To celebrate SANFL #RetroRound we are taking a look back at the highlights from some of the most influential Panthers from the 1980s.

Stuart Palmer holds the distinction as South Adelaide's games record holder, having played 337 games in a career that spanned three decades. A mark that is likely to never be matched or bettered.

Palmer moved to Australia from the northern English town of Nelson with his family at the age of five. He quickly made his way through the Panthers junior ranks and made his League debut in April 1969 shortly before his 18th birthday.

While he came off the bench in that game and registered a goal with his first kick (in the hostile surrounds of Alberton Oval no less!) it was in the backlines where Palmer made his name.

An excellent reader of the play, Palmer had a penchant for a spectacular mark as he marshalled the Panthers defence. Indeed he was present at full back in the 1979 Grand Final side.

Though he never won a Knuckey Cup, he was a consistent and important presence in the South Adelaide line up throughout his career and captained the side from 1982 - 84.

In 2017, Palmer was inducted into the SA Football Hall of Fame.

Panthers Past - Stuart Palmer

Pre-order your 80s Retro Guernsey 

To celebrate SANFL #RetroRound we are taking a look back at the highlights from some of the most influential Panthers from the 1980s.

Not many have accomplished as much as Shane Butler did in a South Adelaide guernsey.

A North Gambier product, Shane Butler achieved virtually everything possible with South Adelaide.

A fierce competitor across the centreline or half forward flank, Butler won the first Knuckey Cup of the 80s, claimed four night premierships and captained the side in the final two seasons of his illustrious 285-game career (the third most of any Panther!)

He remains arguably one of the best footballers in South Australia to never be selected to represent his state.

Panthers Past - Shane Butler

Pre-order your 80s Retro Guernsey 

To celebrate SANFL #RetroRound we are taking a look back at the highlights from some of the most influential Panthers from the 1980s.

These days a bag of eight is a rarity even for a key forward. Well, Ron Hateley once did it from the wing!

Hateley was a tall, thinly built wingman Tantanoola and made his senior SANFL debut in 1973. He was a key player for the Panthers during the Haydn Bunton Jr era, winning a club best and fairest award in 1976, and earning state selection four times.

He agonisingly missed the 1979 Grand Final after breaking his leg during the Qualifying Final clash with Port Adelaide earlier in the finals series.

After recovering from his broken leg Hateley put in a full season in 1980 and continued to produce reliable football for the Panthers until his retirement, with 216 senior games to his credit, at the end of the 1984 season.

A stalwart through the 70s and 80s, the man they called "Snake" certainly knew where the goals were. See some of his best running goals

Panthers Past - Ron Hateley

Pre-order your 80s Retro Guernsey 

To celebrate SANFL #RetroRound we are taking a look back at the highlights from some of the most influential Panthers from the 1980s.

Nothing says 80s football like a high-flying forward sitting on shoulders and kicking bags of goals.

Not many have done it better for South than John Schneebichler, who kicked 351 goals in his 234 games with the Panthers.

Schneebichler was a workmanlike and thoroughly dependable league footballer who enjoyed a successful 13-season career with South Adelaide, where he rose through the ranks before making his senior debut in 1975.

Capable of playing in a variety of positions, he carried out whatever function was asked of him with a minimum of fuss and plenty of fortitude and grit. He was a member of the Panthers' losing Grand Final team against Port Adelaide in 1979, and was the club's leading goal kicker with 65 goals in 1983.

He captained South in his last three seasons at the club before making a controversial transfer to Glenelg for his final season of League football.

In addition to his club games, Schneebichler also played five times for South Australia.

Panthers Past - John Schneebichler

Pre-order your 80s Retro Guernsey 

To celebrate SANFL #RetroRound we are taking a look back at the highlights from some of the most influential Panthers from the 1980s.

To kick off our Panthers Past series we have Geoff "Banger" Baynes, who closed out his 185-game career with South skippering us into the 80s.

Geoff transfered to South Adelaide from West Torrens for the total sum of 20 cents in 1975.

It was a recruiting coup for the Panthers, as Baynes, who played mostly as a ruck rover, went on to claim three consecutive Knuckey Cups between 1977 and 1979.

