With few exceptions, the SANFL was an all-white competition and a ruckman from the Tiwi Islands, who looked like he was carved from ebony, was always going to attract attention. That he booted six goals on debut against Glenelg didn’t hurt, either.
But the success of Kantilla was not confined to the field. According to Ted Egan, the man who coached him at St Marys in Darwin, his ability to thrive in the southern capital was as great an achievement as his efforts on the field.
Egan had created St Marys from scratch under the instruction of the Darwin Catholic Archbishop John O'Loughlin, who wanted some recreation for the young Tiwi men who came to Darwin for work.
As the Saints became successful, Egan harboured an ambition to see his players compete in League football in one of the states. The first was Billy Roe, who played 13 games for East Perth in the WAFL in 1956, including the winning Grand Final.
When South Adelaide approached Egan looking for a ruckman, he believed there were 10 players at St Marys better than Kantilla, but none as tall. Kantilla was keen to play in Adelaide, but needed clearances from both St Marys and the church.
As a ward of the Catholic Church, Kantilla needed the Archbishop's permission to move. South Adelaide promised to adhere to a strict moral code of no drinking, smoking or gambling and put all match payments into a trust account.
Egan believes all sides behaved impeccably and when the ruckman arrived in Adelaide, he was lodged with a Catholic family who had a bed especially constructed to accommodate his 196cm frame.
After his brilliant debut, Kantilla became a rare success in a team that had known no real joy since World War II.
Part of the reason South Adelaide officials went looking for a player in the top end was because it felt it was being unfairly treated by the SANFL.
South Adelaide's metropolitan recruiting zone was small and it struggled to compete with bigger clubs to attract players from the country or interstate.
Although the Panthers continued losing during his first three seasons, Kantilla won the best and fairest award twice. He was graceful and fast for his size, but it was his marking that set him apart.
Despite his thin frame, he held his own in packs. Port Adelaide ruckman Bob Philp says a collision with the Tiwi giant was like "running into a pack of razor blades".
Ian Day roved at the feet of Kantilla and saw someone who played the game at his own rhythm, often seeming to be unaware of the crowd or the state of the match.
The only part of the experience Kantilla didn’t like was the winter cold. His enthusiasm for a long, hot shower or bath after training earned him his nickname 'Soapy'.
His popularity at South Adelaide was enormous. Before matches, he entertained huge mobs of kids outside the rooms, playing jokes with them and signing autographs until teammates dragged him away.
At the club, he would hit the dance floor and perform the 'twist' with fellow ruckman Brian 'Whale' Roberts, later of Richmond and South Melbourne fame. A book of raffle tickets in his hand seemed to be instantly sold.
Although he had a casual relationship with employment, the club was inundated with businesses offering him a job.
The only off-field difficulties came when his wife Genevieve arrived in Adelaide. As a deaf-mute, she could only communicate with her husband using hand signs in Tiwi. Genevieve lost so much weight while pining for home that eventually she returned north to restore her health.
In 1964, South Adelaide stunned the SANFL by signing West Adelaide's Neil Kerley as captain-coach.
He inherited a young, talented squad in need of direction, and three outstanding players - defender Bob Schmidt and ruckmen Peter Darley and Kantilla. The group responded to the leadership of Kerley and rose from bottom to top in one season.
While Darley handled the bulk of the ruckwork, Kantilla was sent forward and used on the ball only for short bursts.
Kerley believed there was no point trying to coach or instruct the Tiwi Islander because it might stifle his natural instincts. Instead, when Kantilla went on the ball, Kerley would accompany him and, as a ruck-rover, do the heavy body work allowing Kantilla a free run at the ball.
The 1964 Grand Final saw an upset win for the Panthers, who defeated Port Adelaide (winner of eight of the previous 10 premierships) by 27 points. While Darley was brilliant, most commentators considered Kantilla best on ground.
He grabbed 10 marks in the difficult, swirling conditions, twice as many as any other player.
Watching in the crowd, the great Ron Barassi described the performance as "devastating".
Kantilla returned to the top end after the 1966 season to be with his family and to coach St Marys. He died in a truck accident on Bathurst Island in 1978.
Each year he is remembered at the reunion of the 1964 South Adelaide premiership side. He is in the club's Hall of Fame and was named in the Indigenous Team of the Century.
However, Kantilla's legacy is best seen in the Tiwi men who now regularly make their way to the highest level of football. In part, it is because of his trailblazing, but also because of a meeting on Bathurst Island after the 1974 season.
Roberts decided to visit his old teammate and brought with him two of his new Richmond teammates, Neil Balme and Kevin Sheedy. It was Sheedy's first taste of football in the tropical north and he was deeply impressed by the gentle man who met him on the airstrip.
The story of Sheedy and his work with indigenous footballers is rightly celebrated. The story of David Kantilla is also worth celebrating.
FACTFILE
David Kantilla
Club: South Adelaide
Career: 1961-66, plus 12 seasons with St Marys (NT)
Games: 113 Goals: 106
Player honours: South Adelaide premiership 1964; South Adelaide best and fairest 1961, 1962; South Adelaide Team of the Century; Indigenous Team of the Century (selected August, 2005).
Michael Sexton is the South Australian correspondent for the ABC’s 7.30 Report. He is a seven-time winner of the SANFL media award for excellence and in 2008 was named South Australian journalist of the year. His latest book, 1964: A Game, A Season, A State, on the 1964 SANFL season is available at sportswords.com.au.
