SCHOOLS, community groups and football clubs around the Adelaide Hills and Murray Bridge regions have been thrilled by Port Adelaide’s visit as part of the annual Australia Post AFL Community Camp.
Power players moved through the region south-east of Adelaide as part of the annual community visit to a regional part of Australia with the support of the SANFL’s game development team.
The camp will continue on Tuesday with players to head as far as Meningie, as well as the inner hills regions.
After an Auskick super clinic at Imperial Football Club – the home club of dual All-Australian Chad Wingard – the Power players ran the ink over hundreds of posters, caps, bags, pillows and picture books.
Football clubs are the lifeblood of any country town and Wingard was thrilled to have his teammates visit his hometown.
At a sportsman's night at his old football club - Imperial - Wingard spoke of his enjoyment of being back home with the club.
“It’s lovely to be home - I come home most weekends that I'm free to - especially bringing the boys up and showing them around where I used to grow up here in God's Country is pretty good,” Wingard said.
“I come back especially to Unity College where I help out old faces – it’s good.
"One of my best mates is one of the teachers there now, it's always great to come home and be part of the community.
“I’d like to think it was in my contract that the club had to come up here … it was actually a lovely gift that it’s worked out this way.
"Being one hour away from my family is really important - my first loyalty is to them - and I do everything I can to get back to Murray Bridge.
"Port Adelaide's been really good to me too though, and being able to play here with this team and have my family live nearby is something I'm really grateful for."
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