Editing Russell Ebert (section)

==== Port Adelaide captain (1974–1978) ====
For the [[1974 SANFL season]], [[John Cahill (footballer)|John Cahill]] took over as Port Adelaide coach from Fos Williams, and one of his first actions was to appoint Ebert as club captain.<ref name=":13">{{Cite news|last=Schwerdt|first=Mark|date=7 November 2021|title=Almanac Football Obituary: Russell Ebert – Legend|work=footyalmanac.com.au|url=https://www.footyalmanac.com.au/almanac-football-obituary-russell-ebert-legend/|access-date=17 January 2022}}</ref> During the 1974 pre-season Port Adelaide defeated South Melbourne on Alberton Oval by 10 points.<ref>Wood, John (1982). ''Gentleman Jack: The Johnny Cahill Story 1958–82''. Plympton, South Australia: John and Wendy Wood. p. 71. {{ISBN|0959316205}}.</ref> During the season at a Port Adelaide fundraiser at Alberton Oval titled 'Build Local Players', [[Prime Minister of Australia|Australian Prime Minister]] [[Gough Whitlam]] was present and congratulated Ebert on his season to that point.<ref name=":36" /> Ebert won the 1974 Magarey Medal, his second, in front of runner-up [[Rick Davies (footballer)|Rick Davies]] of Sturt.<ref>{{cite news|date=11 September 1974|title=Medal|volume=49|page=26|newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]]|issue=13,857|location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article136984693|via=National Library of Australia|accessdate=23 January 2022}}</ref> Port Adelaide lost the 1974 SANFL Preliminary Final to Glenelg by 49 points with Ebert's summation published in the ''[[Sunday Mail (Adelaide)|Sunday Mail]]'' being "Disappointed...what else can I say?".<ref>Wood, John (1982). ''Gentleman Jack: The Johnny Cahill Story 1958–82''. Plympton, South Australia: John and Wendy Wood. p. 73. {{ISBN|0959316205}}.</ref>

In 1975, Ebert captained the South Australian state team for the first time.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Rucci|first=Michelangelo|date=5 November 2021|title=Russell Ebert|work=sanfl.com.au|url=https://sanfl.com.au/league/news/vale-russell-ebert/|access-date=24 January 2022}}</ref> Port Adelaide finished the minor round of the [[1975 SANFL season]] in fourth place. Ebert was best on ground in Port Adelaide's 30-point win over North Adelaide in the First Elimination Final, collecting 42 disposals and 1 goal.<ref name=":27">Wood, John (1982). ''Gentleman Jack: The Johnny Cahill Story 1958–82''. Plympton, South Australia: John and Wendy Wood. p. 74. {{ISBN|0959316205}}.</ref> The following week Port Adelaide comfortably beat [[1974 SANFL Grand Final|reigning premiers]] Sturt by 67 points in the First Semi Final.<ref name=":27" /> Port Adelaide lost the Preliminary Final to Norwood by 30 points despite leading at the end of the third quarter by 6 points.<ref name=":36">Wood, John (1982). ''Gentleman Jack: The Johnny Cahill Story 1958–82''. Plympton, South Australia: John and Wendy Wood. p. 75. {{ISBN|0959316205}}.</ref>

Port Adelaide finished the [[1976 SANFL season]] as minor premiers, two and a half wins ahead of second placed Sturt.<ref name=":29">Wood, John (1982). ''Gentleman Jack: The Johnny Cahill Story 1958–82''. Plympton, South Australia: John and Wendy Wood. p. 81. {{ISBN|0959316205}}.</ref> Ebert was selected as captain and centre in ''[[The News (Adelaide)|The News]]'' '1976 Team of the Year'.<ref name=":29" /> That year Ebert won his third Magarey Medal by a record margin of 17 votes over runner-up [[Barry Norsworthy]] of Central District.<ref name=":10">{{cite news|date=9 September 1976|title=Triple medallist|volume=51|page=26|newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]]|issue=14,479|location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110825043|via=National Library of Australia|accessdate=23 January 2022}}</ref> With 42 votes he became the sixth SANFL player to become a triple Magarey medallist.<ref name=":10" /> In the lead up to the 1976 Magarey Medal, Ebert noted that he would rather win the premiership than have another Magarey Medal.<ref>Wood, John (1991). ''Bound For Glory: The Story of the Port Adelaide Football Club 1939–1990''. Largs Bay, South Australia: Largs Bay Printers. p. 149. {{ISBN|0959316213}}.</ref> In an interview with [[Alan Shiell]], Ebert stated that "It's a big thrill to win the medal but its still an individual award".<ref>Wood, John (1982). ''Gentleman Jack: The Johnny Cahill Story 1958–82''. Plympton, South Australia: John and Wendy Wood. p. 82. {{ISBN|0959316205}}.</ref> Port Adelaide qualified for the [[1976 SANFL Grand Final]] after defeating Glenelg by 43 points in the Second Semi Final. That years SANFL Grand Final sold a state record 66,987 tickets.<ref name=":28">{{Cite book|last=Norton|first=Daniel|title=Port Adelaide Football Club - 2013 Season Guide.|publisher=Bowden Group|year=2013|location=Adelaide|pages=28}}</ref> When the SANFL ran out of tickets they opened [[Football Park]]'s gates for free and the crowd grew by an estimated 15,000.<ref name=":28" /> The gates were shut by police 90 minutes before the bounce as spectators were being crushed. Subsequently, the police allowed thousands of spectators onto the field to sit along the fence to prevent any further physical injuries.<ref name=":28" /> In Ebert's fourth attempt at winning an SANFL Grand Final, he and his club were unsuccessful, with Sturt defeating Port Adelaide by 41 points. During an interview with Mike Sheehan on [[Open Mike (TV series)|''Open Mike'']] regarding the loss of the 1976 SANFL Grand Final, in the context of Port Adelaide having now lost its last four Grand Finals, Ebert noted that he started to question "whether I was to blame" for the club's failure to win a premiership.<ref>{{cite AV media|url=https://www.portadelaidefc.com.au/video/826083/open-mike-russell-ebert-and-darren-cahill-ptv|title=Open Mike: Russell Ebert and Darren Cahill PTV|date=14 October 2020|people=Mike Sheahan, Russell Ebert|type=|language=English|publisher=portadelaidefc.com.au|trans-title=Mike Sheahan speaks with Russell Ebert and Darren Cahill about Port Adelaide's 150th year. Footage thanks to Fox Footy.|location=Australia|time=00:01:50|access-date=28 January 2022|format=|id=|isbn=|oclc=|quote=}}</ref>

