Pick the odd one out: Sir Robert Helpmann, Allan Scott AO, Gavin Wanganeen, Matthew Clarke, Mark Yeates, Kasey Chambers, Gary Lazarus and Oscar Adams.
A bit tough for a Saturday morning? Here’s a few clues.
Helpmann is a world-famous ballet dancer/actor/director and choreographer after whom the Helpman Awards are named, and who in 1986 received a State funeral at his death in Sydney from Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke.
Scott was the founder of Scott’s Transport, first major sponsor of Port Adelaide in the AFL, who once famously said the Power would never a premiership under coach Mark Williams, and to whom Williams screamed “you were wrong” after they’d won the 2004 flag.
Wanganeen is a 300-game AFL premiership player with Essendon and Port Adelaide who won the 1993 Brownlow Medal, Clarke is the former Brisbane/Adelaide/St Kilda ruckman turned pioneering Adelaide AFLW premiership coach, and Yeates is the ex-Geelong player who flattened Dermott Brereton at the first bounce of the 1989 AFL grand final.
Chambers is a world-acclaimed Australian country singer/songwriter, and Lazarus was a 132-game Fitzroy AFL player who at 17 kicked four goals in the famous ‘Miracle Match’ 62 years less one day ago, when the winless Fitzroy beat eventual premiers Geelong.
And Oscar Adams is soon-to-be Gold Coast SUNS player #153.
So who is the odd one out? It’s a trick question. Because all were born in the South Australian border town of Mt Gambier.
Except five weeks ago most SUNS fans probably hadn’t heard of Adams, a 21-year-old, 198cm key defender who was picked up by the club in the Mid-Season Rookie Draft on May 28 and will debut against Essendon this afternoon.
He was a late inclusion on Friday for vice-captain Sam Collins, whose run of 90 consecutive games since Round 16, 2021 – equal ninth in the league – will end due to a calf complaint.
In a reward for sheer persistence, it’s ‘take two’ on the launch of Adams’ AFL career 1318 days after he was originally drafted from SANFL club Glenelg by St Kilda at Pick 51 in the 2021 National Draft in November 2021.
In his original pre-draft profile, Adams was described as “a raw, developing tall who has the strength to overpower players at junior level and has some nice athleticism which sets him apart from many other key defenders.”
During a 2021 draft in which the SUNS snared Mac Andrew at pick 5, Adams went four spots after St Kilda took 67-gamer Marcus Windhager at pick 47 and nine spots before Port Adelaide plucked 51-gamer Jase Burgoyne at pick 60.
Adams was delisted after two years at St Kilda without a senior game but earned a second chance at the elite level after a key role in Glenelg’s SANFL premiership side last year.
He is the fifth player form that Glenelg side drafted to the AFL after Essendon took Angus Clarke at pick 39 last year, Carlton took father/son twins Ben and Lucas Camporeale at picks 43 and 54, and Harrison Ram went to Port four spots ahead of Adams in the mid-season draft.
Adams, who has played four VFL games for the SUNS, will make his AFL debut against Clarke, who debuted for Essendon in the Dreamtime at the G’ match against Richmond earlier this year, kicking three goals and picking up 16 possessions to win the Round 11 Rising Star nomination.
Adams will be the second player to wear jumper #48 for the SUNS and the first since foundation signing Seb Tape, who played 40 games between 2011 and 2016.
He’s third player to wear #48 in the AFL this year after Richmond’s Steely Green and Adelaide’s Mark Keane, who, with 41 games in #48, is second in AFL history in that number behind Queenslander Mal Michael, who, before his triple premiership success at Brisbane the early 2000s, wore #48 at Collingwood 61 times.
In something of an AFL rarity, with Ned Moyle in the side today for Jarrod Witts (managed), the SUNS will field players wearing jumpers #48 and #49.
