The annual Reclink Community Cup made a return to Norwood Stadium on an overcast Sunday afternoon, one a bit less muddy than other years.
In addition to being a great charitable event, which raises money to fund programs aiding disadvantaged Australians, the day is a great celebration of South Australia's music community. As such it tends to have great buy-in from the local scene. One of the most overlooked parts of the music economy is hospitality and this event gives equal weighting to musicians and staff from the prominent venues that support the scene.
Premier Steven Marshall made an appearance with Elders from the local Kaurna community, one of whom was wearing a spectacular ceremonial kangaroo skin. While the Liberal Party aren't known for their support of the arts it was certainly good to see him there.
The Rockatoos led by halftime in what was (surprisingly) a slightly less sloppy affair than expected. The drier conditions than previous years made play a bit easier and players like Clarity Records owner and local music industry icon Matt "Footy" Horvath were able to put their skills on display. Plenty of the goals came from close in, but a couple of long-range shots were impressive by any standard. The decent standard of football from a lot of players was actually quite interesting, with players ducking and weaving, taking solid marks and landing some clean orthodox drop punts.
The halftime performance from old-school, semi-novelty punk rock outfit Lazaro's Dog brought back some memories, especially with their big single Home Entertainment System, which many punters would have remembered. It was the perfect band for this sort of affair; very light-hearted, but still highly skilled — important when you are playing to a bunch of musicians. The cameo from Rockatoos coach Sean Kemp on backing vocals for the aforementioned song was a nice touch.
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The three-quarter time, on-field appearance of Jimmy One Leg, the sausage sizzler from The Grace Emily, completely naked and with his prosthetic leg on full display was one of the highlights. You could see why The Grace entrusts him with their sausage slinging duties.
By the final siren, the Rockatoos almost doubled the Anchors' total. I'd like to say it was really footy that won, or that the bonds within the music and hospitality scenes were truly cemented. But really, musicians have continually taken out the match in SA and there must be something to that.
The after party was held at Adelaide music scene's spiritual heartland, The Gov, with all the winners announced — including singer Miffy Davis, Johnny Nutman from The Upside News and Thomas Jackson from Against The Grain Publicity, members of the volunteer committee that helped put on the event. The after party is always one of the best parts. Luke Penman from play / pause / play was spinning tunes into the night to cap off another fantastic year.
