Sherwood take home 3 x Premierships in 2021

What a great finish to the year as the Magpies took part in three Grand Finals and took home the silverware in all of them! This breaks the Premiership drought dating back to 2018 when our QAFL Colts saluted on the big stage.

What made it even more memorable were the stories associated with each game. First up, the Woodsmen took home the QFA Premiership on the Friday night, with club legend Chris Mihalopoulos having a fitting finish to his career winning his 5th Premiership at Sherwood in Senior football in his 400th game, but also taking home the Best on Ground Medal in the process to have a true fairy tale finish.

Next up, history was to be made as our U13 Girls took the field against Wests searching for the first ever Premiership won by a female Sherwood team. In a nail biting encounter under the hot winter sun, Sherwood prevailed by 6 points to make history for the club, with Annabel Peacock capping a great season with a Best on Ground performance.

Not to be outdone, our Senior Women packed their bags for Bond University on Father's Day to take on the undefeated Jindalee Jags for a chance to win our first ever Senior Women's Premiership (having finished runner up 4 times!). Cheered on by an adoring and loyal crowd, including the vocal u13 Girls proudly wearing their medals - the Sherwood Women put on a clinical display, banging home 6 goals in the 2nd quarter to put the game to bed. This was an exercise in preparation, teamwork, focus and an unwavering attention to detail from the players and coaching staff. Leading at every change, they ran out comfortable 32 point winners with Kate Lencz awarded best on ground honours in a blistering display through the midfield and up forward.

In total, Sherwood had 6 teams competing in the finals with the above 3 progressing to the Grand Final. Our u12 Div 1 and U14 Div 1 teams accounted for themselves well in their Preliminary Finals only to fall short, while the incredible group of mixed boys and girls from u10s, u11s and u12s that made up our u12 Division 4 outfit finished the year as they started, with big smiles and having a great time in what was the first final for many of them! Special mention must also go to our QAFL Senior Mens team and u14 Division 4 team who were ruled out of finals by COVID, with both teams a legitimate contender had their been no lockdown interventions.

Expressions of Interest - Board & Sub-Commitees

With another fantastic season behind us for 2021, we are now working towards a bigger and better season 2022 and as always we can't do this without the huge efforts of all our volunteers across the entire club.

With the successful transition to our One Club Community, we are now looking to solidify our position through successful recruitment to our Board of Directors and Sub-Committees.

A wide variety of skillsets are integral to driving our club forward and with this in mind we now seek expressions of interest in these roles.

All the details including position descriptions, club structure, reporting lines, responsibilities and much more are available HERE.

ALL positions from President to the Newsletter Coordinator and everything in-between are considered vacant and we welcome nominations for all positions both on the Board of Directors, but equally as importantly on our various sub-committees.

Vale Cliff Biggs

Sherwood Football Club sadly acknowledge the passing of Cliff Biggs, who passed away during September at 74 years of age after a battle with prostate cancer.

Cliff was the Sherwood Social Club President for eight years in two stints- 1992 to 1996 and from 1999 to 2001.

Cliff was also instrumental in Sherwood reforming under the banner of the Western Magpies in senior football in 1999.

Cliff moved from Melbourne to Brisbane due to health issues with one of his daughters and it was thought Brisbane’s warmer climate would be beneficial for her.

A fortuitous meeting with Sherwood doyen Kevin Kluver one day brought him into the Sherwood family.

Cliff left a job as a senior manager and accountant at the Dick Pratt Visy company in Melbourne and obviously Cliff was so good at his job that Pratt was so concerned about him joining another company that he gave Cliff a stipend for two years to make sure he didn’t join any rival firms while in Brisbane. So with a bit of time on his hands Cliff became the Sherwood Senior Team Manager in 1990. Kluver was coach and Don Lougheed Football Club President and both saw a quality person to help the club and convinced him to became the President of the Social Club. He had not even been on the committee before he stepped straight into the President’s role. It was an inspired choice as Cliff made the Social Club a success during his tenure.

Under his guidance the Social Club returned to profit and was able to pay off debt to the club’s guarantors in the vicinity of $500,000 which was a magnificent effort. As was often the case with the Social Club when he took over it was struggling but under his tenure was able turn the club around.

After his two years on Dick Pratt’s stipend had ended, Queensland just happened to allow poker machines and Cliff was appointed as Queensland General Manager of the Aristocrat Poker Machine company. He was so good at his job the company grew quickly to the point he did not have the time needed to be involved in the Social Club and resigned as President.

Later on he said he regretted leaving as he thought with one or two more years in charge of the Social Club he could have set it up for permanent success.

Cliff grew up in Melbourne in the Heidelberg district in the Olympic Village precinct which is pretty tough district.

He had involvement with three footy clubs in the district - Heidelberg, YCW and West Heidelberg. Some of his contemporaries and friends were Collingwood’s great goalkicker Peter McKenna as well legendary players who carved out successful careers in the country In Jack Clancy at Albury and Ron Best at Bendigo and he was a great mate of John Wise, who was a Collingwood rover and who went on to become Collingwood Past Players Association President.

His business acumen was recognised only early this year when he was inducted into the Gaming Industry Hall of Fame as only the second person to be so inducted after the owner of Aristocrat, Len Ainsworth.

Unfortunately Cliff and his loving wife of 49 years , Annette, did not quite reach their Golden Wedding Anniversary. Annette was a great support to him and he had four daughters in Rachael, Melanie, Donna and Jemma.

Cliffs connection to Sherwood remains strong with his daughter Melanie marrying Craig Nipperess who was Sherwood Senior Team Manager this year and was inducted as a Life Member himself three years ago. His legacy lives on with two grandsons in Jai (Under 9s) and Finn (Under 8s) playing footy at Sherwood.

The life of Cliff Biggs was celebrated on Friday, September 24 at Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church at Corinda afterwards fittingly back to the Sherwood Australian Football Social Club.

Vale Cliff Biggs

Vale Peggy Peirce

The Sherwood Football Club sadly acknowledge the passing of Margery ‘Peggy’ Peirce on Monday 16 August aged 96.  Peggy was a giant of the Sherwood Football Club, being involved from the earliest years and was the brains behind the ever popular ‘Magpie Chatter’ that commenced in 1964 and continued well into the 1980’s.  As a young school girl, Peggy knew the current site of the Magpies as the ‘Chelmer Swamp’ and when travelling by train to the city as a child used to jockey for position by the window to see the highlight of the trip to town, the old Aboriginal ‘corroboree ring’ at the Swamp.  Peg recounted that the reward for the window seat was often some coal dust in the eye from the steam engine!  Years later, after Brisbane City Council claimed the site it was the Chelmer Dump before the Magpies established our home at the site in 1973.

