The Mortlock Shield Championship, known for commercial reasons as the Port Lincoln Bendigo Bank Mortlock Shield Championship and commonly known as just the Mortlock Shield is an annual Australian rules football competition based in Port Lincoln, South Australia. The competition tis held annually at Centenary Oval and it consists of a round robin lightning football tournament with representative teams of leagues from the Eyre Peninsula and beyond. It is an affiliated competition of the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). The current champions are Western Eyre who won the 2025 edition of the carnival.
Brief history Named after William Tennant Mortlock, the Mortlock Shield began in 1936 when the football associations of Central Eyre, Cleve, Eastern Eyre, Great Flinders and Port Lincoln decided to hold a football tournament to celebrate the centenary of South Australia. Since 1994 The best players from the carnival are selected represent the Eyre Peninsula team in the SA Country Football Championship.
Format The current format of the Mortlock Shield consists of a single round robin structure composed of 5 representative sides of football leagues from around the Eyre Peninsula. The carnival is held over two days on the Kings Birthday long weekend (Saturday and Monday). The games are played under lightning football conditions with two twenty minute halves. The team on top of the ladder after four games played is declared champion and awarded the perpetual Mortlock Shield to commemorate their win.
Until 2021 teams formally played two full games (one on Saturday and one on Monday) against two select opponents and the team who finished top of the ladder was declared champion
List of Champions List of Mortlock Shield Champions.
1936 Great Flinders 1939 Eastern Eyre (Original) 1947 Port Lincoln 1 1949 Le Hunte 1951 Great Flinders 1953 Port Lincoln 1955 Great Flinders 1956 Great Flinders 1957 Great Flinders 1958 Eastern Eyre (Original) 1959 Great Flinders 1960 Far West 1961 Port Lincoln 1962 Port Lincoln 1963 County Jervois 1964 Lincoln City 1965 Lincoln City 1966 County Jervois
1967 Lincoln City 1968 Lincoln Districts 1969 Far West 1970 Lincoln City 1971 Lincoln Districts 1972 Great Flinders 1973 Le Hunte 1974 Great Flinders 1975 Great Flinders 1976 Great Flinders 1977 Lincoln Districts 1978 Great Flinders 1979 Lincoln Districts 1980 Great Flinders 1981 Lincoln Districts 1982 Great Flinders 1983 Far West 1984 Far West
1985 Lincoln Districts 1986 Far West 1987 Lincoln Districts 1988 Far West 1989 Eastern Eyre 1990 Far West 1991 Eastern Eyre 1992 Great Flinders 1993 Great Flinders 1994 Lincoln Districts 1995 Eastern Eyre 1996 Great Flinders 1997 Mid West 1998 Great Flinders 1999 Lincoln Districts 2000 Mid West 2001 Great Flinders 2002 Great Flinders
2003 Mid West 2004 Lincoln City 2005 Mid West 2006 Great Flinders 2007 Great Flinders 2008 Great Flinders 2009 Port Lincoln 2010 Port Lincoln 2011 Port Lincoln 2012 Lincoln City 2013 Great Flinders 2014 Great Flinders 2015 EP Sharks 2016 Eastern Eyre 2017 Lincoln City 2018 EP Sharks 2019 Great Flinders 2020 COVID-19 2021 Great Flinders 2022 Great Flinders 2023 Western Eyre 2024 Lincoln City 2025 Western Eyre
Current Teams TeamColoursRepresentativeYears in compShieldsChampionship yearsEastern Eyre Eastern Eyre Football League 1989-41989, 1991, 1995, 2016Great FlindersGreat Flinders Football League1936-271936, 1951, 1955. 1956, 1957, 1959, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2021, 2022Lincoln CityPort Lincoln Football League (Lincoln South, Tasman and Wayback players)1964–2006, 2012-81964, 1965, 1967, 1970, 2004, 2012, 2017, 2024Lincoln DistrictsPort Lincoln Football League (Boston, Mallee Park and Marble Range players)1964–2006, 2012- 91968, 1971, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1985, 1987, 1994, 1999Western Eyre (Formerly Far West)Western Eyre Football League1957-81960, 1969, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 2023, 2025
2017 Ladder PosTeam PlayedWins Losses For Against % Pts 1Lincoln City 2 2 0 130 92 58.5642Great Flinders 2 2 0 110 84 56.7043EP Sharks 2 1 1 116 79 59.4924Far West 2 1 1 119 89 57.2125 Eastern Eyre 2 1 1 123 108 53.2526 Lincoln Districts 2 1 1 102 117 46.5827Mid West2029813641.8808Far North2025815127.750 2018 Ladder PosTeam PlayedWins Losses For Against % Pts 1EP Sharks 2 2 0 172 76 69.3542Great Flinders 2 2 0 93 56 62.4243Mid West 2 1 1 126 64 66.3224Lincoln City 2 1 1 90 99 47.6225 Eastern Eyre 2 1 1 81 99 45.0026 Far West 2 1 1 96 144 40.0027Lincoln Districts20210511547.4308Far North2023614619.780 2019 Ladder PosTeam PlayedWins Losses For Against % Pts 1Great Flinders 2 2 0 122 81 60.1042Lincoln Districts 2 2 0 125 95 56.8243Lincoln City 2 1 1 105 103 50.4824Eastern Eyre 2 1 1 86 90 48.8625 Mid West 2 0 2 84 103 44.9206 Far West 2 0 2 82 132 38.320 2021 Ladder PosTeam PlayedWins Losses For Against % Pts 1Great Flinders 4 3 1 187 119 61.1162Lincoln City 4 3 1 140 147 48.7863Eastern Eyre 4 2 2 131 163 44.5644Lincoln Districts 4 1 3 166 166 47.8025 Western Eyre 4 1 3 124 139 47.152
2022 ladder PosTeam PlayedWins Losses For Against % Pts Final Team G B Pts Team G B Pts 1Great Flinders 4 4 0 161 90 64.148Grand FinalGreat Flinders6541Eastern Eyre35332Eastern Eyre 4 3 1 110 84 62.9463Lincoln Districts 4 2 2 146 111 56.8144Western Eyre 4 1 3 128 161 44.2925 Lincoln City 4 0 4 82 200 29.080
2023 Ladder PosTeam PlayedWins Losses For Against % Pts 1Western Eyre 4 3 1 161 84 65.7162Lincoln Districts 4 3 1 175 127 57.9563Great Flinders 4 2 2 147 117 55.6844Lincoln City 4 1 3 89 143 38.3625 Eastern Eyre 4 1 3 78 179 30.352
Norwood Cup The Norwood Cup, formally North Adelaide Shield and Port Adelaide Cup is an Under-15's mixed Competition ran on the Saturday between the Mortlock Shield. The cup is sponsored by the Norwood Football Club who compete in the SANFL as the Eyre Peninsula falls under their country zone which is in place to develop youth football to professional level in South Australia.
References