Playing under Haydn Bunton Jr, Baynes was captain from 1978 - 81 and nearly lead his team to the Clubs first Premierships since 1964 as the skipper of the 1979 Grand Final side, named as one of the better players on the ground against Port Adelaide.

Panthers Past - Geoff Baynes

Pre-order your 80s Retro Guernsey 

South Adelaide were unable to reel in an impressive Sturt outfit, falling to a 13-point less at Hickinbotham Oval on Sunday.

See the match recap below. Click here for the full match report thanks to MRS Property!

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*Indicates injured last match

League Match Report

South Adelaide vs Sturt
Round 17 - Hickinbotham Oval - 12/08/18

Goals: Kreuger 2, Liddle, Whittlesea, Fitt, Aurrichio, Cross, Fields
Best: Whittlesea, Liddle, Summerton, Cross, Haines
Injuries: Kappler (ankle)
Crowd: 2048

South Adelaide were unable to reel in an impressive Sturt outfit, falling to a 13-point loss at Hickinbotham Oval on Sunday.

Sturt brought the pressure after quarter time and once they pulled away in the second half the Panthers just could not claw back far enough, falling to a 8.11 (59) to 11.6 (72) defeat.

The loss sets up a nervy finish to the season for Jarrad Wright's outfit.

Sturt now jumps North Adelaide into third on the ladder, while the Panthers remain in fifth place.

South hold a two game plus significant percentage advantage over sixth and seventh placed Glenelg and West Adelaide, but must close the season against top two sides Eagles (away) and Norwood (home). A win against either would clinch a Finals berth for the boys from Noarlunga.

Despite being their nemesis on Sunday, Sturt could also play a deciding role in securing South's position in the finals, with a win over West and Glenelg in their final two games enough to eliminate them from finals contention.

The Panthers started well against the Double Blues, with Nathan Kreuger converting an incredibly courageous mark into the first goal of the game after five minutes.

South were dominating play and possession, but could not convert their control of the football into any serious scoreboard pressure.

Liam Fitt added a second midway through the term, but once Jake Sutcliffe pinched one back for the visitors after the quarter time siren South's lead was only five.

Disappointingly, young rebounding defender Jaidan Kappler was ruled out for the rest of the game after suffering an ankle injury early in the piece after an awkward fall.

The game opened up after the first break, as hard ball winners Joel Cross (25 touches,10 clearances and a goal) and Aidan Riley (24 disposals and nine clearances) worked their way into the game for their teams.

The teams traded blows and entered the major break locked at 34 a piece.

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Nick Liddle, who was his influential self with a game-high 29 touches, seven clearances and a goal, regained the lead for South after a tense start to the third.

However, consecutive Sturt goals would quickly reclaim a lead the visitors would not again relinquish.

To their credit, South continued to fight in the final term.

Woodville-West Torrens recruit Tom Whittlesea played his best game of the season, clunking a game-high 11 marks (three contested) and cutting the gap back to 10 with an early goal in the fourth.

Fellow former Eagle Jake Summerton also played an important role on dangerous Sturt forward Mark Evans, holding the Ken Farmer Medal leader to just 11 touches and one goal.

South kicked four consecutive behinds before Alex Aurrichio made things interesting with his first goal of the game entering stoppage time.

However, Sturt continued to find a way to answer back, as big Jack Osborn stretched high for a one-on-one mark, which he converted into a two goal buffer at the death to secure his side's 13-point win.

The Panthers will be disappointed with the result, having controlled possession for much of the game.

Sturt punished their hosts on some critical skill errors, which were especially devastating given the tough, but low scoring style in which the game was played.

South must now regroup before making the trek to Woodville this Saturday, August 18 for a crack at the Eagles and securing their place at Adelaide Oval come September.

Pleasingly, Wright has several more options to weigh up at selection.

Matt Rose and Summerton made successful returns from injury in the League side, while Anthony Biemans and Sam Overall got through their comeback games in the Reserves unscathed.

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Reserves Match Report

South Adelaide vs Sturt
Round 17B - Hickinbotham Oval - 12/08/18

Goals: Hall 3, Overall, Biemans, Fairlie 2, Gurney, Elmes, Moyle
Best: Biemans, Fairlie, Irra, Redigolo, Moyle, Rankine
Injuries: McKinnon (back), Taylor (calf)

South Adelaide's Reserves enjoyed a three-goal win over Sturt at Hickinbotham Oval on Sunday afternoon.

