ST MARYS - A SHORT HISTORY

St Marys Football Club

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Welcome to the St Mays Football Club

The St Marys Football, Sporting and Social Club Inc. Is located in the Northern Territory of Australia and competes in the AFLNT (AFL Northern Territory

Our season is from October to March (The Top End wet season). The Club has had a number of recognised players, past greats and broken numerous Australian football records

The Club has been recognised as the most successful club in Australia winning a League (A Grade) premiership approximately every two years since they commenced playing in 1952/53

St Marys Football Club was formed in 1952 for the 1952/53 season.

The Club was formed to provide an opportunity for Tiwi Islanders who were working in Darwin for the Armed Services to play football.

With the exception of Wanderers Football Club no other NTFL team would allow “full blood” Aboriginals to play in their team. There were four other teams in the competition at the time (now the competition has eight).

Captained by the popular entertainer and ex Chief Administrator Ted Egan AO and with their first Nichols Medallist Bill Roe BEM in the team, St Marys won their first Premiership in 1954/55, the first of 42 Grand Final appearances for the Green and Gold’s to the end of the 20008/09 season.

The Club prides itself on the “locally produced” content of its league teams. Aborigines have always played an important part in the composition of the Club and have always been in the majority in all grades since formation. 

Since entering the competition, St Marys players have won the NTFL’s highest individual award, the Nichols Medal 22 times with Pat Murphy winning back to back medals in 1971/72 and 1972/73 and Jarred Ilett wining two in 2004/05 and 2007/08.  This total exceeds any other Club's tally since 1952/53 and contributes to the Club's reputation of a skilful team.

The first medal winner, Bill Roe in 1954/55 became the first Darwin player to gain State selection when he joined East Perth and represented Western Australia.  He was a member of East Perth’s 1956 League Premiership side before a car accident injury cut short his football career. 

The late David Kantilla from Bathurst Island was another Saints champion to succeed at interstate level when representing South Australia on four occasions in the sixties.  David played for South Adelaide in their last Premiership in 1964.

In more recent years Maurice Rioli South Fremantle and Richmond, Benny Vigona, Basil Campbell and Willie Roe have moved to Perth to join South Fremantle and represent Western Australia with distinction.

Cyril Rioli has also played league football for South Fremantle, Noel Long for East Perth and West Torrens, Cadji Dunn for South Fremantle.  Warren Campbell played for South Fremantle and a couple of games for North Melbourne, Michael Long West Torrens and now Essendon. Peter Burgoyne Port Adelaide and Ronnie Burns West Perth and Geelong are all products of the skilful St Marys teams.

In the AFL draft of 2001 Xavier Clarke (Jnr) was picked at number 5 by St Kilda to be the highest Draft pick ever to that time of a Territorian and since then has been joined by his brother Raphael at St Kilda also. In 2007 Cyril Rioli (Junior Boy) was another St Marys player who was picked up by Hawthorn to continue the tradition of St Marys producing yet another talented junior

Since joining the competition in 1952/53 season St Marys have become the NTFL’s most successful club winning 27 League premierships, 4 Ladies premierships (Began 2004/05), 15 Reserve Grade premierships (Began in 1953/54). Records are very sketchy on the junior competition prior to cyclone Tracy in 1974 but since then St Marys have won 17 Senior Colts 37 Junior premierships. At different times since 1975/76 the Junior competitions each year were often changed until the league settled on U/18’s, U/16’s, U/14’s since 1987/88. U/15’s and U/13’s grades since 2005/06.

The total number of premierships in all grades now stands at 100 (Wall to Wall flags) this is to the end of season 2008/09. This total exceeds any other Club's tally since 1952/53 Next closest is Darwin with 45 since 1952/53 (overall Darwin have won 53 since they started in 1917)

Michael Athanasiou is the NTFL and Club games record holder with 314 games. He extended the record to 328 while captain/coach of Darwin. Michael also holds the record of 12 Premiership medallions along with Cyril Rioli (Jnr) and closely followed by Noel Long with eleven.

Dennis Dunn holds the NTFL and Club record with a career total of 817. Dennis in one match against Waratahs in 1984/85 kicked 20 goals. On 46 occasions Dennis kicked 7 or more goals in a game

The Long Family created history on Saturday 4th December 1999 when Noel ran onto Football Park Mararra and played the family’s 1000^th NTFL’s recognised First Grade Game although Jack (Snr) played probably in excess of 200 games himself but all his playing records were lost through Cyclone Tracy. He is only recognised as having played 36 first grade games.

Jack started with St Marys in 1964/64, and finished his career in 1978/79 and he played in 9 Grand Finals. (3 winning and 6 loosing ones).

The family has 44 (forty-four) NTFL League Premierships among them. The 1000 games do not include Michael’s 190 games with Essendon or the brothers 53 first grade games in SA and WA or the family’s 37 representative games and the 384 played in the various other grades (total 1664 games) plus 200 odd Jack Snr played

Then in Rd 5 on the 8th of November 2003 Steven, Brian, John, Noel, Chris, Michael and P J created history as brothers when Michael and PJ led the side onto Marrara against Darwin to play a combined total of 1000 NTFL games.

Name	No.	Games	Premierships
Noel Long	14 and 5	216	1983/84, 1984/85, 1985/86, 1986/87, 1987/88, 1989/90, 1990/91, 1991/92, 1993/94, 1994/95, (5) 1995/96(5).
Brian Long	4	206	1983/84,1984/85,1985/86,1986/87, 1987/88,1989/90,1990/91,1991/92
John Long	13	153	1983/84, 1984/85, 1985/86, 1986/87, 1987/88, 1989/90, 1990/91.
Patrick Long*	3,4 and 13	172	1989/90(3), 1990/91(3), 1993/94(4), 1994/95(13), 1995/96(13), 1996/97(13).
Steven Long	7	107	1984/85, 1986/87, 1989/90.
Christopher Long	24	93	1986/87, 1987/88, 1989/90, 1990/91.
Michael Long	35 and 8	53	1986/87 (35),1987/88 (8)
		1000	N.T.F.L. League Matches

Note: The numbers in brackets are the jumper numbers that they wore in that particular season

After 42 years Vic Ludwig OAM retired as the president in 2004. As far as we know he has become the longest serving president in Australia if not the World in any sport beating L.A. Adamson who was president of the Victorian Amateur Football Association from 1896 - 1932 (37 years)

John Taylor deserves a special mention as coach. In 13 consecutive season, he coached St Marys to 11 premierships, once R/U (1992/93) and one 3^rd. (1988/89). In the preliminary final of 1988/89 the seven Long brothers all played. He coached Saints for 252 games for 229 wins and 23 losses a winning % ratio of 90.87 puts him in the “Don Bradman” class of Australian Football and to go with his eleven league premierships John also coached St Marys to six umpire’s carnival wins.

One season that deserves a special mention in St Marys history is season 1978/79 when on one glorious Saturday in March 1979 the Gods smiled and the Heavens rained premiership flags as St Marys won the League, the Reserves, the senior colts (now U/18’s), the Junior Colts (now U/16’s) and the U/14’s premierships. This is the only time one club has won all flags in the one season. The result in the Reserves at full time on the scoreboard had both teams tied until the goal umpires confirmed that St Marys had won by one point

Five other seasons that have been very rewarding were in 1984/85, 1985/86 and 2007/08 when Saints won five out of seven premierships and 1987/88 and 1994/95 when Saints won 4 out of five premierships they fielded teams in

This article was created for the love of the club by Rex Nixon