Peg and husband Bob for years published the Magpie Chatter after the initial suggestion from Tom O’Neill. Often with many helpers at a social gathering convened at the Peirce household with parents and kids, Peg would still be at it on the typewriter until 2am, often because many team managers failed to submit a team article and rather than have the youngsters miss out, Peg would write the notes herself with the knowledge she had of the games and their participants.  Something our current editors of the Around the Grounds Newsletter can relate to!  Peg with a gift for writing and a quick wit was the cornerstone of the Magpie Chatter and the broader club for many years, also running the canteen and opening her home to generations of Sherwood Footballers for many years.

Peg will be sadly missed and greatly cherished by her Children, Grandchildren, Great Grandchildren and Great-Great Grandchild. Peg had 3 sons in Rob, Billy and James who played at Sherwood, and countless Grandchildren and now Great Grandchildren wearing the black & white of Sherwood.  Daughters Lorraine and Nancy also featured in womens teams during the 1970s. Husband Bob was Club Secretary for 10+ years and the Senior Best & Fairest is named in honour of Son Billy Peirce, the 1983 Grogan Medallist.  However, without the herculean efforts of Peg over many years supporting the club, none of this would have been possible.

Her passing will be acknowledged with black armbands for all Sherwood teams competing in finals this weekend.  The funeral will be held at St Matthews Anglican Church, Sherwood on Tuesday 24 August at 1030am.  Due to current restrictions, a maximum of 60 are permitted inside the Church – so for those planning to attend, please ensure the family are seated appropriately before taking a position inside.  A wake will follow at Sherwood Football Club.

Sir Doug Nicholls Round - 2021

The Magpies hosted Morningside at home on Saturday 5 June to celebrate Sir Doug Nicholls Round in what was a fantastic community event.

The Senior game was be preceded by a “Welcome to Country” from traditional custodians of the land and then the players, umpires and coaches will take part in a traditional ‘Smoking Ceremony” both courtesy of Tribal Experiences.

At half time, we heard from ex Sherwood Captain Dean Parkin. Dean is Director of From the Heart. Four years ago, he co-facilitated the National Constitutional Convention to craft the Uluru Statement from the Heart, a simple but profound statement of intent to transform the relationship between Indigenous Australia and the rest of the country.

After the conclusion of the Mens QAFL Senior game and prior to our Senior Women's teams game, we enjoyed traditional dancing from the Wagga Torres Strait Islander Dance Company .

The host MC was Magpie Life Member Wil Ivinson, a man of immense integrity and history with the Pies and in keeping with the day he has both Aboriginal and Islander blood with his mother from the Wakka Wakka tribe whose traditional lands were from just north of Brisbane up to the Gayndah area and his father also having both Aboriginal and Islander heritage with his ancestors from the Murrinh Patha tribe from near Wadeye in the NT and from Mer Island (Murray Is) in the Torres Strait. ‘Tracker’ as he is often known has played for the Magpies since the early 90's and as recently as 2014, has coached Colts to Premierships, been a long term trainer for various senior sides (and AFL clubs as well) and is the current junior coaching director (and u10 coach) at Sherwood.

The Australian Rules Football community celebrated the Sir Doug Nicholls Round last weekend across the country. Nicholls was a pioneering indigenous player who played in the 1930s and was somewhjat of a trail blazer but he suffered racial vilification playing football. He was a great Austrlaian and was the Governor of South Australia in the 1970s, AFL clubs have embraced this round in spectacular fashion with the wonderful Dreamtime at the G a headline cultural event, not just a game of footy. It must also be said that the guernsey designs and the stories behind them are also a wonderful part of the weekend.

Half time interview with former Club Captain Dean Parkin and Life Member Wil Ivinson. Dean is Director of From the Heart - seeking constitutional recognition for first nation Australians

Pre Match Ceremony

Vale Lyn Vowles

With great sadness, the Sherwood Football Club acknowledge the passing of Life Member, Lyn Vowles on Saturday morning after a courageous battle with cancer.

Lyn was the matriarch of a wonderful and enduring Magpie family that spans multiple generations, with a constant connection and support to the club over 50+ years.

Her husband Rob played senior football at Sherwood, and later became President with Lyn by his side all the way. Lyn played in the first Sherwood senior women's team in 1972, and one of her daughters was the first ever female coach of a Sherwood team.

Lyn's children, nieces and nephews almost without exception played football at Sherwood from the age of 6, with nephew Matt also going on to become Club President. Her son in law Sean is also a Senior Premiership player and Captained the Woodsmen for 8 years and still coaches junior football at Sherwood. She has also had 3 grandsons play at the club, with 2 currently still playing in the u11s and u16s.

However, without the guidance, support and encouragement from Lyn - none of this would have been possible. Lyn encompassed family, community, competitiveness, devotion and passion and our club and community is a better place thanks to her involvement and efforts.

Our heart goes out to husband Rob, and children Toni, Kate, Brad and Marty as well as the extended Vowles clan - the Sherwood community is in your debt for having shared such a wonderful lady with us, but ready to wrap our arms around you in this tough time.

Her passing was acknowledged with black arm bands across all senior grades on the weekend, and the u16 side with Grandson Nick. The u8 Vowles side will recognise Lyn in coming weeks.

The funeral will be held at Centenary Memorial Gardens on Thursday 10 June at 9am.

Place Graceville Preview - QAFL Round 1 - Pelly Selvage Cup vs Mt Gravatt

Senior Match Preview - Round 1 vs Mt Gravatt - 2pm, Sat April 10 @ Sherwood

The Sherwood QAFL Senior side take the field for the first time in 2021 for Premiership points this weekend when they take on Mt Gravatt for the inaugural Pelly Selvage Cup in Round 1 QAFL action.

New coach Adrian Fletcher has run a successful pre-season program and has the squad humming along and ready for the year ahead. After reaching the 2020 Preliminary Final in a COVID impacted season, the Magpie list has undergone significant change and continues to grow from within with the Magpies impressive crop of youngsters.

Fletcher has named 3 Senior debutants for the Magpies. Magpie junior, 18 year old Darcy Prest comes in for his first Senior game after missing all of 2020 with a shoulder reconstruction. A classy player who has played for QLD for many years, Prest has been very impressive in his return to footy in recent months and is one to watch in season 2021 with his superb ball use and ability to read the play.

