Blues surprise, Eagles lurk: Warren Partland’s SANFL mid-season review
AT the halfway mark of the season, SANFL writer Warren Partland casts his eye over each club to separate the contenders from the pretenders for 2016.
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AT the halfway mark of the season, SANFL writer Warren Partland casts his eye over each club to separate the contenders from the pretenders for 2016.
ADELAIDE
Position: 5th (6 wins, 4 losses)
Predicted: 5th (end of minor round)
Best and fairest winner? Cam Ellis-Yolmen
Coach Heath Younie: “We’re still in the five but for us it’s not about ladder positioning, it’s about process and playing as close to AFL brand of footy (as possible). Other than Saturday (loss to Central District), we’ve been really competitive and we’ve had some continuity with the group, not too many injuries which is pleasing.’’
Summary: The Crows’ injury list has been thin all season which has meant a heavy AFL-listed influence in the state league team.
All season the Crows have had a healthy number of their AFL products available and quality acts such as Brad Crouch, Nathan van Berlo and Ricky Henderson too. That has made a massive difference and meant there has been little need for top-up players.
In previous seasons, injuries have impacted heavily but that has not been an issue so far and it has been reflected on the field. On Saturday, the Crows lost Brad Crouch to the AFL for the 55-point loss to the Bulldogs, but was able to bring in Wayne Milera and van Berlo.
Milera was a star with the Bulldogs last year.
Jonathon Beech was a hero for West Adelaide in its premiership triumph last year, now he gives depth to the Crows’ line-up.
The Crows had convincing wins in their first four games before coughing up a huge lead when beaten by South Adelaide. There have been a few losses since but they were very competitive efforts against leading teams, until the ordinary effort on the weekend.
CENTRAL DISTRICT
Position: 4th (7 wins, 4 losses)
Predicted: 4th
Best and fairest winner? Chris Jansen
Coach Roy Laird: “I’m confident in our best form but we have been shown up by the top three sides. We feel we still have plenty of improvement in the side.”
Summary: The Bulldogs had confidence entering the season after a wild finish to last year and some selective recruiting. They have backed up their expectations with seven wins from 11 games to be well placed to secure a finals berth. The concern for the Bulldogs is the convincing fashion they were beaten by South Adelaide and Woodville-West Torrens.
The only top-five side they have conquered has been Adelaide and they did that twice. Plus they again have shown the small grounds are a worry. But there are encouraging signs. The Bulldogs have an influential ruckman in Darcy Fort, his brother Fraser has been outstanding in defence and Elliott Kavanagh and Nick Holman have had an impact on the ball.
There are ball winners in Travis Schiller and Chris Jansen and the likes of Kyle Presbury are becoming more valuable as they gain experience.
When the Bulldogs stray from the Roy Laird way, and that is total commitment to defensive actions for the entire game, the side struggles.
The Bulldogs’ final seven games include five at home.
GLENELG
Position: 7th (3 wins, 8 losses)
Predicted: 9th
Best and fairest winner? Josh Scott
Coach Matthew Lokan: “We’ve certainly improved and become more competitive. Collectively as a group we are heading in the right direction. But we do need to kick the ball better. We’ve got a few holes to plug, we need some extra speed and polish through the midfield and probably a couple more talls.”
Summary: On paper, the Tigers’ record looks ordinary for this season with just three wins from 11 games. But those stats do not tell the true story, given the Tigers have been a highly-competitive unit for the most part. There was the debacle against North Adelaide a couple of weeks back and the two games since against Sturt and West Adelaide have been lacklustre efforts. But they were up to their necks in contests early in the season. They lost to South Adelaide, Woodville-West Torrens and Norwood by a combined 30 points.
There has been more intensity around the ball, led by captain Andrew Bradley, while the defensive aspects of the game have improved. James Sellar has slotted in well down back and strong-marking Josh Scott continues to establish himself as a quality SANFL player.
Up forward is the concern, given Clint Alleway has been unable to reproduce the terrific form he showed last year. There is still an abundance of running players but that can also be an issue when the side does not have the ball, as evident when belted by the Roosters.
The Tigers had an impressive win over Central District at home in round eight and they conquered Port Adelaide at Alberton Oval, a rare feat, three weeks later. That is their true form when the players buy into the team plan.
What happened against the Roosters, coming just days after the launch of the Save the Tigers campaign, shows the club still needs to find that consistency to establish itself as a title contender.
