SA Footy

Doug Thomas. What wonderful servant of the West Adelaide football. He was a wonderful person he was. Pleasure to meet him. Thank you Doug for everything. Would of liked to have a drink for him at club tonight for him. Now joins the Westies faithful that can watch the mighty Bloods from Grandstand in the sky. RIP Doug

Thiele wrote:Doug Thomas. What wonderful servant of the West Adelaide football. He was a wonderful person he was. Pleasure to meet him. Thank you Doug for everything. Would of liked to have a drink for him at club tonight for him. Now joins the Westies faithful that can watch the mighty Bloods from Grandstand in the sky. RIP Doug

Well said JT

Brodlach wrote:

Thiele wrote:Doug Thomas. What wonderful servant of the West Adelaide football. He was a wonderful person he was. Pleasure to meet him. Thank you Doug for everything. Would of liked to have a drink for him at club tonight for him. Now joins the Westies faithful that can watch the mighty Bloods from Grandstand in the sky. RIP Doug

Well said JT

Thanks

I remember going to a Port v Norwood trial game at Richmond with a Portie mate. We went into the club and we had our hats on and Douggie comes in and says 'hats off boys' and we didn't argue. It might have been a Port v Norwood game but it was his bloody club. Being from the Richmond area he was a man who had great respect in the local community.

Vale Mr West Adelaide.

regards,

REB

I have always had the greatest respect for Doug. He not only fought for the WAFC but the SANFL. I recall him trying to stop the AFL rookie system coming in as it stole players from SANFL clubs for no compensation. I feel these are the people that should be acknowledge more by the SANFL.

Spargo wrote:

Magellan wrote:

Spargo wrote:The last of the “old guard”. A great Westies man, a great SANFL man.
RIP

An excellent way of describing that 'earlier' generation of footy administrators.

I know there were more but Harry Kernahan, Bob McLean & Doug Thomas always stood out as larger than life figures when I was growing up in a similar era to many on here.

Throw in Wally Miller as well.
All these blokes could've walked into any vfl club or indeed any organization and made it successful.
They presided over arguably the best and most successful sanfl era.

Doug was a regular at Globe Derby up until about a decade ago
We would often greet each other and often comment about what Westies had done on the weekend
About 2 years of this and he commented about how we beat Norwood on one occasion
I then told him I barracked for Norwood not West !
He had thought all this time I was a Westies barracker !

R.I.P to the great great man
Yes I agree with a previous post
Vale Mr West Adelaide

Always enjoyed reading Doug's columns each week in the Sunday Mail back in the 70's. Very insightful and ahead of his time in thinking>
Was on a hiding to nothing as West Adelaide coach after Westies dumped Neil Kerley.