Darel Hart (born 3 January 1964) is a former

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

er who played in the

South Australian National Football League The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's sports governing body, governing body for the sport. ...

(SANFL) and for the

Adelaide Football Club The Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed the Crows, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Adelaide, South Australia that was founded in 1990. The Crows have fielded a men's team in the Australian Football League (AFL) since 199 ...

in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...

(AFL). From Salisbury North, Hart was recruited to and played with Central District while still a teenager. He transferred to North Adelaide in 1984 and soon established himself as one of their best players, with 'Best and Fairest' wins in 1986 and 1987. Hart captained

North Adelaide North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct (Australia), precinct and suburb of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands. Laid out in a grid plan in three section ...

to the 1987 premiership, under coach Michael Nunan, the same year that he represented Australia in an

International Rules series The International Rules Series is a senior men's international rules football competition between the Australia international rules football team (selected by the Australian Football League) and the Ireland international rules football team ...

against Ireland. He was a premiership player again in 1991, with a Jack Oatey Medal winning seven-goal haul in the 1991 Grand Final. Hart was recruited by Adelaide in 1991 for their inaugural AFL season and played 18 of a possible 24 games that year, including their opening round victory over Hawthorn. He was also a regular in the team the following season and kicked six goals at the

Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as the 'G, is a sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere, the Lis ...

when Adelaide convincingly best

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by 110 points in round 20. He continued at North Adelaide in 1993 and 1994 as playing coach. Hart then coached the club from the sidelines in 1995 before returning for one final stint from 2001 to 2003, which ended after an 108 point belting in Round 16 to an equally struggling South Adelaide. North Adelaide claimed the wooden spoon.

References

* * *Holmesby, Russell and Main, Jim (2007). ''The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers''. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hart, Darel 1964 births Living people Adelaide Football Club players Central District Football Club players North Adelaide Football Club players North Adelaide Football Club coaches Australian rules footballers from South Australia South Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees Australia international rules football team players