This year marks the 90th anniversary of the Mortlock Shield and the 76th time that the event has been conducted. No carnivals were held in 1937, 38, 1940, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 48, 1950, 52, 54, due to travel complexities and the Second World War, nor in the Covid year, 2020. Quite remarkably, during the period 1955 to 2019, the carnival was held on 64 consecutive occasions.
The Mortlock Shield has provided generations of Eyre Peninsula players with opportunities to participate at interleague level and represent one’s league. It has also seen many fine footballers who have gone on to represent Eyre Peninsula at the State Country Championships and in some cases to represent South Australia Country and this pathway opportunity was highlighted in 2025 when five Eyre Peninsula players were selected in the South Australian Country team. As the budget cover photo displays, this year is also the 90th anniversary of the first representative Eyre Peninsula side which competed at Adelaide Oval in 1936. In that match Eyre Peninsula defeated Adelaide and Suburban Association 16-12 (108) to 7-8 (50).
As is customary, new life members to the Mortlock Shield are inducted at the life members, team officials and major sponsors dinner on the Saturday evening of the carnival weekend. This year’s dinner will be conducted at the Port Lincoln Hotel and four outstanding servants of the Mortlock Shield will be inducted. I congratulate Rod Tonkin from Western Eyre, George Pedler from Great Flinders and Wayne Piggott and Matthew Lienert from Eastern Eyre.
Over the years the Mortlock Shield has had several carnival guests who have a strong association with Australian Rules Football. This year we are privileged to have Michael, Shane & Darryl Wakelin in attendance, grandsons of Vic Oswald who was a member of the 1936 Eyre Peninsula side. The Wakelin connection to the Mortlock Shield can also be found in 1990 when Darryl and Shane represented Lincoln Districts, at that time being some two months shy of their sixteenth birthday.
Many people from the Eyre Peninsula contribute over the weekend to make the carnival the event that it is. There are many volunteer team officials, coaches and umpires who collectively provide the framework for the games to be conducted by the players. I thank them and acknowledge their invaluable contribution to this weekend of football.
Greg Fitzgerald
Chair
Mortlock Shield
