While a lot of locals made up the crowd numbers, a large number of people travelled from Adelaide to watch the game.

Imperial Football Club volunteer Richard Crane said the big crowd had made it a busy day.

“It is a bit like a grand final really,” he said.

“It is good for the people around here, and it is good for the club.”

The last high profile visitors to the ground were the Adelaide Crows and Geelong Cats, who played in an AFL pre-season trial match in 2002.

Former Crows player and current Sturt forward Ian Perrie played at Johnstone Park in 2002, and was happy to play in Murray Bridge again on Sunday.

“It is good to play somewhere different, it freshens you up,” he said.

“And it is good to see the locals come out to support us.

“This is our area, so it’s great to bring the footy out here to our zone.”

The game was part of the SANFL’s home and away season, with the River Murray Football League part of Sturt’s recruitment zone.

But whether or not the team will return any time soon is up for consideration.

State League general manager Glen Rosser said while the SANFL had an open mind to country games, it needed greater numbers through the gate to make it worthwhile.

“If the demand is there and the country want it, then we’ll support it, but it has to be backed up by attendance,” he said.

An average Sturt home game currently pulls in up to 4000 supporters.

- See Friday’s edition of The Standard for more photos.