Another Magpie junior making his debut is 19 year old Charlie Thorpe. Charlie has played over 150 junior games at Sherwood since commencing in the u8s in 2009 and won a QAFL Colts Premiership in 2018 for the Magpies. Charlie is a tall wingman with great footy attributes and is the son of former Magpies Senior QAFL Coach Jarrod Thorpe, who was a father/son selection at Footscray after Charlie’s Grand Father dual Bulldogs Best & Bairest winner David Thorpe who also played in the 1974 Richmond Premiership side. Charlie is strong in the air, reads the play well and covers the ground beautifully and is ready for his opportunity at Senior level.

Another teenager coming in for his first game is local Wests Junior Connor Bulley. Connor was very strong in the Magpie Colts in 2020 with injury curtailing his senior progression. He can play at either end of the ground as a medium tall and is also capable of holding down a key position if needed. Very good in the air and a good ball user, he is signed with the Lions VFL squad for 2021 but gets an opportunity with Sherwood first. Connor is another one with good footy pedigree, with his father Cam having played over 200 QAFL games for Western Districts and Captaining the 1996 QAFL Premiership side that was a merger between Wests and Sherwood in the 1990s.

Four senior experienced players are also making their Magpie debut including 20 year old Coorparoo/Wynnum junior Josh Coombes who has been named at CHF. Capable of also moving through the midfield, Coombes has had a faultless pre-season and is a good target in the forward half at 6’4” and with excellent speed for a big man, he is also exceptionally good at ground level. The exciting Kobe Tozer also returns to football after several seasons out due to injury. VFL listed with Aspley, Tozer is a talented key forward who can take a game by the scruff of the neck and its exciting to see him back on the paddock in 2021. Well and truly on the draft radar prior to injury, he will be looking to re-etablish his position as one of the best key position prospects in QLD. Down back, Toara Marango also comes in for his first game for the Magpies. Marango is a Caloundra junior and has played significant NEAFL Footy with the Brisbane Lions. He was the best performed key defender in his age group taking on (and beating) future AFL listed players and was also an Allies representative. Incredibly strong in the air, elite closing speed and already strong leadership credentials - he is a fantastic inclusion into the side. The last of the experienced recruits is former VFL midfielder Billy Hawkes, a solidly built midfielder with excellent balance and a classy ball user who is also tough around the clinches and will put his head over the footy. Hawkes is originally from Bundaberg and after his VFL stint, began playing in the Loddon Valley league against some of the favourite sons of Sherwood in Jimmy Rozynski and Luke Scott.

The team looks nicely balanced with experience and youth with other key inclusions being the return of former AFL footballer Jackson Allen to Sherwood to provide leadership and stability across half back, while his brother Brady also returns to Sherwood full-time after moving to Mebourne in 2020, giving the Magpies a couple of key weapons with ball in hand. Captain Luca Winton has made the transition to the midfield after spending 3 productive seasons down back, including a Best & Fairest in 2019. Winton has an elite engine and explosive pace, and the transition to the middle is an exciting development.

Another big inclusion is 207cm ruckman Trystan Juffs-King. TJK was unlucky not to play more senior footy in 2020 after a strong Round 1 debut, but with shortened quarters - playing two ruckman was a tough proposition and he was kept out of the side by 2nd Round draft pick for Richmond Samson Ryan, so it was a tough side to crack for a young ruck. He should give the boys first use and get himself into good position around the ground.

Southport VFL listed Riley Greene also returns to Sherwood and the Pies are delighted to have the talented youngster available this week coming off the half back, but with his versatility he could play a role anywhere on the ground. Dan Edwards on a wing will be looking to continue on from his electric 2019 and 2020 seasons and Luke Mitchell also returns after a 12 month absence, as due to his work with the Brisbane Lions he was not permitted to play QAFL footy in season 2020.

It’s exciting times at Sherwood as our young side brimming with local talent takes the field, and the club is expecting a bumper crowd for the big rivalry against the Vultures.

Reserves Match Preview - Sat 10 April, 1130am @ Sherwood

A strong looking Reserves outfit will take the field this week against the Vultures with a great blend of experience, in addition to 6 of last years Colts side progressing to the Reserves in 2021. The backline looks solid with senior experience coming from Zac Collison and Sam Hartog, while both Campbell brothers Hamish and Lawson will be looking to have a big impact on the game, Hamish with his excellent aerial work and Lawson with his brutish attack on the footy.

Through the midfield, Ethan Harris steps up into the ruck and will be supported by his 2020 Colts Coach the experienced Ben Jaenke-Cain and youngster Zane Lovell. Lovell has played plenty of senior footy and is returning from an injury interrupted preseason for his first hitout. Completing the starting midfield is 16 year old Jaspa Fletcher also makes his Magpie debut and is one to watch after making his senior debut with Coorparoo in Division 1 in 2020.

In the forward-line there is over 300 games of senior experience via former Senior Captain Drew Mitchell and Senior Development Coach Alex Mitchell. Alex is a local Kenmore junior who had stints in the VFL between stints at Morningside, and crossed in 2020 for a coaching role, however club physio Lindsay Trigar has him in good shape for footy in 2021. The 2018 Colts Premiership captain Noah Resuggan also features across half forward and after making his senior debut in 2020 before injury curtailed his year, he will be looking to put further selection pressure on the senior squad.

Its an exciting Reserves outfit this week, with plenty of players looking to put the Senior side under pressure with a strong performance and also maintain their own spots with plenty of talent either injured or missing selection.

Glenvill Homes - QAFL Senior Leadership Group 2021

The Sherwood Football Club are delighted to announce the appointment the QAFL Senior leadership group for 2021.

A great mix of experience and youth, they are a fantastic set of young men to lead the club into what should be a fantastic QAFL competition in 2021.

Captain – Luca Winton

Vice Captain – Will Fletcher

Leadership Group – Jackson Allen, Riley Easton and Toara Marango

Luca Winton takes ownership of the captaincy role after a fantastic 3 seasons back at Sherwood including the 2019 Bill Peirce Medal after a runner up finish in 2018.  A Sherwood Junior since the u8s in 2006, Luca displays great passion for the black and white, sets high standards on and off the field for his teammates and is a true leader by example with his dedication to constant improvement through sheer hard work.  Upholding the values of the club and the 2021 senior squad, the club is great hands in 2021 under his leadership.

Will Fletcher has stepped into the role of Vice Captain for 2021, after a breakout 2020 season where he was able to settle into the senior midfield and consistently displayed the form everyone knew he was capable of.  Highlighted by being a runaway winner in the Bill Peirce Medal and Best in Finals after putting the team on his back in the final quarter against Maroochydore to charge home to a fantastic finals win.  Will is also another long term Sherwood junior and after stints in the NEAFL with the Brisbane Lions and Aspley, his full-time return to Sherwood in 2020 came with a level of maturity that sees him the ideal candidate to step into a senior leadership role.

