Jarrad jumps at the chance to reach 150 games

By ZAC MILBANK

There’s certainly a sense of deja vu surrounding Jarrad Redden’s 150th Hostplus SANFL League game.

In the lead up to reaching triple figures in 2019, the Woodville-West Torrens premiership ruckman reflected on how he had decided to return to Oval Avenue after a chance meeting with then CEO Luke Powell.

Now, nearly five years later, Redden is in a similar position approaching his next magical milestone, having answered an SOS call from new Eagles coach Sam Jacobs to return in 2024.

Speaking on SANFL Radio, the 33-year-old revealed he was prepared to settle into playing with his beloved Southern Eagles on the Yorke Peninsula.

Instead, Redden is loving life back at Oval Avenue in a mentoring role for the club’s emerging ruckmen while they develop and return from serious injuries.

To date, the former Port Adelaide-listed giant has only missed one of the Eagles’ matches this season after slipping seamlessly back into State League level.

This is due in part to his new employment challenge, which is owning a Mr Clip lawn-mowing and gardening franchise for the past 12 months.

Since then, Redden – who made his League debut in 2008 – has lost as much as 18kg to ensure he is able to move around the ground more easily while also having less impact on his knee joints.

Approaching his milestone match against South Adelaide at Maughan Thiem Kia Oval on Saturday, the triple premiership bigman is well aware he may not be required at season’s end.

But for now, with his Eagles boasting a 4-1 win-loss record, Redden has in the back of his mind the opportunity to join former captain Luke Thompson in becoming the only players to feature in four flags since the club’s merger at the end of 1990.