbed off on his team mates’.

He was also named in the Top 50 Players for the Club over the First 50 Years.

His Senior football journey took him to the neighbouring Western Districts, the Goldfields League in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, Wangaratta in Victoria, before returning to play out his career at Sherwood playing in the 1975 and 1979 Premiership winning Teams, and in between, Captain/Coached the 1977 Reserves Team to a Grand Final.

Despite living away from the area for many years, Greg has always maintained his love for and contact with Sherwood Footy Club, regularly attending home games and he currently retains that active involvement through The Grey Magpies – the Past Players & Supporters Association. Not to mention, he also travels from Redcliffe each Friday to work with a number of other past players, helping to prepare the playing grounds and surrounds each week.