Another local junior in Jackson Allen has returned to Sherwood where his senior career started when he debuted as a 16 year old in 2009 in Sherwood’s QAFL side.  Jackson went on to be drafted to the Gold Coast Suns where he made his AFL debut in 2012 and spent 3 seasons before moving to the SANFL in 2015 to play with Sturt.  He then returned to Brisbane in 2017 and played with Aspley in the NEAFL where he was Co-Captain.  Returning to Sherwood, Jackson brings with him a wealth of experience and leadership and will be a fantastic mentor for the young Sherwood team.  Riley Easton at just 22 is remarkably one of the most experienced players in the Sherwood lineup.  Much like Jackson Allen, he made his debut as a 16 year old in 2015 when he arrived at the club from Dalby as a promising prospect for Sherwood’s dominant u17 Division 1 side but quickly showed he was ready for the higher level.  Playing 10 games in his debut season, the diminutive player showed remarkable qualities as the side pushed into the finals, with a particularly ferocious attack on the ball and an appetite for the contest.  He was then the winner of the QAFL Rising Star Award in 2018 in his 4th season (after back to back years wrecked by 2 x ACL injuries) and continued his growth in form through 2019 and 2020, averaging in excess of 10 tackles per game during the 2020 season.  Riley is a natural leader at the club and will push the group to higher standards through the example he sets on and off the track.  Riley also fills the important role of chief of the fines committee!  Rounding out the 5 man leadership team is Toara Marango.  A Sunshine Coast junior, Toara started his footy at the Caloundra Panthers before making is way through various junior representative teams and then found himself in the Brisbane Lions Academy team, the Allies and the Lions NEAFL side, whilst also playing some QAFL football with the Sandgate Hawks.  Toara is a strong key defender with a genuine presence on and off the field that draws people.  Having recently turned 21 Toara is the youngest of the leadership group and the natural progression in his football journey will be to further enhance his already strong leadership credentials in the 2021 season.

CLUB ANNOUNCEMENT - Perpetual Round 1 Trophy & Best on Ground Medal vs Mt Gravatt

With the annual Round 1 clash with traditional rivals the Mt Gravatt Vultures – Sherwood AFC are delighted to announce that next weeks home game will see the inaugural contesting of the Pelly Selvage Cup, to be awarded to the winning team and the Butler Hammond Medal for the best player on the ground in the Round 1 encounter.

This perpetual trophy and perpetual medal recognise legends of both clubs in Warren Selvage, Dennis Pelly, Greg Butler and Mitch Hammond.    Pelly and Hammond represent the Vultures and were both highly respected opponents of the Magpies during decorated playing careers. In fact Dennis Pelly and Greg Butler were on field rivals, but remained firm friends for many years after their careers and Butler was one of many attendees at the funeral of Dennis Pelly in 2019. A quote from the ‘Vale Dennis Pelly’ article upon his passing referenced the strong rivalry with Butler.

“Many games against arch rivals Sherwood involved titanic centre man clashes between Denis and the Magpies Greg Butler. These clashes were season highlights and were as good as anything on offer in the QAFL at the time. These two tough, talented hard heads going at it hammer and tongs were always a delight to watch.”

Warren Selvage

Warren Selvage was a local Sherwood lad attending Sherwood State School when he began his footy journey with Sherwood.  He went onto attend Churchie, but continued to play footy at Sherwood progressing to the senior team for his first senior game in 1972.  His father Ian Selvage was President for 10 years, and his mother Ailsa was also a strong supporter of the club.  The club Honour Boards are known as the Ian & Ailsa Selvage Memorial Honour Boards after they were sadly lost in a car accident in the 1980’s.

After making his debut in 1972, Warren went on to have remarkable success in senior football with Sherwood, playing in 9 Premiership sides (1973 and 1975-82) playing Mt Gravatt in the Grand Final in 6 of those victories.  Selvage was also the Captain/Coach of the team for his final two Sherwood Senior Premierships in 1981 and 1982 before moving to North Queensland for work commitments.  Selvage continued his involvement in football in Townsville, Cairns and later on the Sunshine Coast as well.  He added a further 2 senior Premierships in Townsville playing for the Currajong Blues before also being part of the setup of the Northshore Jets on the Sunshine Coast, serving as a committee member of the Maroochydore Roos and was a member of the AFL Queensland Advisory Board for South East Queensland Juniors (President 2013-2016)  and in 2018 was awarded the AFLQ Merit Award, which  is the highest honour awarded to volunteers who have provided 10 or more years of outstanding service to community football.

One of three Selvage brothers to play at Sherwood, Warren was a tough, hard nosed and tight checking defender, able to shut down the absolute best players of his era, he was quick, strong, disciplined and described as the ultimate teammate by those who played with him, no finer compliment could be given.

Greg Butler

Greg Butler was the eldest of 10 children, all of whom played at Sherwood.  There were 7 brothers, while the 3 sisters also played in the Womens team in the 70s.  Greg was an absolute natural, representing QLD all through his junior career in u12s, u15s and u17s as well as in Senior Football.  After an illustrious junior career at Sherwood, he moved to Melbourne due to work commitments and played with Richmond u19s alongside the likes of Dale Weightman, Mark Lee and other future household names.

Returning to Brisbane in 1978, Butler was straight back to Sherwood where he played in the 1978,79 and 80 Senior Premierships, including winning the Best & Fairest in 1978 and 1979 in a champion Sherwood Team.  1980 was a most unusual year for many Sherwood Footballers, with many of them winning 3 Senior Premierships in the one season. For years both Sherwood and Mt Gravatt were continually denied entry in the QAFL, despite Mt Gravatt defeating Premiers Coorparoo in the pre-season competition, and Sherwood going one better and winning the QAFL Pre-Season competition accounting for all of the leading QAFL teams of the era.  In 1980, a quirk in the SQAFA and QAFL draw allowed for some players who were willing, able and good enough to play in both competitions and Kedron were smart enough to recruit 9 players from the champion Sherwood side who would play SQAFA Football for Sherwood on Saturday and QAFL for Kedron on Sunday.  As a result, Butler and 8 of his Sherwood teammates won the 1980 QAFL Pre-Season Cup for Sherwood, the SQAFA Senior Premiership for Sherwood and also played for Kedron to complete the trifecta and win the QAFL Premiership as well. In 1981 this loophole was closed and with Butler now residing in the northern suburbs, he went on to play a further 200 QAFL games for Kedron through the 1980s, continued to play for QLD and was a champion player of Queensland footy in the era.  Butler was widely respected by all he played with against, highly skilled and tough and carried himself with great character both on and off the field. 

