Park’s footballer scores 22 GOALS in a record 340 points under Australian rules – and he was only replacing the striker to make up the numbers.
- The Eastern Park Demons played the first match of the season
- Talented midfielder moved forward due to lack of targets
- He scored just one goal in the first quarter, before going on a rampage
An Adelaide Footy League club has recorded a record flogging to kick off its 2024 season, with a forward-facing midfielder scoring an incredible 22 goals in the rout.
Eastern Park scored a massive victory over Elizabeth with a score of 55.17 (347) to 1.1 (7) over the weekend, marking the club’s biggest win and one of the biggest in the history of the league.
Chris Knapp, a standout midfielder who returned to the Loxton Demons this season, has been moved to the forward line due to a lack of key players.
He excelled in his new role, scoring 22 goals of the team’s total.
“It was surreal, to be honest,” Knapp told News Corp.
“I’ve never really been in a game like that before and 22 goals is definitely my best return of my life.
“I usually play on the wing or in the middle, but a few guys came off and I put my hand up to go forward.
“I was hoping to finish a few.”
Chris Knapp was the star of the show, scoring 22 goals after joining the forward line away from his traditional place in midfield or on the wing.
The scoreboard says it all, the visitors were completely hammered by Eastern Park and could only score one goal in response.
The club favorite, after scoring just one goal in the first quarter, added 21 more goals in the next three quarters.
Thanks to his midfielders’ precise passing, Knapp managed to score goals inside and beyond the 50-yard line, making it a game he will always remember.
“The boys started pushing their way through the middle and looked down to find me,” he said.
“I kicked 10 in the second and they sat a bit further on me at one point so it took some really good ball use from the boys.
“Once I started getting close to 20 goals, everyone was pretty engaged on the pitch and on the sidelines, so it was a good feeling.”
Knapp (right) wasn’t the only hero of the day, with Eastern Park’s Luke Smith also scoring an impressive 10 goals.
Unsurprisingly, the win has filled the club with confidence and Knapp is expecting a big season.
“I think we are a very strong team this year and the small pitch at Eastern Park can be quite overwhelming,” he said.
“Honestly, it’s the most powerful bin I’ve seen in a long time in the football club. We also had some good recruits and returning players.
“We don’t have everyone available at the moment, but we hope to return to full fitness soon and hopefully build some momentum after the big win.
“Internally we know we have the potential to deliver this season, but we want to stay balanced and take each game as it comes.”
Surprisingly, the massive score isn’t the biggest in Aussie Rules history – in fact, it didn’t even make the top 10.
The biggest ever score in a senior Aussie Rules match was Campell’s Creek in the Maryburough Castlemaine District Football League destroying Primrose 634 to 18 in 1990.
Maryborough Rovers won the premiership in 1990 and, unsurprisingly, Primrose are no longer in the competition.
