The first season as the new Oilers, consisting of a core of hardened Longhorn veterans, recruited well, matured quickly and went on to be a very competitive club. Making back-to-back final appearances in the first two seasons, the Oilers lost out by few points each year on the ultimate goal. In the 2002/2003 season, the Oilers finished Minor Premiers, not taking the Grand Final, but setting the bench mark as the team to beat. However, in 2004/2005, the Oilers were successful in taking the prestigious award of South Australian Champions. With its lowest numbers (15 players), the Oilers took on a strong Razorback team on a two-year unbeaten streak. Down by two scores at halftime, the "Ironman" Oiler squad came out strong. Motivated by key veterans Ken Gaudette, George Williams and Brett Hegarty, rising players Ben Stevens, Rob West-Mcinnes and Jarrad Anderson and the muscle of Michael "Fabs" Snell, Dan Reeves and James Sprules, the Oilers made two strong drives and used a turnover to help complete their goal and snapped a league record winning streak. The Oilers won the Grand Final by two points (20-18).
