Woodville-West Torrens’ James Rowe likes kicking goals, but he loves celebrating them more
Woodville-West Torrens young gun James Rowe loves a good goal celebration, and so far during the 2020 SANFL season he has had every reason to smile. ROUND 5 TEAMS HERE
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James Rowe admits he sometimes lets his emotions get the better of him.
But he is making no apologies.
“If I don’t celebrate my goals the team will think something is wrong,’’ the Woodville-West Torrens’ pocket rocket said.
“I sometimes think I’ve got to tone it down a bit because it can be a bit embarrassing looking at highlights of me carrying on like a bit of a goose.
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“But part of my job is to get the team up and about, to lift morale, and the coaches don’t mind it. If they are happy, I’ll keep doing it.’’
Rowe has had plenty of reason to celebrate this season.
The 20-year-old son of former Crow and Norwood premiership rover Stephen Rowe is a surprise leader in the race for the Ken Farmer Medal as SANFL leading goalkicker.
Small in stature at 173cm but big in heart, Rowe has kicked 13 goals after four rounds – two clear of last year’s winner, Glenelg’s Liam McBean, and three-times North Adelaide leading goalkicker Lewis Hender.
He has been the most consistent goalkicker in the league, with bags of three against South Adelaide, Sturt and Norwood inthe opening three rounds and a season-high four in the upset win against the previously unbeaten Roosters at Prospect Oval last Saturday.
“It’s nice to be sitting on top but it’s not something I have given too much thought to, I’m more concerned with the teamwinning,’’ Rowe said.
His at times theatrical goal celebrations have been getting plenty of airplay as the Eagles, who missed the finals last year, make their presence felt under new coach Jade Sheedy.
They sit top with a 3-1 record and meet premier Glenelg in the match of the round at the Bay Oval on Saturday in what willbe veteran utility Matt Goldsworthy’s 200th game.
Sharpshooter Rowe – a junior midfield ball magnet – has been used as a permanent small forward by Sheedy with great effect.
“He wants me to kick some goals and bring the pressure in our forward 50, make it hard for the opposition to get the ballout,’’ he said.
“I think at some stage they want to push me up into the midfield but at the moment we’ve got a pretty good balance in there.’’
Rowe, who won the Eagles’ goalkicking last season with 35, attended last year’s SA draft combine but failed to find an AFL home.
He shed 2kg in the off-season and hasn’t given up hope of playing AFL.
“That was obviously a little bit disappointing because everyone wants to play AFL but I just try to control what I can, tryto be the best footballer I can be,’’ said Rowe, who is a first-year apprentice at Custom Carpentry.
“If it happens at some stage I’ll be stoked, but if it doesn’t I’ll be very happy to play at the Eagles because they are agreat footy club.’’
SANFL ROUND 5 TEAMS
FIVE KEY THINGS FROM SANFL ROUND 4
It was another huge weekend of SANFL action, and it could be about to get bigger. Here’s the five key things we learnt in Round 4.
RELIEVED REDLEGS READY TO CALL ON REINFORCEMENTS, INCLUDING PRIZED BRISBANE SIGNING RYAN BASTINAC
Don’t write off Norwood.
That was the strong message delivered by a relieved Redlegs coach Jarrod Cotton after his under-pressure team held off a powerful late charge from Central District at The Parade on Saturday to claim its first points of an injury-riddled season.
After handing debuts to three kids – Jacob Collins, Isaac Saywell and Jed Spence – and fielding second-gamer Henry Nelligan, Cotton said the big-name reinforcements were coming, including prized Brisbane Lions recruit Ryan Bastinac.
“We hope to get three or four key players back for next Sunday’s game against Sturt,’’ said Cotton, whose team ended a worrying three-game losing streak to start the season when it beat the Bulldogs by three goals, despite having a 44-point last quarter lead cut to seven with five minutes remaining.
“Bastinac, (Matthew) Nunn, (Lewis) Johnston and (Anthony) Wilson should be back and we might get another one or two as well.’’
Nunn, Johnston and Wilson, who played in the reserves on Saturday after overcoming a bad calf strain which saw him miss the start of the season, are returning from injury.
Bastinac is expected to arrive back in Adelaide on Wednesday after serving a 14-day “quarantine’’ period in Queensland following a mistimed stop off in New South Wales.
Cotton said Bastinac had been training in Queensland with Morningside and that he was likely to come straight into his league team for this week’s Unley Oval clash.
