Barry Tyrrell

Barry Tyrrell began his senior football career in 1965 with the Rovers Football Club based at the farming community of Piednippie near Streaky Bay. Not overly tall but possessing a powerful athletic leap, Barry soon became the Rovers number one ruckman. Barry was only 19 when he won the Streaky Bay Football Leagues Mail Medal in 1968. The win came to the attention of football scouts and in 1969, Barry was off to Adelaide to play for Woodville.

Barry played the first two league games of the season with Woodville before returning home to continue playing for the Rovers. He arrived back in time to play enough games to claim his second successive Mail Medal and went within three votes of winning three medals in a row in 1970. Although his move to the Peckers at the beginning of 1969 had not been successful, it had improved Barry as a player. He was still rucking for most of his matches but was now going forward a bit more and becoming a dangerous goalkicker. Barry kicked 9 goals in a match against Poochera and relieved of rucking duties in an interleague match against Port Lincoln in 1971, kicked 7 goals.

After finishing third in the 1971 SBFL Mail Medal, Barry was approached to return to Woodville in 1972. He did so and became a regular in defence for the Peckers. By now the hairline had started to recede and he became widely known as ‘Buff’.

In a match against Port Adelaide in 1976 ‘Buff’ became a football legend. Woodville had never beaten Port Adelaide in their thirteen years in the SANFL and were leading deep into the last quarter. ‘Buff’ met a pack of Port Adelaide players head on and badly injured his shoulder. As they were already down to 18 fit players ‘Buff’ declared he would stay on and sit in the forward pocket. To be more precise he kneeled in a forward pocket in excruciating pain. The Port Adelaide defenders paid him no attention and when a long ball came into the forward area, ‘Buff’ bravely marked it and dribbled it through for the match sealing goal. It was a great day for the Woodville Football Club and Buff only wished he had not been in so much pain, so he could enjoy it just a little.

The league career of Barry ‘Buff’ Tyrrell ended in 1981 with 174 games to his credit. ‘Buff’ then embarked on a new pursuit in 1982 as coach of the Barmera Monash Football Club. He had taken over the sports store in the Berri Plaza and immediately became a popular figure in Riverland football. The last premiership Barmera Monash had won was way back in 1937 when they were known just as Barmera. In that time, they had lost eight grand finals and drawn one. There was a feeling that Barmera Monash were putting together a good team and the appointment of ‘Buff’ was seen as putting the icing on the cake.

Barmera Monash lost their third grand final in a row in 1982 but would then proceed to win the next five flags. ‘Buff’ played his role as both coach and player to perfection. He moved himself to full forward in 1985 and not only won the goalkicking award in 1985 but also became the first Riverland footballer to kick 100 goals in a season. His best effort was in a game against Waikerie where he kicked 20 goals. ‘Buff’ repeated the feat again in 1986 and would spend the next six years at or near the top of the Riverland goalkicking ladder.

‘Buff’ continued as a player with Barmera Monash after he completed his coaching tenure and enjoyed playing in another premiership in 1989 under Barrie Barbary. ‘Buff’ finally retired at the end of 1993, playing more than 200 games for Barmera Monash and kicking 692 goals. During his time as a player at Barmera Monash he was named in the Riverland Football League Team of the Year on six occasions, 1982 (Follower), 1983 (Centre Half Back), 1985, 1986, 1987 (Full Forward) and 1991 (Forward Pocket).

The heroic deeds performed by Barry Tyrrell in the historic win against Port Adelaide in 1976 are firmly set in SANFL and Woodville folklore. The Riverland football community would uphold that his contribution to playing, coaching and mentoring of young men during his time with Barmera genuinely established him as a Riverland football legend.