The win keeps the Panthers finals aspirations alive as they trail fifth-placed Central District by just one game with two games to play.

South were made to work for the points in a tightly contested affair in which the lead didn't exceed two goals either way through the first three quarters.

However, some steely resolve and a fast finish in the final term was enough to secure an important 12.9 (81) to 9.9 (63) win.

Sturt took a 10-point lead into the major break, but South were able to claw back the lead and entered the final change with a lead of their own thanks to returning forward Sam Overall's second goal of the afternoon.

South had to fight off a Double Blue charge, as the visitors close within five midway through the last, but were able to pile on the last three goals of the game to secure the points.

Anthony Biemans (22 touches and two goals) was outstanding in his return from a shoulder injury.

The former Magpie was immense around the contest, laying an impressive 15 tackles and leading the way in several team KPIs.

Speedy Connor Fairlie continued to accumulate the ball at Reserves level, finishing with 32 touches and two goals, while Tarak Redigolo's veteran presence (26 possessions and nine marks) in defence also played a key factor in the win.

Meanwhile, young defender Robert Irra (19 touches) played one of his better games as he continues to improve on the attacking side of his game and Matt Rankine responded well to being sent back to the Reserves with 20 touches and seven tackles.

The Reserves next face Eagles at Maughan Thiem Hyundia Oval this Saturday, August 18 from 11.30am.

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South Adelaide is pleased to announce that Rick Watts has been appointed as the Panthers next senior women's coach.

Watts succeeds premiership coach Krissie Steen, who parted ways with South Adelaide in June to take up an opportunity with the AFLW program at GWS.

He brings to the role an extensive background of experience and success in women's football and will be familiar to the South Adelaide faithful having worked under Steen as an assistant coach in 2018.

"The Club is delighted that Rick has agreed to continue his involvement with our senior women's program and step into the role of Senior Women's Coach moving forward," said Panthers Chief Executive Officer, Neill Sharpe.

"Rick played an important role in the success of our women's program this season and we believe his experience and passion for women's football will help with the growth of the programs we have put in place in at South Adelaide.

"The Club believes Rick's existing relationships and experiences with the current playing group will also assist him in kick-starting a successful pre-season and have our team well prepared for the upcoming 2019 season and beyond."

Watts a Year: New Panthers Senior Women's Coach, Rick Watts celebrates South's Grand Final win over Norwood with his predecessor, Krissie Steen. Image: Nick Hook - Insanity Multimedia.

Originally from Victoria, which included time as a player with Williamstown in the VFL, Watts began his coaching career with University High School-Victoria University Amateur Football Club (UHSVU) in 2009.

Moving to South Australia in 2013 he became familiar with the southern area through his involvement with the Christies Beach Football Club as a player and a coach.

Watts' involvement with women's football began with Morphettville Park in 2015, joining the Roos as an assistant coach in their 2015 SAWFL premiership season and stepping up to senior coach with the same result in 2016.

In 2017, Watts joined Steen's coaching panel for Adelaide University Football Club's SAWFL Division One premiership run and then continued as an assistant coach under Steen at South Adelaide in 2018.

"I'm extremely honoured and grateful to be given this opportunity at such an amazing club," said Mr Watts.

"I'm grateful to have worked with some amazing and inspirational mentors recently in Krissie Steen, Robbie Neill and Bill Economou who have been pivotal in my coaching development"

"Our playing group is an absolute pleasure to coach and I'm excited to continue to support and develop our local southern talent"

"Once we have finalised our playing list, our focus will turn to reviewing our game plan to ensure we are innovative and progressive"

With a senior coach now in place South Adelaide will begin to finalise its playing list ahead of the expansion of the competition to eight teams.

Rick Watts

• Assistant Coach South Adelaide Women (Premiers 2018)
• Assistant Coach Adelaide University Women (Premiers 2017)
• Head Coach Morphettville Park Women (Premiers 2016)
• Assistant Coach Morphettville Park Women (Premiers 2015)