Freeling

Over the course of a history lasting more than a century Freeling has enjoyed its share of highlights, notably its success in claiming thirteen senior grade flags. The Redlegs’ most noteworthy phase was probably when they achieved a senior grade premiership hat trick between 1983 and 1985. Their grand final victims were Tanunda in 1983 by a margin of 57 points, RSMU in 1984 (2 goals) and Nuriootpa in 1985 (80 points). Freeling’s most recent senior grade premiership came after a 22.13 (145) to 14.17 (101) grand final defeat of Willaston in 1994. Since then the Redlegs seniors have made it as far as the grand final on three occasions, losing to Kapunda in 2005, and Barossa District in both 2006 and 2007. The 2008 season brought a somewhat alarming fall from grace as the Redlegs slumped to last place after managing just a single win for the year.

Perhaps the most famous players to don the navy blue jumper over the years were Ron Benton, a Magarey Medallist with West Adelaide in 1957 and a Mail Medallist with Freeling three years later, and former West Torrens 200 game player Bob Gibson who captain-coached the Redlegs from 1973 to 1976 and landed the 1973 Mail Medal to boot.