Mark Brendan Naley (11 March 1961 – 6 July 2020) was an

Australian rules Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

footballer who played with in the

VFL/AFL The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

and

South Adelaide The South Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club that competes in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). Known as the ''Panthers'', their home ground is Flinders University Stadium South Australian National Football League The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's governing body for the sport. Originally formed as the ...

(SANFL).

Heritage

Growing up, Naley had been told that his paternal grandfather was of Afghan descent. This was to explain away the fact that some family members had darker than usual complexions. Later it came to light that in fact, Naley's grandfather, Charles Gordon Naley, was Aboriginal. Charles had served with the Australian Army at Gallipoli. Wounded and shipped to England for treatment, Charles eventually married his English nurse, Cecilia.

Football career

Coming from Sacred Heart College, Naley joined the junior grades of

South Adelaide The South Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club that competes in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). Known as the ''Panthers'', their home ground is Flinders University Stadium 1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

and 1987 Interstate Carnivals, the latter also saw him win the

Tassie Medal The Tassie Medal was awarded to the outstanding player at each Australian rules football Interstate matches in Australian rules football, Interstate Carnival or Interstate matches in Australian rules football, Australian interstate championship se ...

. He represented his state from 1981 to 1989, and again in 1991 and 1992. He also played for

Colonel Light Gardens Football Club The Colonel Light Gardens Football Club is an Australian rules football club that plays in Division 5, Division 5 Reserves and C-Grade Division 5 of the South Australian Amateur Football League. They are known as the 'Lions'. History The c ...

. Naley moved from the state based South Australian National Football League to

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

n based VFL when he joined in 1987. He was a regular member of the side all season, finishing the year with a premiership. He also received 12 Brownlow Medal votes for the year, finishing equal 10th. In 1990 he suffered from hamstring problems and only managed 8 games, as a result he decided to return to his original club South Adelaide, winning the 1991

Magarey Medal The Magarey Medal is an Australian rules football honour awarded annually since 1898 to the fairest and most brilliant player in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), as judged by field umpires. The award was created by Willia ...

before going on to retire in 1993. In 2002, Naley was an inaugural inductee into the

South Australian Football Hall of Fame The South Australian Football Hall of Fame enshrines those who have made a most significant contribution to the game of Australian Football. The Hall of Fame was established in 2002 when 114 outstanding individuals became inaugural inductees. S ...

Non-football career

Naley was the owner of Mark Naley Building Services, a company that provides shopfittings for offices and commercial businesses. He died from

brain cancer A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and secondar ...

on 6 July 2020, aged 59.Vale Mark Naley: little man, big mark
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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Naley, Mark 1961 births 2020 deaths Indigenous Australian players of Australian rules football Australian rules footballers from South Australia Carlton Football Club players Carlton Football Club Premiership players South Adelaide Football Club players South Australian State of Origin players Magarey Medal winners All-Australians (1953–1988) South Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees Australia international rules football team players Deaths from brain tumor Deaths from cancer in South Australia One-time VFL/AFL Premiership players