Glenelg, Woodville-West Torrens dominate SANFL team of the year
Minor premiers Glenelg and fellow second semi-finalist Woodville-West Torrens have a number of players selected in this year’s SANFL Team of the Year. SEE THE 2021 TEAM HERE
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SECOND semi-finalists Glenelg and Woodville-West Torrens dominate The Advertiser SANFL Team of the Year for 2021.
The clubs that on Saturday will play for the first spot in this year’s grand final have provided half of the 22 man team between them.
SCROLL DOWN TO SEE THE 2021 SANFL TEAM OF THE YEAR
Minor premier Glenelg, whose only loss came in the final minor round, is represented by six players and the second-placed Eagles by five.
Tigers co-captain Chris Curran has been named skipper for the second time, following his honour in 2019 when he captained Glenelg to its first premiership in 33 years.
First-year Bays coach Brett Hand has been named coach of the year after leading the club to within one victory – in the final minor round – of the first unbeaten home-and-away campaign since Port Adelaide in 1914.
Glenelg won its first 17 games this season before falling to Port at Alberton in round 19.
Other Tigers players in the star-studded line-up include full forward Liam McBean, who bagged 51 goals to win his third consecutive Ken Farmer Medal as SANFL leading goalkicker, and midfielders Luke Partington, Matthew Snook, Matthew Allen and former Blood Brett Turner, who shone in his first season at Brighton Road.
The Eagles quintet included the competition's leading possession winner, midfield ball magnet James Tsitas, forwards Jack Hayes, Tyson Stengle and Daniel Menzel and former Crow Riley Knight.
Three other clubs – South Adelaide, Sturt and North Adelaide – had multiple players selected.
There are 12 debutants in this year’s team.
They include Allen, Turner, Tsitas, Stengle, Menzel, Knight, Sturt’s Casey Voss and Tom Lewis, veteran Panthers star Bryce Gibbs, North Adelaide skipper Alex Spina, Central District’s Kyle Presbury and Adelaide ruckman Kieran Strachan.
Stengle, Gibbs and Knight were all selected the year after being delisted from the AFL by the Crows while Menzel was chosen in his first season as an Eagle after controversially crossing from the Bulldogs with his younger brother Troy.
He had 64 scoring shots during the minor round, booting 34.30.
Magarey Medallist Campbell Combe, who is again among the favourites for this year’s medal, was named first rover for the second consecutive year.
He was the highest ranked SANFL player, averaging 133 Champion Data ranking points in his 18 games, along with 26 disposals and nine tackles.
Eagles key forward/ruckman Hayes was the second-highest ranked player, averaging 128 points, ahead of Gibbs (124) and Tsitas (122), who led the competition in disposals with 522 at an average of 29.
Port and wooden spooner West Adelaide are the only clubs without a representative.
Players who played fewer than 12 of the 18 minor round games were not considered for selection.
The Advertiser SANFL Team of the Year was selected by The Advertiser’s Andrew Capel and Peter Cornwall, the SANFL’s Matthew Duldig, Zac Milbank, Sean Toohey and Daniel Joyce and Channel 7’s Mark Soderstrom.
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