Next generation of Souters: Jordan Souter (centre of the photo with children Barney and Zoe) recently played his 200th senior football game with Tongala — on the same day as partner Paige played her 200th senior netball game.
As far as famous Tongala footballing families go, there are few that are as celebrated as the Souters.
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There’s the McGregors, the Reids, Dawsons, Florences, Campbells and Nexhips (among many others, please forgive me for pulling up here, it could go on and on) — but even these names have a hard time stacking up to the achievements of the Souter family.
Six hundred odd senior games of football for the club, that’s just the father-sons contribution of Mick, Jordan and Luke, along with the extended contributions of other direct family members on the football ovals and netball courts of the district make the Souters “top of the tree” (in football terms) at Tongala.
Jordan’s sister Kaitlyn is a powerhouse organiser with the club (and just four shy of playing 300 netball games with Tongala), inheriting the enthusiasm of her parents (Mick and Kerri — more commonly known as “Dougie”), while Mick’s father Bob and late brother Chris (or Tom) add weight to the first football family argument.
There is also the achievement of Luke Souter, (Jordan’s brother) to consider, a decorated junior player who was runner-up in the Murray league best-and-fairest award after graduating from underage ranks.
He is now living in Geelong, having played more than 80 senior games with the Blues and later a member of a reserve grade Goulburn Valley league grand final team with Kyabram.
A couple of weekends ago another honour was bestowed on the family when Jordan Souter and his partner Paige Wade were both awarded life membership.
The pair is much more than a footballer and a netballer in the township.
They own and operate the Mangan St hardware store that is as much as part of Tongala as the front bar of the hotel and the fish and chip shop at the other end of the main thoroughfare.
Souter (Jordan) celebrated his 200th senior game with a win against Rumbalara, while not long before running through a banner to mark the occasion, his partner Paige had lined up in her 200th senior game of netball for the club.
This season, the highly skilled and natural footballer has wound back the clock, playing out of the centre and still kicking goals in most of his seven games.
First football family: Paige Wade (left) and Jordan Souter with their children Barney and Zoe. The pair were both made life members when, amazingly, they both played their 200th senior games with the club on the same day. Photo: Tracey Hughes
It comes after he played only nine games in 2023 and had taken a lesser on-field role in the previous three seasons when coaching was his major focus.
Mick Souter played 333 games, is a GVL Hall of Fame member, is the grandson of a Morrison Medallist (Wilf Cox, who has the grand final best-on-ground medal named in his honour) and is credited with more than 1200 goals in senior football (1007 at Tongala and 242 in 37 games with Murray league club Nathalia).
Blue to the bone: Jordan Souter leaves a rain soaked Tongala ground after a win in his 150th game for Tongala. He has now passed the 200 mark, but is a way off the 333 senior games of his father, Mick.
Photo by
Cath Grey
Jordan also had a short stint away from Tongala, 60 games-91 goals for Mooroopna from 2010-12, and was also a star with Southern District in 2015 (during the off season) in the Northern Territory Football League.
As far back as 15 years ago Jordan was posting some extraordinary numbers, kicking 34 goals in 18 games as a teenager and in the best few players on the ground in a dozen of those games.
When he returned to Tongala, in 2013, he was arguably the club’s most consistent player for an eight-season period.
The only thing that has evaded him is team success, something his father enjoyed by being a member of the Des Campbell coached teams that won premierships in 1983-84.
Adding further weight to the almost royal status of the family is Paige Wade, mother of the pair’s two children Barney and Zoe, who is an A-grade best-and-fairest winner, a premiership player and coach at three different levels.
The only thing left for the family is “in-house” honours and just how close Jordan can get to the extraordinary number of games played by his father.
One thing is certain, the Souter connection to the club has a long time to run yet, given the next generation is rarely out of the new look jumpers that the club takes into battle every weekend against its Murray league opposition.
– Souter’s loyalty to not only the Tongala club, but also his extended football family, saw him strip with Anthony Dennis coached Calivil United on the weekend in the Loddon Valley league.
He not only played alongside Dennis, but also former teammate and NTFL legend Cameron Illet as the team won its second game for the season - against fifth ranked Inglewood.
Prior to the 55 point win Calivil had lost by 80 points and 97 points, while earlier in the year it lost by 200 points to third ranked Pyramid Hill.
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