Mortlock Shield Explained

Mortlock Shield Championship
Last Season:2024
Sport:Australian rules football
Upcoming Season:2025
Founded:1936
Divisions:Mortlock Shield - Senior MenNorwood Cup - Under 15 Mixed
Teams:5
Champion:Lincoln City
(8th Championship)
Champ Season:2024
Most Successful Club:Great Flinders
(27 Championships)
Sponsor:Bendigo Bank
Norwood Football Club
City of Port Lincoln
Related Comps:Eastern Eyre Football League, Great Flinders Football League, Port Lincoln Football League, Western Eyre Football League, South Australian Country Football Championships, SANFL
Website:www.mortlockshield.com.au

The Mortlock Shield Championship, known for commercial reasons as the Port Lincoln Bendigo Bank Mortlock Shield Championship and commonly known as just the Mortlock Shield is an annual Australian rules football competition based in Port Lincoln, South Australia. The competition tis held annually at Centenary Oval and it consists of a round robin lightning football tournament with representative teams of leagues from the Eyre Peninsula and beyond. It is an affiliated competition of the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). The current champions are Lincoln City who won the 2024 edition of the carnival.

Brief history

Named after William Tennant Mortlock, the Mortlock Shield began in 1936 when the football associations of Central Eyre, Cleve, Eastern Eyre, Great Flinders and Port Lincoln decided to hold a football tournament to celebrate the centenary of South Australia. Since 1994 The best players from the carnival are selected represent the Eyre Peninsula team in the SA Country Football Championship.

Format

The current format of the Mortlock Shield consists of a single round robin structure composed of 5 representative sides of football leagues from around the Eyre Peninsula. The carnival is held over two days on the Kings Birthday long weekend (Saturday and Monday). The games are played under lightning football conditions with two twenty minute halves. The team on top of the ladder after four games played is declared champion and awarded the perpetual Mortlock Shield to commemorate their win.

Until 2021 teams formally played two full games (one on Saturday and one on Monday) against two select opponents and the team who finished top of the ladder was declared champion

List of Champions

List of Mortlock Shield Champions.[1]

Current Teams

TeamRepresentativeYears in compShieldsChampionship years
Eastern Eyre 1989-41989, 1991, 1995, 2016
Great FlindersGreat Flinders Football League1936-271936, 1951, 1955-56-57, 1959, 1972,1974-75-76, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1992–93, 1996, 1998, 2001–02, 2006-07-08, 2013–14, 2019, 2021-22
Lincoln CityPort Lincoln Football League (Lincoln South, Tasman and Wayback players)1964–20062012-81964-65, 1967, 1970, 2004, 2012, 2017, 2024
Lincoln DistrictsPort Lincoln Football League (Boston, Mallee Park and Marble Range players)1964–20062012- 91968, 1971, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1985, 1987, 1994, 1999
Western Eyre(Formally Far West)Western Eyre Football League1957-81960, 1969, 1983–84, 1986, 1988, 1990, 2023

2017 Ladder

PosTeam PlayedWins Losses For Against % Pts
1Lincoln City2201309258.564
2Great Flinders2201108456.704
3EP Sharks2111167959.492
4Far West2111198957.212
5Eastern Eyre 21112310853.252
6Lincoln Districts 21110211746.582
7Mid West2029813641.880
8Far North2025815127.750

2018 Ladder

PosTeam PlayedWins Losses For Against % Pts
1EP Sharks2201727669.354
2Great Flinders220935662.424
3Mid West2111266466.322
4Lincoln City211909947.622
5Eastern Eyre 211819945.002
6Far West 2119614440.002
7Lincoln Districts20210511547.430
8Far North2023614619.780

2019 Ladder

PosTeam PlayedWins Losses For Against % Pts
1Great Flinders2201228160.104
2Lincoln Districts2201259556.824
3Lincoln City21110510350.482
4Eastern Eyre211869048.862
5Mid West 2028410344.920
6Far West 2028213238.320

2021 Ladder

PosTeam PlayedWins Losses For Against % Pts
1Great Flinders43118711961.116
2Lincoln City43114014748.786
3Eastern Eyre42213116344.564
4Lincoln Districts41316616647.802
5Western Eyre 41312413947.152

2022 ladder

PosTeam PlayedWins Losses For Against % PtsFinal Team G B Pts Team G B Pts
1Great Flinders4401619064.148Grand FinalGreat Flinders6541Eastern Eyre3533
2Eastern Eyre4311108462.946
3Lincoln Districts42214611156.814
4Western Eyre41312816144.292
5Lincoln City 4048220029.080

2023 Ladder

PosTeam PlayedWins Losses For Against % Pts
1Western Eyre4311618465.716
2Lincoln Districts43117512757.956
3Great Flinders42214711755.684
4Lincoln City4138914338.362
5Eastern Eyre 4137817930.352

Norwood Cup

The Norwood Cup, formally North Adelaide Shield and Port Adelaide Cup is an Under-15's mixed Competition ran on the Saturday between the Mortlock Shield. The cup is sponsored by the Norwood Football Club who compete in the SANFL as the Eyre Peninsula falls under their country zone which is in place to develop youth football to professional level in South Australia.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: History – Bendigo Bank Mortlock Shield Championships. 23 November 2023 .