Russell Ebert: South Australia’s Football Colossus
When Port Adelaide supporters talk about greatness they simply say “Russ”. Russell Frank Ebert OAM (22 June 1949 – 5 November 2021) towered over the SANFL for two decades, winning a record four Magarey Medals, captaining his state, coaching at league and State-of-Origin level and, in 2022, becoming just the 32-nd player elevated to Legend status in the Australian Football Hall of Fame.
Raised in the Riverland towns of Berri and Loxton, Ebert joined Port Adelaide as an 18-year-old in Round 1 1968 and, true to form, topped the club’s goal-kicking that rookie season. Over the next 18 winters he amassed a club-record 392 league games and 295 goals for the Magpies (1968-78, 1980-85), adding 25 VFL matches with North Melbourne during a one-off 1979 sabbatical.
A centreman of formidable strength and balance, Ebert seemed to control matches at will—marking overhead, fending off tacklers and unleashing his trademark 25-metre overhead handball that turned defence into instant attack. Umpires took note: the Magarey Medal arrived in 1971, 1974, 1976 and 1980, a feat still unmatched in SANFL history.
Team success soon followed. Wearing the No. 7 guernsey, Ebert drove Port Adelaide to premierships in 1977, 1980 and 1981, captaining the club from 1974-78 and again from 1983-85. In state colours he played 29 times for South Australia—three as captain—and was so influential that the perennial “Ebert-or-Robran?” debate split pubs and back-pages for years.
Ebert’s football life rolled seamlessly into coaching: senior coach at Port Adelaide (1983-87), Woodville (1988-90) and South Australia’s State-of-Origin side in the late 1990s, while nurturing future stars through the state under-18 program.
Yet his reach stretched far beyond the boundary. For decades he fronted youth, disability and anti-violence initiatives; his tireless work with Novita Children’s Services and Power Community Limited saw him named South Australian Local Hero in the 2021 Australian of the Year awards. Port players still pull on a guernsey patched with No. 7 for the annual “Do it for Russ” charity game.
A bronze statue outside Adelaide Oval—ball tucked under one arm, eyes scanning down-field—captures the essence of a man who seemed forever three steps ahead. When acute myeloid leukaemia claimed him in November 2021, an entire state paused; twelve months later the Hall of Fame’s elevation to Legend merely confirmed what South Australians had long believed. Russell Ebert was, and remains, the benchmark by which their champions are measured.
Years Played
• Port Adelaide (SANFL): 1968 – 1978, 1980 – 1985
• North Melbourne (VFL): 1979 (one-season clearance)
Games
• Port Adelaide: 392*
• North Melbourne: 25
• Total senior games: 417
* Official SANFL ledger lists 391; Port Adelaide FC and AFL sources list 392.
Goals
• Port Adelaide: 295
• North Melbourne: 15
• Total goals: 310
Player Honours
• 4 × Magarey Medal – 1971, 1974, 1976, 1980 (SANFL record)
• 3 × Port Adelaide Premiership player – 1977, 1980, 1981
• 6 × Port Adelaide Best & Fairest – 1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1981
• Port Adelaide Leading Goalkicker – 1968
• Jack Oatey Medal – 1981 SANFL Grand Final best-on-ground
• Port Adelaide Captain – 1974-78 & 1983-85
• 29 games for South Australia (Captain 1975, 1977, 1983)
• Australian Football Hall of Fame: Inducted 1996, elevated to Legend 2022
• OAM (1984) and 2021 SA Local Hero for community service
• Bronze statue outside Adelaide Oval; Port’s annual “Do it for Russ” charity match honours his legacy