NORTH ADELAIDE
Position: 6th (4 wins, 7 losses)
Predicted: 7th
Best and fairest winner? Jordie McKenzie
Coach Josh Carr: “We have improved and from week to week, as a team, we have definitely got better. But there are a lot of challenges still in front of us to become a good team.”
Summary: What an amazing revival — and not just from last season when the club had just one win — but from its season opener. The Roosters were absolutely smashed in Round 1 against Central District. It was totally unacceptable, the lack of defensive effort appalling.
The following week, the Roosters belted Norwood in an extraordinary turnaround in form. Whatever coach Josh Carr said after the Bulldogs debacle obviously had an impact and not just for the Redlegs contest, because that effort set the tone for the club.
They were ordinary against West Adelaide, for three quarters anyway, but for the most part they have been highly competitive and the defensive actions have been impressive.
Jordie McKenzie has been an outstanding recruit, Tom Schwarz has seized on his opportunities since walking out on Woodville-West Torrens and the Thring boys, George and Max, actually look fit. Nick Amato and Lewis Hender represent the message Carr has brought to the club. Their discipline has improved significantly and they are now turning potential into reality.
Carr is finally bringing a culture to Prospect Oval the club can build on. There is passion and spirit and an expectation that has been missing.
NORWOOD
Position: 9th (3 wins, 8 losses)
Predicted: 6th
Best and fairest winner? Tim Webber
Coach Ben Warren: “It’s been disappointing thus far. We have struggled with continuity week to week with our team.”
Summary: The question each week was not if there would be changes to the line-up but how many.
Touted as the premiership favourites entering the opening round, the Redlegs have been forced to contend with a horror injury toll. Big names such as co-captain Jace Bode, Matthew Panos and Jaryd Cachia have had extended stints on the injury list and each week there have been injury-forced changes. That has been reflected on the field where the Redlegs have struggled for consistency and form.
There have been games where they have been highly competitive for patches, only to concede a rush of goals and be under the pump. Poor skills have also been a problem and they are being punished on the scoreboard for sloppy turnovers in defence.
The Redlegs opened the season with an encouraging win over Port Adelaide, only to cough up a poor effort the following week to be belted by North Adelaide. That has been a story of the season — no consistency.
Ruckman Sam Baulderstone has been among the few not bitten by the inconsistency bug, Tim Webber is all heart at the contest and Matthew Fuller has been reliable in defence.
Luring Lewis Johnston from the Roosters to fill a huge hole in attack was supposed to be the final piece in the premiership jigsaw. Those thoughts have been damaged by the injury plague, not that his form has been overwhelming.
PORT ADELAIDE
Position: 8th (3 wins, 8 losses)
Predicted: 8th
Best and fairest winner? Steven Summerton
Coach Chad Cornes: “It’s been a disappointing season. We’ve had our challenges and a few good moments but generally our footy hasn’t been good enough for long enough.”
Summary: It has been a testing start to the head coaching career of Cornes with Port having just three wins.
Arguably Port’s best performance was the victory over South Adelaide at Alberton Oval in Round 9. It is no coincidence the side had its most potent appearance for the season and contained plenty of AFL-listed stock. And that has been a major issue, the need to summon plenty of top-up players into the squad because of the lower-than-hoped AFL numbers available for selection. That is the flow-on impact from injuries to the Power.
Cornes has been forced to deal with bulk changes each week and any coach would struggle to get consistency in their team with those disruptions.
Riley Bonner continues to show promise, Louis Sharrad has been solid and Brendon Ah Chee has been strong when dropped back from the AFL. The backline is loaded with youth and inexperience and that has proved a concern while the team has consistently been belted in ruck.
SOUTH ADELAIDE
Position: 3rd (8 wins, 3 losses)
Predicted: 3rd
Best and fairest winner? Brett Eddy
Coach Bradley Gotch: “We are well placed at 8-3 (win-loss) — we would have taken that at the start of the year. There is a bit of character in the group and we are a good side when everyone contributes.”
Summary: The Panthers set their season up when they won their first six games, taking advantage of a settled line-up and an abundance of home games.
The come-from-behind victory over Adelaide in round six, when they overcame a hefty deficit in the final quarter, was stirring stuff, while the following week they had a character-building win over Norwood.
There have been injuries and suspensions since and the need for changes has been reflected on the field with some average performances against Sturt and Port Adelaide.
The bonus for the Panthers is there no longer is a reliance on dynamic duo Joel Cross and Nick Liddle to get the job done. Coach Bradley Gotch has more options to throw into the midfield.
