Australian Football

Along with John Platten and Tony McGuinness, Mark Naley provided South Australia with interstate football's most accomplished roving trio since Western Australia's Cable-Doncon-Walker combination of the mid to late 1960s. Of the three, Naley was possibly the least celebrated and least consistently effective, but on his day arguably the most spectacular.

At his peak between 1984 and 1987, Naley's explosive pace off the mark made him an extraordinarily difficult player for opposition taggers to contain. He was a winner of South Adelaide's best and fairest award, the Knuckey Cup, in 1984, while in 1986 a conspicuously energetic display for South Australia against Victoria helped him achieve All Australian selection.

In 1987, Naley joined Carlton, and after taking a while to hit his straps he developed into a more than useful performer for the Blues in what became a premiership year. His performance in the interstate match against Victoria was once again of the highest order, and this time earned him interstate football's highest individual accolade, the Tassie Medal. Mark Naley remained with Carlton until 1990, but in his last couple of seasons he was struck by chronic hamstring complaints which greatly undermined his effectiveness. 

On his return home to South Adelaide in 1991, however, he recaptured his best form, winning that season's Magarey Medal, before going on to give his club a couple more years of sterling service. The Carlton phase of his career comprised 65 games, and he made 236 league appearances for the Panthers. He donned the South Australian state jumper 16 times.

After his retirement as a player, Mark Naley continued his involvement with football as a TV commentator.

He was included as a forward pocket and change rover in South Adelaide's official Greatest Team.

Author - John Devaney