Welcome to the Off Season and a series of interviews and profiles which will help us get to know our SFC personnel just that little bit better. Keep checking the website for interviews with players – both senior and junior – as well as coaches and club officials. We kick things off with a fan favourite…

Matthew Knight
‘Club legend’ is an expression that is bandied about a little too often these days, especially when bestowed upon someone so young. But when you have played around 300 games for the Strathmore Football Club, having started at the ripe old age of 8, worked through the junior ranks and become an elite Senior player with two premiership medals and a best-on-ground in the most recent, I’d say Matthew Knight was well on the way to earning that gong. SFC Comms Manager Bert Werden caught up with him and asked him why the Strathmore Football Club;

“Strathmore Football Club has pretty much been my life since I was born with my family heavily involved in the club, my dad also played for the club. I started playing under 10s when I was 8 years old and loved watching the seniors every week. I’ve played 16 years at Strathmore; including juniors it’s around the 300 game mark but seniors would be 100+. It is a great environment to be around where everyone is great mates. When you come up playing juniors at the footy club you make friends for life, playing and winning with your mates what else could you ask for! I’m now still playing seniors with mates I played under 10s with. I also have a younger brother who also plays in the Senior Reserves.”

Knighta or Cat as he is known around the club is a Fire Sprinkler Fitter by day. During the football season he plays the small forward role and also runs through the midfield as required. Asked for his career highlight, Knighta said “winning my first ever football grand final which I had to wait until I was in seniors – and that was by 2 points in 2011. Another highlight would be the 2014 senior flag and voted BOG in which we also won by 2 points.” Indeed his performance to win the Reg Rose Medal in front of thousands on Grand Final Day sits in the minds of many Strathmore people, especially our juniors present. “We really do notice the young boys on the sidelines when we are playing and it’s great to see!”

It is clear through his responses that Knighta is proud of his 16 years at the club and the people that have helped shape his time at the club. “Throughout my junior football I had a few coaches but for most of the time I had John Toniolo who was great in getting us prepared for seniors football. In my senior career I had Digby Morell for 4 years and most recently Craig Clinnick for the past 2 season. I’m best mates with everyone I play with but when I first entered senior footy I loved playing with Tim Harvey, Jordan Doering and Ty Zantuck. Most recently would be Alex and Todd Grima. But one of my best mates I have played with since Under 10s with and still do now is Al Rae.”

While on the coaches, I asked him who the Senior Coach’s ‘pet’ was and he struggled to split the Grima boys Alex and Todd. He also offered that Todd Grima (#thebigadventure) is the team mate that spends the longest in front of the mirror.

And what number does Knighta wear? “In juniors I always wore number 1 and also at the start of my senior career but once Nick Gowland retired he passed on his number 2 to me which I have worn for the past 4 seasons”. His favourite movie is “Flight” with Denzel Washington and his favourite drink is Yellow PowerAde (though he doesn’t mind a CC & Dry on the rare occasion he has an adult drink!)

Thanks to Knighta for giving us an insight. He is always giving of his time to the junior players and is well on the way to being a club legend!