Dennis Pelly and Mitch Hammond

Dennis Pelly was a close rival and great mate of Greg Butler during and after their playing careers, Pelly was widely respected by all at Sherwood and during his time at Mayne where he was a Runner Up in the Grogan Medal, he was also coached by Sherwood Legend Kevin Kluver and was a member of Mayne’s 1973 QAFL Premiership team. Mitch Hammond was one of the fiercest, yet most respected rivals of Warren Selvage and a quality representative of the Mt Gravatt Vultures.

Sherwood AFC welcomes Glenvill Homes as new Major Partner

The Sherwood Australian Football Club are delighted to welcome Glenvill Homes on board as our new Major Partner for 2021 and beyond. 

Glenvill Homes are part of a dynamic, multi-faceted company encompassing all aspects of design, development and construction. Beyond this core business, the group also has divisions active in multi-unit housing developments, house and land packages, investment packages, project construction and interior design consultancy. In addition to tens of thousands of homes, they have designed and built high-rise offices, luxury apartment towers and retirement villages both in Australia and in the United States.

The Glenvill Group is comprised of several individual yet complementary businesses; Glenvill Homes, Aplace, Glenvill Developments, Glenvill Projects  and Echo Townhomes. Each business operates completely independently and at arms length to one another.

This enables them to enjoy synergies, financial security and collective know-how that is derived from operating across interdependent disciplines and sectors.

In the most recent 12 months, Glenvill Homes via their Aplace housing division have expanded into South East Queensland.  Aplace by Glenvill has made a commitment to a long-term strategy in developing a centralised operational team along with improved business process technology. This ensures the have a highly scalable business which is able to deliver unparalleled levels of productivity and service. This centralised approach delivers significant leverage advantages and is the reason for their successful expansion.  The Glenvill Group via their Echo Townhomes, have become the largest builder of medium density development in Victoria and are now expanding into Queensland via their initial project at Aura on the Sunshine Coast.

Queensland Manager, Paul Merritt recently visited the club to finalise the details and was impressed with fantastic community culture and hive of activity at the Magpie Nest.  “I love my sport and I’m looking forward to getting down to regular games to support the Magpies in what promises to be a fantastic 2021 season, we’re really excited to partner with such an innovative, and community driven organisation that align with our core values” he said.

Club President, Andrew Thomson was in regular contact during discussions in December with Glenvill’s General Manager of Housing, Leigh Squarci.  A deal was signed off just before Christmas.  Before the impacts of COVID-19, Mr Squarci was a regular visitor to QLD to oversee the business expansion and was looking for ways to further their reach and footprint in the local market.  As an avid footy fan, he was excited at the prospect of partnering with one of the biggest volunteer run community footy clubs in Brisbane.

“Aligning with an organisation that shares similar values of quality, affordability, sustainability and community is exciting, and we can’t wait to see this partnership grow” he said.

Andrew Thomson said “I’m excited to partner with a genuinely national business with a growth mindset looking to expand in our backyard.  We certainly believe partnering with the Magpies will be mutually beneficial to Glenvill Homes and our Magpie Community.  With their support we can continue to expand on programs to grow participation, support our current players and improve infrastructure – while Glenvill will certainly benefit from their association with a respected organisation that also offers a social media reach of 20,000+ impressions each month, a huge and loyal supporter base and strong business connections.”

Everyone at the Magpies is excited ahead of the 2021 Season, and we’re delighted to have Glenvill Homes to partner with us on the journey.

QFA (Woodsmen) - Coaching Appointment

Gareth Crawford has been appointed as the playing coach of the Woodsmen QFA Team.

'Crawf' is a veteran of over 350 Senior games throughout country Victoria and the QAFL with the Magpies. He played 169 games with Hamilton in the Western District as well as over 50 games with both Sherwood in the QAFL and Eaglehawk in the Bendigo Football League, as well as shorter stints with Palmerston in the NTFL and other Victorian clubs.

He is a Senior Best & Fairest winner at Sherwood in 2017 as well as a league medal winner in the Western Border League in Victoria, 5 times inter-league representative and Senior Best & Fairest winnner at both Eaglehawk and Hamilton.

He brings a wealth of experience to the table with over 20 years playing Senior Football and having previously held assistant coaching roles.

Having played with 9 clubs across his career, the consistent theme for 'Crawf' is to just play footy with his mates, and there is no more perfect place to do that than with the Woodies in the twilight of a wonderful career where he will guide the team on and off the field in his capacity as playing coach.

The Woodies hit the track for the first time on Wed 3 Feb at 630pm - come down and join them!

Junior Coaching Appointments - Season 2021

Sherwood Football Club are delighted to announce the head coaches for each confirmed junior age group for Season 2021. Once teams in each squad are better established, more coaches will be appointed for the additional teams in each of the age group.

Sean (Happy) Toohey has been appointed the head coach of the U11s for Season 2021.

Sean started playing football when he was 6 years of age for Jindalee Jags. He played from u8s through to U14s (playing up an age group) before changing clubs to Sherwood to play with his mates, also in the U14s.

His team made the grand final in his first year at the club, but unfortunately did not take home the flag.

Sean played in the Sherwood u17s undefeated Division 1 Premiership side coached by club legend Rob Mitchell. There was no senior team for him to play in at Sherwood the following year after the disbanding of the merger with Western Districts, so he pulled on the boots for Kenmore and played in their Division 3 premiership winning team

The following year, Sherwood fielded a Senior team and Sean quickly became an instrumental player. In 2006, he played in the team that won the clubs first senior flag in 10 years and 2nd since 1982 under coach Paul Grentell. He didn't play in the 2008 premiership team, but he was still on the park as the team runner.

In 2009, Sean was captain of the inaugural "Woodies" team (Previously 3rds, Low Rollers and Sherwood Old Boys) under coach and Grogan medalist, Bill Pierce. The team made the grand final and what a day it was for Sean. His wife gave birth to twins in the morning, and he ran out to lead the Woodies to the flag later in the day! He captained a 2nd Premiership undeated in 2014 and he still pulls the boots on for one game a year just to keep his career alive!

Sean has 4 children, 3 girls and a boy. Cooper is keeping the family Sherwood football tradition alive and has been playing at the club for several years. Sean also married into 'Magpie Royalty' when he married Kate, who is both the daughter and sister for former club Presidents from the Vowles family who were instrumental in making the Magpies the wonderful club it is today.

Sean was assistant coach to his teams in 2017, 18 & 19, before stepping up to be the head coach of the mighty U10s in 2020. He lives and breathes footy, and has stepped up for the club again in 2021 to take the role as head coach for the U11s.

Wil Ivinson has been appointed the head coach for the U10's for Season 2021.

