Central District midfielder Chris Jansen shows his class in SANFL win over North Adelaide
Central District is still a remote chance of qualifying for the SANFL finals, but star midfielder Chris Jansen said the players are realistic and fully aware it is a tough climb to the top five on the ladder.
THE fact Central District can still qualify for the SANFL finals has not been lost on the players.
But as classy Bulldogs midfielder Chris Jansen notes, the players are realistic and fully aware of the steep mountain climb necessary to earn a spot.
They must win all three remaining games, starting with Norwood at The Parade on Saturday, and rely on fifth-placed Glenelg not winning another game.
“All we can do is control how we play in the next three weeks,” Jansen said. “If we made finals that would be perfect, but we are realistic and all we are focused on is trying to play good footy.
“It is always tough at The Parade, but we have gone all right there in the time I’ve been at the club. I don’t read much into the size of the ground, you just have to do the basics well and go there with the right attitude and intensity.
“We have shown that in patches this season.”
The Bulldogs kept their faint finals hopes alive when they beat North Adelaide in Elizabeth on Saturday.
Jansen, as is his way, picked up plenty of possessions to have a significant influence on the result and earn the honour of The Advertiser SANFL Player of the Week.
“From all reports it was an ugly game, but we got the win and the two points,” he said.
“It shows we can win ugly and that is what we did.
“There is no easy game in the SANFL and you have to be on your game to win. They challenged us in plenty of areas and we had to fight hard to win.”
This is Jansen’s third season at the Bulldogs after being recruited from Canberra and he has no plans to leave the club.
He works for the club in development and describes his life as going well. Not that he is satisfied with his football lot this season.
“My form has been disappointing,” he admits. “I’ve struggled in terms of getting the body right and being able to train as hard as I’d like.
“I don’t think too much about the future and it has not crossed my mind to go anywhere else. I’ve got a good job at the club and life and footy are going pretty well.”