Farewell games for retiring SANFL Stars

By ZAC MILBANK

Central District premiership pair Trent Goodrem and Kyle Jenner, together with Norwood great Sam Baulderstone, will play their final Statewide Super League games in Round 14.

With the Bulldogs and Redlegs now out of the finals equation, the trio will be gifted farewell matches after announcing their SANFL retirements this week.

All three will have the opportunity to wave goodbye to their home fans with Central hosting Woodville-West Torrens at X Convenience Oval on Saturday and Norwood playing West Adelaide at The Parade on Friday night.

Goodrem’s outstanding career will come to a close after playing in three premierships with the Bulldogs – 2008, 2009 and 2010 – while also claiming the Jack Oatey Medal as best afield in the 2009 SANFL Grand Final.

The 33-year-old will play his 240th League match against the Eagles after making his debut in Round 4 of 2007 having been recruited from Sydney.

A Player Life Member of SANFL’s 200 Club, Goodrem captained Central from 2015 to 2019 before handing the mantle to Luke Habel this season.

Making his name as a genuine ”Mr Fixit”, Goodrem has performed a variety of roles for the Bulldogs, chiefly across half-back and the wing.

Jenner, affectionately known as Alfie, started his SANFL journey with the Port Adelaide Magpies Under-17s in 2003.

Making his League debut at Alberton in Round 18 of 2005, Jenner played his first 32 senior matches in the black and white before crossing to Elizabeth in 2009.

The 34-year-old made his League debut for the Dogs in Round 1 of 2009 and despite missing out on a premiership medal that year, he earned one a season later playing in the club’s nail-biting win against Norwood in the 2010 SANFL Grand Final.

A Player Life Member of SANFL’s 200 Club, Jenner will play in his 228th League game against the Eagles and his 196th for the Bulldogs.

Starting as a silky-smooth half forward, Jenner has also played higher up the field on the wing and through the midfield while also acting as Central’s vice-captain during the latter part of his career.

Originally from Whyalla, Baulderstone began his SANFL chapter with North Adelaide’s Under-19s in 2008.

After playing for the Roosters in the same year and in 2009, he opted to play with Mount Compass in the Great Southern Football League.

But with Norwood in search of a ruckman as it prepared its premiership defence in 2013, Baulderstone was lured out to The Parade where he completed an amazing physical transformation en route to making his SANFL League debut in Round 3 of 2013.

The 29-year-old has since gone on to establish himself as arguably the competition’s most dominant ruckman of the decade, playing in the Redlegs’ 2013 and 2014 League premierships.

A four-time member of The Advertiser SANFL Team of the Year, Baulderstone represented SANFL in the West End State team’s win against the VFL at Adelaide Oval in 2016.

The long-kicking left-footer will play his 137th League game for Norwood against the Bloods on Friday night.

Sturt will send off three premiership players when it hosts Glenelg at Peter Motley Oval on Saturday.

Midfield ball magnet Sam Colquhoun, long-kicking defender Tom Harms and rebounding backman Byron Sumner have all announced their retirements to the playing group this week.

Harms, 29, began at Unley in Sturt’s Under-17 side back in 2006 making his way through the grades before earning his League debut in Round 21 of 2011.

Featuring in the Double Blues’ 2016 and 2017 premierships, Harms will play his 121st League game for Sturt.

Colquhoun started his SANFL journey with Central District in Round 1 of 2013, finishing with nine League games before featuring in another 34 with the Magpies after being drafted by Port Adelaide.

Arriving at Unley for the 2017 season, the 25-year-old played in the club’s dramatic 2017 flag against Port.

Colquhoun will line up in his 72nd game for Sturt and 116th overall against the Tigers.

Sumner began his SANFL career with Woodville-West Torrens, making his League debut in Round 16 of 2009.

The 29-year-old played a total of 54 League games for the Eagles before crossing to Oxford Terrace at the start of the 2017 season where he featured in Sturt’s premiership against Port.

A former Sydney Swan, Sumner will play his 54th League game for the Double Blues on Saturday for a total of 108 SANFL League appearances.