The accolades keep on flowing for Royal Adelaide Golf Club apprentice Oliver Davis, but this time not for his fine work as a greenskeeper at the famed course but only the football field where he continues to shine as one of the SANFL’s brightest prospects. 

Davis, recently adjudged the Australian Sports Turf Managers Association’s (ASTMA) Graduate of the Year, who is working under the tutelage of course superintendent Nathan Bennett - edging out his fellow state finalists to receive the gong at the 2025 Australian Sports Turf Management Conference in Sydney - was handed another honour this week for his dominant work on the footy field.

The 23-year-old, originally from Tasmania, who plays in the SANFL for South Adelaide, was named in The Advertiser SANFL Team of the Year as one of 12 debutants in the line-up. He enjoyed a stellar 2025 home-and-away season for South Adelaide in the midfield and was named inside the top 15 in the SANFL Now Player of the Year with 10 votes. He averaged 23 disposals and six clearances in the midfield for South this season.

Davis is regarded as one of the rising stars of the SANFL after previously dominating at junior football level for Tasmania, even captaining the Tasmanian Under 19s side. In 2020, Davis took out the Matthew Richardson Medal, which is awarded to the Tasmanian State League’s best under-23 player.

He recently told the ASTMA he was enjoying the "long days" working on the golf course during the day and playing football for South Adelaide in the evenings and weekends.

“I won’t lie, it can be tough at times, there’s been some long days by the time you start work in the morning and finish training in the evenings,” he said. “The support around me from the golf club, Nathan and South Adelaide has been great, they’ve made me get the best out of both my passions."

Check out the latest edition of the latest edition of the Australian Turfgrass Management Journal – Volume 27.4, for an in-depth feature story on Davis.

Story by Nick Creely/ Pictures by Brett Robinson and Kelly Barnes/The Advertiser