Adam Sleight's 200th game v Old Paradians
Congratulations to Adam Sleight, Prahran Assumption's star key forward and ruckman on the 200 senior games milestone v Old Paradians this Saturday June 18.
Sleight is most decorated player at the club in the past two decades with four best and fairests, represented the VAFA in 2005 and 2008 and has kicked 400 goals.
It has been an outstanding contribution since walking into the club mid- season in 2003.
The former Sunbury player was premiership captain in 2011 when his outstanding marking ability was at its zenith.
When Carlton triple premiership player Jimmy Buckley was guest speaker at a luncheon before our last home game in 2011 he watched Sleight in action.
After Sleight had hauled down what had to double figure marks by mid-way through the second quarter Buckley commented " has that bloke got a net,'' such was his mastery of the art of marking.
In recent years Adam has been a driving force in the club's leadership group and has also taken an assistant coach role.
Sleight's career stalled last season with a recurring knee injury but after three Reserves games this season has seamlessly slotted back to his forward and ruck role.
This is a tribute from Sleight's 2011 premiership coach Leigh Stafford.
''Slip reaching the 200 game milestone this week is a truly significant achievement from a truly significant figure in the recent history of the Prahran Assumption Football Club.
The journey we’ve shared has been one of personal growth and development, recognition of true values and ultimately team and individual success for both of us.
I was lucky enough to build a team around Slip as our CHF in 04-05, as his ability as a player to attract a crowd, remain strong in the air and still clunk with the in-all of Amateur footy were the perfect combination for the role we wanted him to play.
But it was his development as a leader that had the greatest influence on the football club, and culminated in an outstanding performance as Captain, Assistant Coach and Facilitator of Rich Maloney’s Premiership Coach program during the premiership year of 2011.
Adam Sleight in 2005 was an outstanding player that showed solid off-field leadership, the 2011 version was outstanding on both counts and it would be difficult to fault his contribution.
As captain of the only premiership in the last 20 years, and the last side to win a D1 Final, the deserved plaudits that come this week when he reaches his 200th this week.
It’s for others to lay plaudits on his performances in those other years, although one game against Oakleigh, which we lost by a kick from memory, was the most dominant display I’d seen in a game of football at any level – and highlighted what a wonderful player he was.
His passion for this football club, it’s people, his ability to speak his mind doubled with his capacity to learn to become a listener at the same time make him a true Prahran legend.
Loyalty, strength, conviction, desire and friendship are all values I’m sure Adam holds dearly in others.
He has certainly been a shining example of all those traits during his 200 games at our great football club.''
The following is a tribute from Sleight's first coach at Prahran, John Ross.
I received a phone call the other night, and looked at the number and thought, “who’s this”?
Then I heard the familiar voice of Tim.
After the formalities, I said, “who’s died” because the last call I got from him out of the blue was to tell me Bubba (Neil Wallmeyer) had had a heart attack.
I remember back to a day at a fundraiser at the old Southbank ground, when I askedBubba did he want any salad with his 3 sausages and his response was “you’ve gotta be joking jr. I don’t eat that s..., meat and potatoes only”. So Surprise, Surprise!!
Tim informed that everyone was ok and that it was something much more pleasant.
He asked me if I could come down on Saturday as Sleightly was playing his 200th game. My response was “200 games all up, or 200 with Prahran”?
So 200 with Prahran that is a fantastic effort:
- He turned up out of the blue, basically walked in off the street, and said he wanted to play with us.
- My thoughts of getting such a player, have been interesting and as I remember I was doing the maths on all possible permutations of what could be Adam Sleight.
- I have been thinking it about it over the last few days and had a few smiles and laughs about the process of recruiting players, the ups the downs, and the luck that is involved.
- So Sleighty. He was tall and in reasonable shape, a positive, I thought don’t get too excited, I have seen this before many times, it doesn’t mean he can play, but then he said he had played at Sunbury, and my ears pricked up as I knew they were in the Ballarat League and certainly had no room for players that weren’t prepared to go and win their own footy.
- Maybe we were a chance to get a player, Sunbury had a reputation of being a club with players that made some of the amateurs look like boy scouts. This type of player, if he can play and is not a total disaster socially would be what all coaches are looking for.
- So he was here but still haven’t seen him play, still a chance to be a dud, and in the back of my mind was, why is he playing here?.
- Why isn’t he chasing money in one of the suburban clubs, at training he moved well and kicked the ball well, but I have also been lured into this trap before, lots of players train well but can’t find the ball in a game.
- So he plays his first game and dominates, takes around 15 marks all over the ground, don’t tell me this is true there must be a negative, maybe he gets pissed after the game and wants to fight everyone, No that didn’t happen.
- So we finally won one, a good player, a good bloke. He played forward, back, in the ruck and around the ground using the ball well winning the hard ball and was a great bloke off the ground.
- Easy to coach, would do what was asked of him, not a big head, a good trainer what else, oh yeah and he was a good bloke that got on with everyone and treated his teammates and club officials with respect.
- Sometimes you win, In this case we did and the club I am sure is grateful for the years of service Sleighty has given them, to play 200 games for any club is a great effort, so well done mate. It’s easy to remember good blokes and good players and you were both of them.
Congratulations. Have a great game today.
JR
Stats:
First played: 2003
Goals: 400
Best & Fairest: 2003, 04, 07, 2011.
Players Players: 2003, 07, 09, 2010,11.
VAFA representative 2005, 2008.
Club Captain: 2005, 2011-13.
Premiership captain: 2011
Assistant coach 2012-16
Life Member.