Georgiou to Retire

NORWOOD defender Alex Georgiou has announced that the 2019 season will be his last after seven years at the Parade.

A popular and respected member of Norwood’s playing group, Georgiou played 173 SANFL games in a career highlighted by hard work and a team-first approach.

Georgiou joined the Norwood Football Club as a junior in 2004, progressing through the ranks making his League debut against Sturt at Unley in 2010.

The 29-year old played three years of League football from 2010-2013 culminating in two flags, before being drafted to the Melbourne Football Club with pick number 35 in the 2014 Rookie Draft.

The ever-reliable defender spent a year on Melbourne’s list, before returning to the Parade on the eve of the 2015 season.

Georgiou served as Captain of the club in 2015 and was then announced Co-Captain with current skipper Jace Bode for the 2016 season.

The hard-working defender represented the state on three occasions and always up for the challenge taking the oppositions best forward most of the time.

He played 173 games over seven seasons and emerged to become one of the competition’s premier defenders.

In that time, Georgiou played a vital role in the 2012 and 2013 Premierships, and always featured prominently in the club’s leadership group.

Georgiou said he can look back on his career with contentment.

“As I said on Thursday night at our Best and Fairest, I feel like I have given it a fair crack over my years at Norwood,” Georgiou said.

“I’m probably not the most talented player floating around, but I’ve tried my hardest and felt like I got as close to the best I could out of myself.

“I am a no regrets type of operator, so I am pretty happy with how my career went.”

On reflection, Georgiou holds the 2012 and 2013 flags as his favourite memories including 2014 mentioning the feeling around the group after the win against the Magpies was simply amazing.

“The three flags were my favourite memories, 2014 I didn’t play, but just being around the group at the time was awesome,” said Georgiou.

“2012 was a great day because we broke a 15-year drought and 2013 was special because North Adelaide have been a pretty fierce rival of ours during my career, so to beat them on the biggest stage was remarkable.

“Overall, I will miss the comradery. I was lucky enough that my best mates spent significant time at the club with me, but everything from dinners and trips way will be something that I’ll cherish and miss dearly.

“I’ll also miss the professionalism and playing with a bunch of guys who are trying to obtain the same success as you.”

Norwood Football Operations Manager Mark Ross paid tribute to Georgiou.

“Alex is the type of person that every footy club wants and needs,” Ross said.

“He has been able to perform consistently, and his work ethic sets a great example for younger players to follow.

“He will always be part of the Norwood family and we wish him and his wife Lauren, and their daughter Isabella, all the best for the future.”