Matthew Rose, Brede Seccull and Adam Gulden have become vital cogs in the side while Rigby Barnes has made the most of his opportunities. Emmanuel Irra is showing more maturity and Brett Eddy is a gun up forward.
The season-ending injury to defender Tarak Redigolo is a blow, given his ability to shut down dangerous forwards. But there is plenty of fight in the group and they are well structured under Gotch.
STURT
Position: Top (10 wins, 1 loss)
Predicted: 2nd
Best and fairest winner? Zane Kirkwood
Coach Marty Mattner: “We’re just trying to get better but in terms of win-loss ratio we’ve exceeded all expectations. We still believe we’ve got a lot to learn and a lot of improvement to happen but we’re very, very happy. Our defensive pressure has been great. That’s been the key for us — to be defensively minded first and then once we turn the ball over, then we go. We want everyone defending on the ground whether you are a forward, midfielder or defender.”
Summary: Wow, even the most faithful Sturt fans would not have predicted such a lofty role on the ladder for the club this far into the season.
Especially after the season opener when they coughed up a lacklustre performance in the loss to Woodville-West Torrens at home. The Double Blues have won all 10 games since, with a terrific brand of football under Mattner.
There has been a key factor so important in the drive up the table and that has been stability. The Double Blues have been blessed with a low injury count and that has enabled Mattner to field a settled line-up.
Captain Zane Kirkwood has simply been outstanding and another Magarey Medal would not surprise. Aidan Riley had a slow start to the season while recovering from injury but he has clicked into gear, being his usual fearless self on the ball and bursting out of packs.
Kory Beard has made a name for himself as a key defender. The form and reliability of the defence has enabled Beard to be kept in attack and it has been a highly-successful ploy.
Down back, Scott McMahon is the general. However, Fraser Evans has taken his game to another level to take pressure off his teammates. The defence is providing brilliant rebound, the team is disciplined with its work and the defensive pressure all over the ground has been relentless.
WEST ADELAIDE
Position: 10th (2 wins, 9 losses)
Predicted: 10th
Best and fairest winner? Chris Schmidt
Coach Mark Mickan: “We had a win after six weeks of improvement, which followed four weeks when we were underdone.”
Summary: It does not seem that long ago the Bloods were celebrating the end of a long premiership drought. For the players, maybe it was not that long ago.
This season has been the hangover from hell for the club, dropping its first nine games to create a league record. However, it was not just the losses which hurt, but the manner in which the side too easily fell apart.
Even when the Bloods did break through for that elusive win, they almost blew a 37-point lead five minutes into the final quarter to beat North Adelaide by only four points. That was further evidence of the fitness issues at Richmond.
Recruiting has been questioned after the club failed to replace a raft of the best talent lost to the draft and the situation has not been helped by injuries to key personnel. Jason Porplyzia has been sidelined while Adam Hartlett and Travis Tuck have missed games. The Bloods need everyone on the ground to perform.
Chris Schmidt continues to give his all for the club but unfortunately he has had little support. Defender Daniel Caire has an honest go and Hartlett is a massive absentee when sidelined.
Backing up the victory at Prospect Oval with the win over Glenelg on Saturday was important for the club as it looks for a productive finish to the season.
WOODVILLE-WEST TORRENS
Position: 2nd (8 wins, 2 losses)
Predicted: Top
Best and fairest winner? Jared Petrenko
Coach Michael Godden: “We were awful against South early in the season but the players have responded really well and we are well placed for an attack at the finals.”
Summary: The Eagles are lurking. They opened the season with a victory over Sturt, only to drop the next two games against South Adelaide and Adelaide with sloppy performances.
Those defeats raised questions about the Eagles and how much damage last year’s loss to West Adelaide in the grand final had caused.
But the club responded with seven wins to answer any doubts about their claims as a serious title threat and be well-placed heading into the run home.
What is evident at Woodville Oval is the depth. The reserves side continues to be successful meaning they can cover injury losses in the league side. And Angus Rowntree is still to return.
Jared Petrenko is enjoying life at the Eagles and his form has been outstanding, using his pace and skills to create havoc on the ball. Angus Poole and James Boyd are also having an influence in the midfield.
Down back, it is co-captains Luke Thompson and Patrick Giuffreda marshalling the troops and up forward Michael Wundke, Lachlan McGregor and Andrew Ainger are a potent combination.
Blokes like Chris Hall and Jarred Allmond are now experienced players, while Jarrad Redden and Marc Borholm are a strong ruck combination, as evidenced by their influence in the victory over the Panthers on Saturday.
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