Wil is a long time Sherwood AFC member, starting with the club as a junior way back in 1990, after arriving from Darwin. He had a successful playing career across 24 years through to 2014, culminating in a Premiership win with the Woodsmen in his last game.

Through that time, he also coached at the U16 and U18 level, winning two Division 1 grand finals and has been an integral part of the club over many years with his leadership and mentoring of countless future Senior players. He is also a qualified trainer and acted as a volunteer in this role across all senior grades, as well as having experience with several AFL clubs.

In 2016, the next generation Wil Ivinson (Jnr) started his footy career at Sherwood. With his son now playing at the club he loves, Wil became heavily involved in junior coaching - guiding U6s, U8s and U9s through 4 enjoyable seasons.

Wil brings a lot of structure and a lot of fun to his training sessions which brings out the best in all the kids he coaches and this was recognised in 2019 when he was deservedly awarded the Sherwood Junior Coach of the Year award. Wil took a break from coaching in 2020 and became the Junior Coaching Coordinator at the club, helping coaches and players across all age groups. The coaching bug kept biting Wil through 2020, and he decided early on that he wanted to get back into coaching 2021, so here he is, ready and raring to go for another exciting year!

Our u10 age group are incredibly lucky to have Wil at the helm for 2021 in what promises to be a fantastic season.

Hugo Gower has been appointed as the head coach of the u9s for Season 2021.

Hugo began playing Aussie Rules for the Walkerville Cats in South Australia at the age of 5 before going on to play senior football at St Peter’s College. He continued to play Old Scholars for St Peter’s whilst completing a medical degree at the University of Adelaide.

He spent many years working in Paediatric Emergency and continued to play senior football during this time. He finally hung up his boots at the age of 36.

Hugo moved to Brisbane from Darwin in 2011 and after enjoying being an assistant coach in 2019 at Sherwood Magpies under 8s he took on the role of head coach successfully in 2020, also earning the Sherwood Junior Coach of the year award.

Besides obviously improving all the children’s football skills Hugo’s background in paediatrics means that he works tirelessly to also help mature the children into great young adults.

When not involved in football he is working hard to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Sadly for him ( for now anyway), he is an avid Adelaide Crows supporter but he does support the Lions when the Crows aren’t playing.

He is super excited to get the season started after all the turmoil of 2020 and he will be greatly supported by an awesome collective of under 9s coaches, all of whom will bring different skill sets to the table.

Andy Veprek has been appointed as the head coach of the U8s for Season 2021.

Andy has been a western suburbs boy all of his life. He joined Sherwood as a 13yo in 1987 and played through to the Under 17s. In 1991, he joined the West Brisbane Warriors Under 19s (an amalgamation of Sherwood and Western Districtsin the QAFL) and played in the very first official game of the new club. Andy continued to play with West Brisbane until 1997 when the cmerger disbanded and Western Districts folded. One of his fondest memories and a highlight of his career was playing alongside older Sherwood stars like Billy Peirce, Grant Dalman, and Lee Barnes. In 1997 he moved to Yeronga Football Club and played through until 2010. He was fortunate enough to play in the senior premiership team in 2006.

Now Andy has two boys who love footy and it has seen him return to Sherwood where it all started for him. Both his boys started in Auskick and have been making their way through the ranks at Sherwood. Ben is playing in the U10s and Joshua is playing his second year in the U8s.

Since his boys have been back at the club, he has been heavily involved. In 2018, he was team manager and assistant coach for the U8s, in 2019 he took on a coaching role in the U8s. Last year he coached the U9s and he has put up his hand to do it all again in 2021.

Andy loves his coaching. He enjoys not only seeing his boys develop, but seeing all the boys and girls at the club enjoying footy and having fun, just like he did when he was a kid. He knows that the friendships, memories, and life skills that football will give them in the coming years will last them a lifetime.

u16 Training Commencement - Wed 20 Jan @ 5pm

All interested players are encouraged and invited to attend the first session of the 2021 u16 season on Wednesday 20 January from 5pm at Sherwood Football Club.

As our players have many demands on their time, especially with summer sport, we understand 100% attendance is difficult - however would encourage attendance at the first session of the year for those able to do so.

The evening will consist of a short meeting to outline expectations for the season, before a short and sharp training run.

Look forward to seeing all our Magpie families back at the club head of a big 2021 season.

Inquiries: Head Coach Stephen Hedge - Stephen Hedge - 0434 279 914

Youth Coaching Appointments - Season 2021

Sherwood Football Club are delighted to announce the head coaches for each confirmed youth age group for Season 2021. Once teams in each squad are better established, more coaches will be appointed for the additional teams in each of the age groups. Further to this, we are also hoping to confirm an u15 Girls team and once we have achieved sufficient numbers, a coach will be appointed for this team.

Stephen Hedge has been appointed the head coach of the u16 squad. 'Hedgey' has a long association with the Magpies, having commenced as a club junior in the 1970's before progressing to Senior Football in the 1980's where he played Senior Football for Sherwood in the QAFL. In 1988, he moved to Darwin and continued his footy with the Darwin Buffaloes in the NTFL where he was a member of the 1988/89 Premiership Team.

Returning to Brisbane in 2006, he once again continued his footy with the 'Low Rollers' who then became the Sherwood Old Boys and now the Woodsmen playing up until 2008 where he finally completed a 30+ year playing career and became involved in coaching.

Assisting him will be Sherwood Life Member and former Captain, Michael Blackmore. 'Mousey' as he is known to most, played junior and senior football at Sherwood between 1980 and 2012, with some brief stints with Wests and Yeronga, including captaining the Magpies in 2002 and 2003. He played very good footy for the club well into his 40's. He was known for his fierce attack on the footy and loved to take a hanger. He is an experienced and accomplished coach and is a fantastic addition to the u16 coaching group.

Luke Mahoney has been appointed Head Coach of the u14 Squad. Luke was an accomplished player at Sherwood as a junior, and was also an elite track & field athlete in middle distance events. He then went on to play Senior Football at Wests and University and since his playing days finished has been involved with coaching at Sherwood, most recently as the head coach of u11s in 2020. Luke is passionate about developing junior footballers, with a focus on fitness, skill development and team camaraderie and is excited to take the reigns of a talented age group at Sherwood.

Assisting Luke will be Billy Bridge who is a multiple Division 1 Premiership player in the very strong WRFL in Victoria. Before commencing his junior footy coaching career, Billy spent 8 years as a representative basketball coach, he then coached 2 seasons of junior footy at Wyndhamvale FC prior to relocating to Queensland where he coached the Ipswich Cats u12 team. Billy believes that coaching young players is about making them better footballers, but also about instilling skills they can take beyond the football field in the future.

