Brooksby name lives on at Noarlunga

By ZAC MILBANK

South Adelaide ruckman Keegan Brooksby will join his dad Phil and uncle Graham in reaching triple figures when he plays his 100th Hostplus SANFL League game on Monday.

The former Panthers skipper holds a deep love for the club considering his father Phil played in 278 games between 1978 and 1989 and uncle Graham featured in 125 from 1979 to 1984.

Speaking on SANFL Radio, Brooksby has relished his time in the Navy Blue, establishing the club’s identity at Lovelock Drive both on and off the field.

South moved to play its home games at Flinders University Stadium in 1995 and one of Brooksby’s earliest memories is of planting trees around the newly established oval as a five-year-old boy.

This drive to play for South has been behind the 32-year-old’s staggering commitment to commute weekly from Melbourne this year while holding down employment as a development coach/administrator at AFL club Hawthorn.

Brooksby has been training with the Hawks during the week, including the club’s main training session, before flying into Adelaide to be a part of South’s ”Captain’s Run” session before the game.

After staying at his parents’ house before and after the game, he then flies back to Melbourne to start his working week, completing his game reviews with the Panthers’ coaching staff online via Zoom.

Approaching the halfway point of the season, Brooksby is pleased with how the arrangement has been working and he will be delighted if it results in winning the club’s first League premiership since 1964.

First, the Panthers need to go about changing their luck this season by defeating North Adelaide at Brooksby’s beloved home ground in Round 10 on the Queen’s Birthday Holiday.