Sam Strano Cup a tribute to late life member of the Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault Football Club

The clash between the Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault Lions and the Harvey Bulls on Saturday was more than just another game of football for everyone involved, with the legacy of a HBL stalwart being honoured.

Game day marked exactly one year since the death of the late Lions life member Sam Strano, aged 61.

In his honour, the two Harvey Shire teams came together at Brunswick Oval to compete for the inaugural Sam Strano Cup, which is set to be played as an annual event.

His son and HBL general manager Brad Strano said his friend and former teammate Daniel Italiano had come up with the idea while he was serving on the Harvey Bulls board.

“He called me to have a chat about how Harvey-Brunswick people shouldn’t just be getting together at funerals and a cup in dad’s name, who was friends with so many from both sides, would be a great way to memorialise dad as well as reuniting the old Harvey–Brunswick ties,” he said.

Sam Strano played 186 league games for Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault, captaining the side and winning the league’s best and fairest award.

However, he was forced to retire from the game early at 27 due to a knee injury.

Other members of the Strano family have made up part of the rich history of the Lions, with Sam’s brothers Tony and John donning the gold and maroon, alongside Brad and his brother Chris.

While always passionate about the rivalry on-field, Sam believed there should be plenty of respect between HBL and the Bulls off-field.

Brad said the family was thankful to both clubs for honouring his father with a cup in his name.

“Dad was the first Strano to start things off over 40 years ago and with the amount of us there are, I don’t think it would be too surprising to see a Strano play in his game some day,” he said.

Brad said the whole family was proud of the young side’s efforts and it showed the club would be looking to compete in the top end of the SWFL soon.

He particularly noted the efforts of Jarrod Humphries, who he said went “above and beyond” during the match and was presented the best player award by Sam’s brothers.

“The first win was important to us, to see the cup passed around the club late into the night really topped the day off,” Brad said.

“The family appreciated how much it meant to all the players, coaches and supporters, displaying what (the club) is all about.”