Also assisting will be Richard Harrison. Richard played approximately 200 amateur games in the Southern Football League in Adelaide, as well as 45 Senior Games for South Adelaide in the SANFL. He is passionate about coaching junior football and coached for 4 seasons in Adelaide for Reynella FC as well as a season with Sherwood u12s in 2019.

Paul McPhee will the head coach of the u13 girls. Paul played his junior football in country Victoria at the Horsham Tigers and Dimboola in the Wimmera League and then subsequently at Monivae College, Hamilton. Paul moved to Queensland in 1989 and played 17s, 19s and Senior football at Caloundra, and also represented the Sunshine Coast before hanging up his boots in 1994 to pursue his working life.

Paul arrived at Sherwood in the 2017 season when his son began to play football. Two seasons later his daughter also signed up to play in the Sherwood U11 Girls team. In his time at the club, Paul has volunteered for numerous roles including team manager, assistant coach and coach of the U8 & U9s.

Paul has a passion for teaching the fundamentals of football to young developing players and understands that the game is still growing in Queensland and does all he can to help promote our great game. He is looking forward to taking the reins and help lead the girls to a fun and successful season.

Assisting Paul will be Chris La Burniy. Chris played most of his junior football at Coorparoo where he also graduated to the senior ranks. Chris was also an elite basketballer and as a result, footy then took a backseat. After returning from several years living in the UK, he was recruited to Sherwood by a fellow parent in his daughters prep class in 2012 to play for the Woodsmen where he accumulated close to 100 games and was part of an undefeated Premiership team in 2014. Chris has coached the u8s for the past 2 seasons as well as assisting with the u11 girls and is exceptional at dealing with young athletes and passing on his knowledge and experience.

Damian Haber is the head coach of the u12 squad. Damian arrived at Sherwood in season 2020 assisting in the u11s after previously coaching at Moggill Mustangs in 2018 and 2019. He has over 20 years experience as a player and coach, playing all his junior football a Southport Sharks. He also played Senior Football at Southport before relocating to Melbourne where he attended Melbourne Uni and also continued playing Senior Football. He completed his senior footy career in his late 20's in order to focus on a thriving professional career where he worked as a lawyer and in property finance before establishing his own student accommodation business.

Following over 20 years of playing and coaching Aussie Rules, together with his professional experience in working with various teams, Damian has a key focus on developing and encouraging his players to strive to be their best individually and establishing a strong sense of team.

Assisting Damian will be Scott Boothey who brings over 250 games of playing experience across 4 states, as well a wealth of coaching experience with 3 years as a Senior Assistant in the WAAFL and assisting in Sherwood juniors for the last 5 seasons where he has been a valuable asset in the development of junior players at Sherwood.

Also assisting will be Andrew Thomson. "Thommo" is the current President of Sherwood Football Club and a Life Member, having played close to 200 games since 2007 and having coached various teams from Auskick to u12s in recent seasons. He has been involved in sport all his life, growing up in country Victoria where he was a Victorian representative in Aussie Rules, Cricket and Hockey before relocating to Queensland as a teenager and regrettably had a temporary (10 years..) code switch to Rugby Union! He has extensive junior coaching experience across multiple sports from a young age, having coached BBC Cricket & Rugby teams whilst at University, as well as junior representative teams in both sports from 2004-2007.

Senior Womens QFAW - Coaching Appointments

Sherwood Football Club are pleased to confirm the appointment of the Senior Women Coaching Team for Season 2021.

Senior Coach - Mitchell Merritt

Assistant Coach - Cam Bulley

Assistant Coach - Kieran Canning

Development Coach - Luke Mitchell

Team Manager & Player Welfare - Lahnie Cooper

Mitchell Merritt

Mitch is a Forest Lake & Sherwood Junior having played at the Magpies since 2004. Injuries forced a break from the game from 2008-2011 before catching the football bug again while studying at Griffith University, joining the University aligned team, Griffith Moorooka Roosters and going onto play 102 games from 2011 to 2017, alongside being an active member of the committee in the capacity of Football Manager and Vice-President 2016-2017.

Mitch then decided to return to Sherwood in 2018 when he was elected to the board and has been instrumental in the strategic planning for the club, including the return of Senor Womens football after a 5 year hiatus, where in 2020 he took the reigns as Senior Coach, taking the team all the way to the Preliminary Final and more importantly, fostering a wonderful team culture and learning environment. Mitch still enjoys having a kick on a Friday night with the Woodsmen and we are delighted to have Mitch return as the Senior Coach for Season 2021.

Cameron Bulley

Also returning from the 2020 season is local footy legend Cam Bulley. Cam was an assistant coach in 2020 and brings with him an illustrious playing career in the local area. Cam played 175 games for Wests Juniors, and was a Queensland Representative in u15s, u16s (Captain) and u17s Teal Cup. He trained with the Brisbane Bears in the 1988 pre-season and played Senior QAFL footy for Western Districts from 1987 to 1997 where he was a Best & Fairest Winner, Queensland Representative player and Captained the 1996 QAFL Premiership. After Western Districts folded, he spent two seasons with the Northern Eagles and also had a stint in the SANFL in 1992 with Woodville West Torrens.

Alongside his obviously strong playing and leadership credentials, Cam has coached over 100 games at Wests Juniors including a Division 1 u14 Premiership in 2016. We are delighted to have Cam on board again as part of our Senior Womens program in 2021.

Kieran Canning

Kieran returns to Sherwood where he played most of his junior and youth football, prior to playing and coaching over the hill at the Kenmore Bears. Kieran is set to be a fantastic asset to the QFAW program this year and is keen to contribute on many fronts particularly in the area of skill and game sense development. Kieran has two young daughters - a big reason for him wanting to contribute specifically to the women's space as a coach to ensure that his girls to see that women's footy is important and a viable option for them.

Lahnie Cooper

Lahnie Cooper is a familiar face at Sherwood, with her effervescent personality and contagious love of the game making her a key member of 2020 playing squad.  

While Lahnie has not retired from playing, injuries have taken their toll so when deciding how best to contribute in 2021, it quickly became apparent that there were multiple ways that she could add value beyond just playing. Lahnie will be a go-to person for player welfare, especially with younger playing group as well as helping to make our game day run smoothly as team manager. 

