
Central District: 141 SANFL games, 475 goals
Rudi Mandemaker was born in Poowong, Victoria to Dutch parents.
He was recruited by Hawthorn (where he played in the Reserves) and was traded to Central Districts by the Hawks as part of the John Platten trade.
While Mandemaker, a big, burly, bullocking full forward, was in no way a direct replacement for Platten, in a strange way he did almost come to occupy a similar place in supporters’ affections.
Mandemaker had 7 seasons at Centrals, where he topped the club goal-kicking for 6 consecutive years. He was the SANFL leading goal scorer in 1989 with 93 goals; he also took out the 1989 Mark of the Year.
Mandemaker was named in the inaugural 1991 Adelaide Crows training squad. A three times South Australian representative, he was named in the SANFL Multicultural Team of the Century.