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Brian Adamson is a former Australian rules footballer who played for West Perth in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and Norwood in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). Playing primarily as a key forward, he was part of West Perth's 1975 premiership team and featured in Norwood's one‑point win in the 1978 SANFL Grand Final. [1] [2]
Adamson made his WAFL senior debut for West Perth in 1975 and played in their Grand Final victory that year. [1] He became a key forward for the team and finished as the club's leading goalkicker in 1977. [2]
Before the 1978 season, Adamson transferred to Norwood following a landmark legal dispute in the Supreme Court that upheld his right to move across state borders—a decision regarded as a restraint-of-trade case in the football context. [3]
He debuted for Norwood in Round 15, 1978, and went on to play 20 league games, kicking 50 goals across the 1978 and 1979 seasons. [1] In the 1978 SANFL Grand Final—played in Norwood's centenary year before a crowd of 50,867—he kicked five goals as Norwood overcame Sturt by a point in one of SANFL's most dramatic comebacks. [4] [5]
Adamson returned to West Perth in 1980 and again led the club's goalkicking in 1981. [2] He continued to play in the WAFL until retiring in 1984, finishing with approximately 125 senior games. [1]
Adamson is remembered for his pivotal role in Norwood's centenary premiership and for his successful legal bid that impacted interstate player movement rules in Australian rules football. The 1978 transfer case is often cited as a precedent in restraint-of-trade matters involving athletes. [3]
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