After two seasons where Port Adelaide was forced to play games away from Alberton Oval, the club returned to playing SANFL games at its traditional venue in front of record crowds, including an attendance of 22,738 against Norwood on 11 June 1977.<ref>Wood, John (1991). ''Bound For Glory: The Story of the Port Adelaide Football Club 1939–1990''. Largs Bay, South Australia: Largs Bay Printers. p. 153. {{ISBN|0959316213}}.</ref> Ebert won his first premiership as a player as Port Adelaide broke its 12-year drought, defeating Glenelg at Football Park in the [[1977 SANFL Grand Final]].<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Agius|first1=Matthew|last2=Norton|first2=Daniel|date=30 August 2013|title=Footy Park Flashbacks #4: 1977 SANFL Grand Final|work=portadelaidefc.com.au|url=https://www.portadelaidefc.com.au/news/727553/footy-park-flashbacks-4-1977-sanfl-grand-final|access-date=17 January 2022}}</ref> Before the presentation of the [[Thomas Seymour Hill#Recognition|Thomas Seymour Hill Trophy]], thousands of spectators stormed the ground.<ref name=":35">{{Cite news|last=Ebert|first=Russell|date=19 August 2013|title=40 years of dominance: Russell remembers 1977|work=portadelaidefc.com.au|url=https://www.portadelaidefc.com.au/news/10057/40-years-of-dominance-russell-remembers-1977|access-date=27 January 2022}}</ref> When Ebert recalled this moment he noted that "[i]t was quite dangerous to have close to ten thousand people just stampede onto the oval into a really confined space. We just looked for our teammates and got into the huddle...Everyone just wanted to get out there and be a part of it".<ref name=":35"/> Ebert kept only one guernsey from his playing career, the one he wore in the 1977 premiership decider.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Bryant|first=Daniel|date=5 July 2007|title=The jumper Russell Ebert never let go|work=afl.com.au|url=https://www.afl.com.au/news/51954/the-jumper-russell-ebert-never-let-go|access-date=17 January 2022}}</ref> Ebert was awarded SANFL life membership during the [[1977 SANFL season]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=16 April 1977|title=Membership For 4|pages=10–11|work=SA Football Budget}}</ref> 
{{blockquote|'It has taken us a bloody long time but by gee it was worth it!'|Russell Ebert during the post game award presentations of the [[1977 SANFL Grand Final]].<ref>Russell Ebert, [[1977 SANFL Grand Final]] – Port Adelaide vs. Glenelg.</ref>}}Following the success of Port Adelaide's 1977 premiership, the club, led by Ebert, finished fourth during the minor round of the [[1978 SANFL season]], qualifying for finals. Ebert finished runner up by one vote in the 1978 Magarey Medal count to [[Kym Hodgeman]] of Glenelg.<ref>{{cite news|date=13 September 1978|title=Magarey Medal|volume=53|page=48|newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]]|issue=15,697|location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110908981|via=National Library of Australia|accessdate=27 January 2022}}</ref> Port Adelaide comfortably beat West Torrens in the Elimination Final. The club then faced Glenelg, 1977 runners-up, in the First Semi Final.<ref name=":11">{{cite news|date=17 September 1978|title=SANFL Powerful finish by Port Adelaide|volume=53|page=20|newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]]|issue=15,701|location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110909862|via=National Library of Australia|accessdate=23 January 2022}}</ref> Glenelg were in control of the game for the first three quarters but a "gutsy" effort by Ebert in the midfield helped Port Adelaide win the match and qualify for the Preliminary Final against Norwood.<ref name=":11"/>