Brian Eustice

Brian Eustice grew up in an isolated area of the Murray Mallee in a small town called Maggea. There were no junior teams around in those days and as a youngster Brian, his brother Ross and cousin Ken would play football matches against each other. Apart from the occasional interschool match, the boys would live in hope that their local team United, a union of the small railway sidings of Mercunda, Mantung and Maggea, were short on Saturday’s and they might squeeze into the team to make up the numbers.

Both Brian and Ken were selected in the 1953 Upper Murray Under 14 Schoolboy team. This team played in a carnival in Adelaide at the same time as the Interstate Carnival. Brian had the honour of leading the Upper Murray team when all of the teams marched onto Adelaide oval.

Brian began to get more regular games for United as he got older and by 1955 he was one of the first picked. In 1956, he represented the East Murray league for the first time in B grade making the best players. In 1959, Brian tried out with West Adelaide but decided he would miss the country way of life too much if he pursued a career in Adelaide.

Brian would become a dominant player in the East Murray association over the next decade. He won medals in 1961, 1962 and 1968, and was runner up in 1963, 1964 and 1965. Brian was a prolific goalkicking rover, possessing a deadly accurate left foot kick. He topped the goalkicking on four occasions with a best tally of 47 goals in 1970. From 1955 to 1965 and from 1968 to 1970 Brian kicked 506 goals for United.

In 1963, Brian was selected in the Murray Mallee Zone team which played Yorke Peninsula in the final of the South Australian Country Championships. Brian played a key role in six United premierships and won nine United best and fairest awards. In 1966 Brian, his cousin Ross Eustice and fellow United player Barry Rigney went and played for Waikerie. Brian kicked 61 goals in two seasons with Waikerie before returning to United in 1968.

While most of his United team mates joined up with Wunkar when the East Murray league closed down, Brian decided to join the newly formed East Murray Football Club. He had great respect for a number of his former EMFL opponents in Kel Frankel, Colin Zadow and Don Coulter and took the opportunity to play alongside them. Brian played with East Murray for three seasons adding a further 118 goals to his tally. He kicked a career high 11 goals in a match against Karoonda in 1972. Brian also won two more best and fairest awards to go with those he had collected at United.

Brian transferred to Ramco for one season in 1974 before retiring. He continued his involvement for many years after in Riverland football as a runner with the Waikerie Football Club.