Lahnie was born with a Sherrin in her hand playing with Sunshine Heights Football Club and a burning dream to play for the Collingwood Magpies, Lahnie played junior football with the boys all the way through until like so many women, she was told that there was no team available continue playing in so had to give the game away. At the time, being given the news that her ability to play the game that she loved so much had to be taken away was a very bitter pill to swallow, however thankfully she never lost her interest in the game staying connected through her support of the Magpies. While her playing focus has been with soccer mostly with Palm Beach and Southport and other sports Lahnie has always been a football tragic so when women’s football made a resurgence and AFLW was announced, Lahnie was quick to get involved. Making her debut for Sherwood in 2020 was symbolic of how far the game has come. Fast forward to 2021, women’s football is booming and Lahnie is playing an important role in helping the game continue to flourish and the Magpies are delighted to have her on board for 2021.

Luke Mitchell

Luke Mitchell is a current senior men's footballer at Sherwood where has played 92 Senior QAFL Games. Luke is also a club junior and second generation Magpie, with his father Steve a multiple Premiership winner in the 70’s and life member of the club. Luke now follows in the footsteps of both Steve and older brother Drew, by giving back to the club as a coach, with Steve having coached many junior teams, the Reserves and Drew now coming into his second season as the QAFL Colts coach. He is keen to share his knowledge of the game as much as possible and will be a great help to anyone keen to put in some extra work to take their game to the next level.

Club Announcement - Assistant Coach QAFL

The Sherwood Football Club are delighted to welcome (back) Brett ‘Noodles’ McEvoy as Assistant Coach for the QAFL Seniors.

Brett is a highly experienced player and coach, playing all his junior football with Sherwood before graduating to the Senior side in the late 90’s.  He then moved to Moranbah for work reasons where he played a further 3 years of Senior footy, including two best & fairest medals for the Moranbah Bulldogs.

Brett then returned to Sherwood where he won the 2010 QAFL Reserves League Best & Fairest before ‘retiring’ to the Woodsmen where he achieved the elusive Premiership in 2014.

He began his coaching journey in 2009 as the Met North u12 coach and then Assistant to the QLD u12 side. He was then appointed head coach of the QLD u12 side in 2016 and has held numerous other development and youth representative coaching roles including Brisbane North u16s for 3 seasons.  In addition to his efforts in youth coaching, he was then appointed midfield coach for the Brisbane Lions Academy and was the runner for the Brisbane Lions NEAFL team. He also coached the Sherwood QAFL Colts in 2017 alongside Reid Dobson, taking them to the Grand Final.

Brett is a familiar face at Sherwood through his playing days, and importantly – he is a very familiar face to both our current and future playing group, having coached many of our senior squad in the Lions Academy and junior representative sides.  He is also an excellent conduit alongside Football Director Darren Resuggan into the Sherwood youth program where many of his current and former charges are eying a Senior debut in coming years.

It’s hugely exciting to have ‘Noodles’ back down at the club for season 2021 and beyond.

Club Announcement - Senior Football Director

The Sherwood Football Club are delighted to welcome Darren Resuggan to the club in the role of Senior Football Director.

Darren has been heavily involved in Australian Football all his life, including working for the AFL for the past 20 years in various roles, mostly related to talent ID and development.  For the past 8 years Darren has been employed by AFL Queensland running the South Brisbane Talent Program prior to that he also had involvement as a Colts, Reserves and Senior Coach in NSW.

Darren also spent time in WA where he was the Subiaco Lions country talent manager in the WAFL, helping build a triple premiership (consecutive) winning WAFL list.  He also worked as an assistant coach to future Collingwood Assistant and St Kilda Senior Coach Scott Watters and worked alongside Chris Waterman and Jarrod Schofield on game day.

He is a Brisbane local, having played state footy for Queensland and played Senior Footy at the Mayne Tigers and will be a valuable addition to the Sherwood Football Club.

We welcome Darren officially to the Sherwood Footy Club and should you wish to make contact you can get him on footballdirector@westernmagpies.com.au or 0438 850 993

2021 Season - Team Manager & First Aid Officer Nominations

All interested parties in being a Team Manager or First Aid Officer for Season 2021 are invited to register their interest via the forms below.

TEAM MANAGER Role Description

FIRST AID OFFICER Role Description

Junior & Youth Coaching - Expressions of Interest 2021 Season

All current and prospective coaches are invited to submit an expression of interest for Season 2021 via the button below.

Please ensure you have read the Junior Coaching Guidelines and you are prepared to agree to this policy and sign accordingly in addition to the AFLQ Code of Conduct

Please also see the Junior Coaching Selection Policy to understand the process.

Club Announcement - Senior Coach Appointment

The Sherwood Football Club Board of Directors are delighted to announce the appointment of Adrian Fletcher as Senior Coach for the 2021 QAFL Season and beyond.

The independent coaching recruitment and selection panel ran a strong process, and there were several outstanding applicants.

Adrian brings with him 30+ years of vast football experience both as player and coach throughout Australia at both the elite level, but also importantly in several talent ID and development programs in multiple states.

After a decorated playing career in the VFL/AFL including 231 games across 4 clubs including an AFL Club Best & Fairest and holding the captaincy of Fremantle Dockers for 2 seasons, he made the move into coaching at Collingwood as a Development Coach in 2002-2003.

Adrian then moved to Geelong Cats Football Club for 2 seasons, responsible for opposition analysis and player development before then returning to Collingwood for 3 seasons as the line coach for the Collingwood midfield.

During this time, Collingwood and Geelong contested multiple Grand Finals and Preliminary Finals at AFL level, with Fletcher as a key member of the coaching and player development structure.

In 2008, Adrian then moved to the Brisbane Lions where he was involved for 6 seasons in various coaching roles including (but not limited to) Line Coach (Midfield and Forwards), Strategy Coach (Midfield and Forwards), Opposition Analysis, Training Coordinator and Stand in Senior Coach,

Upon leaving the elite AFL coaching environment, Adrian then moved into a role with AFL Queensland and the AFL as High Performance Coach looking after QLD U16s and u18 Allies as Coach and overseeing the Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast Suns Academy Programs. During this time, 26 players coached and developed in programs designed and run by Adrian were drafted to AFL clubs, with 22 of them now having made a Senior AFL debut.

The coaching selection panel identified Adrian’s key skills as identification, recruitment, development and retention of players through a learning and decision making environment as a key factor in his appointment as Senior Coach at Sherwood. His ability to demand a culture of work ethic to achieve excellence, with all players judged on performance related actions and given individual feedback to make them the best player they can be within a team environment will be key to the development of Sherwood’s young playing list.

Given the Sherwood Senior QAFL Squad profile includes 75% of players aged 17-21, the extensive experience at both AFL level, but also overseeing talent development programs specifically for this demographic of player is a key driver in the appointment of Adrian Fletcher as the new Senior Coach for Sherwood Football Club.

We welcome Adrian to the Magpies and look forward to kickstarting the 2021 pre-season under his guidance.