Norwood, Glenelg lead SANFL clubs in most players drafted to AFL in past 10 years
WHAT are SA’s footy breeding grounds? In the lead up to an AFL draft featuring the richest pool of SA products arguably ever seen, we look at which SANFL clubs have produced the most talent in the past 10 years.
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THE Parade and the Bay are the breeding grounds for elite football talent in South Australia with Norwood and Glenelg having the most players drafted across SANFL clubs in the past 10 years.
In the lead-up to an AFL draft featuring the richest pool of SA products arguably ever seen, the numbers show the Redlegs are the state’s most prolific talent producers.
While premierships are the ultimate measure of success for an SANFL club, assessing the number of players drafted from each is a good indicator of which are more successful when it comes to development.
In the past 10 years, 30 players have been selected from Norwood by AFL teams – more than any other club.
Glenelg is next in line with 28. The Tigers have been the most productive in the past five years, having 14 players selected.
PLAYERS DRAFTED 2008-2017
Norwood – 30
Glenelg – 28
Sturt, North Adelaide – 26
Woodville-West Torrens – 24
West Adelaide – 21
Port Adelaide – 14
Central District – 11
South Adelaide – 6
Norwood has also been a football factory in recent times, with its 12 draftees in the past five years following a league-high 18 from 2008 to 2012.
Redlegs football manager Mark Ross said each draftee’s personal drive was a deciding factor.
“There’s two parts, it’s about the desire from the player himself and the desire from the football club to develop players,” Ross said.
“We have a real passion and desire across the whole club to help players succeed, whether that’s in their first year in the draft or as a mature-ager.
“We invest quite heavily into our talented kids to drafted or play league footy.
“I don’t know if we’re better but maybe just more senior talent in that time.”
Norwood’s talent production has been consisent in the past 10 years, peaking in 2010 when the Redlegs had seven players taken in a single draft.
They also saw a number of players taken during their 2012-14 flag run, when mature-age draftees were in vogue.
Notable selections in the past decade include three-time Hawthorn premiership forward Paul Puopolo, Essendon speedster Orazio Fantasia and Power defender Tom Jonas.
Glenelg football manager Paul Sandercock said the club’s philosophy began well before players reached their draft year.
“Our focus probably starts at the lower end with our development squads and south-east academy players,” Sandercock said.
“By the time they get to under-18s they are usually on their way, so those formative years are where we put a lot of focus.
“But there’s a lot of factors that come into it. Areas and country regions, community footy is more important than ever when it comes to development – and the kid himself.
“The drive of a kid is really important.
“There are some who will leave no stone unturned and others who maybe rely on their natural talent too much and don’t put in the work.
Emerging Crows forward Darcy Fogarty, West Coast premiership player Willie Rioli and Melbourne ball magnet Alex Neal-Bullen are just some of the names to trek the pathway from Brighton Rd to an AFL club since 2013.
South Adelaide has struggled to develop talent for the elite level, but football manager Neill Sharpe said the club had turned the corner.
“We’ve been campaigning for a while about boundary changes and had some success with that,” he said.
“Things have changed in the last couple of years.
“Tony Bamford taking over the talent program was really important and Julian Farkas, a former player, has also played a part.
“This is the first year we’ve played finals since the inception of the under-18s in 2009.
“There are different outlooks and challenges in the south compared to other areas.”
Central District have had just three players drafted in the past five years but will likely at least match that at the upcoming draft.
Midfielder Jackson Hately is a potential top-10 pick, rebounding defender Jez McLennan may go in the first round and utility Aaron Nietschke is also likely to be selected.
patrick.keam@news.com.au