“Last Friday was his last day of quarantine and we’re hoping to get him back in Adelaide by Wednesday,’’ he said.
“He’ll train with us twice before the weekend and if everything goes well he should play because he’s been training up in Queensland.
“He’s a quality player and his on-field leadership will also be important for us.’’
Cole Gerloff, Nick Pedro, Luke Surman and Michael Talia are other first-choice players who are sidelined by injury and Cotton said if Norwood – getting great service from former Crow Richard Douglas – can keep in touch with the top four it might be able to come home with a wet sail.
“Under the circumstances – with eight-to-nine of our starting 18 not playing – I was really proud of our boys to be able to get the win,’’ he said.
“To have virtually four first-gamers and have them all contribute was exciting for the footy club.’’
BLUE SKIES AROUND THE CORNER, SAYS STURT COACH
STURT coach Nathan Grima says the Blues are working hard to get back to where they want to be as they face up to a huge clash with long-time rival Norwood at home.
South Adelaide grabbed a share of top spot on Saturday with a convincing 23-point win against Sturt at Noarlunga, working hard and pressuring relentlessly, having more disposals (303-265), tackles (101-86) and a dominance in inside 50s (58-30), although the Double Blues won clearances 44-34.
Grima, working with a relatively new-look side after losing experienced key personnel, said: “We were plus-10 first possession but lost every other key stat – we just bobbled the ball out and we fumbled. We are acknowledging where we are at and we are working at it but we do expect to be better.”
Sturt, back-to-back premier in 2016-17 and a finalist in the past four seasons, has already given 30 players league time this season as it looks to get the right mix after losing Jack Oatey Medal-winning key defenders Jack Stephens and Fraser Evans, powerful dual premiership midfielder Aidan Riley and former AFL star Danyle Pearce after last season.
“South is a pretty hard team to beat down here (at Noarlunga), we had a few young guys in but we came with a plan we thought we could execute and win,” Grima said.
The Blues battled to within four points at half-time but were blown away when South booted 5.3-to-nothing in the third quarter with the wind.
“We’re not where we want to be,” Grima said.
“We’re working hard to get through it ... some of these things can be fixed pretty quickly.”
Sturt made a fight of it in the final quarter with three goals in five minutes, skipper James Battersby again inspirational in the clinches, winning 11 clearances and 29 touches for the game.
Sam Colquhoun, a little rusty coming back from a hamstring injury, is getting back to his best. He earned 29 disposals and eight clearances.
Daniel Fahey-Sparks is a talented ruckman with a big upside, Ash Johnson shows some flashes of brilliance and young guns Casey Voss, Tom Lewis and Jed McEntee are likely types.
In a tight competition the Blues still are only percentage out of the top four, having picked up solid wins against Central and West in the first three rounds.
In a shortened season, Sturt’s clash with Norwood, desperate to get back in the finals mix after claiming its first win of the season against Central, looms as critical.
FOOTE, TOUMPAS HAVE EAGLES FLYING HIGH
IT is still early days but the Eagles are going to be mighty tough to beat this season if seasoned campaigners Jordan Foote and Jimmy Toumpas continue their fine form.
Both have been driving forces behind their side’s bright start to the season, with Toumpas averaging 28 disposals and Foote 25.
Both have had the disappointment of being delisted from AFL clubs – Foote at Sydney (2015-2018) for just six games, while Toumpas chalked up 37 games, 27 of those at Melbourne and 10 at Port Adelaide, before his time ended there at the end of 2018.
But they haven’t dropped their bundle at SANFL level, their workrates playing major parts in helping the Eagles sit top of the ladder.
Same could be said about North Adelaide’s Andrew Moore, who has been outstanding for his new club this year after 55 AFL games for Port Adelaide (2015-2015) and five for Richmond in 2016.
BLOODS RECRUITS SHINE
West Adelaide recruiters would have been satisfied with their off season work on Saturday night.
Two of their new recruits, Jordon Boyle, via the SANFL Crows development squad, and Mitch Duval from the Unley football club, were among the best in the Bloods’ boilover victory against premier Glenelg – the Bloods’ first league win in a year.
Boyle’s nine touches in the decisive third term was particularly influential.
Their impact wasn’t lost on coach Gavin Colville post-match.
“Mitch Duval in only his second game ... I thought he had a fantastic match,” Colville said.
“And Jordan Boyle has been a great pick up for us. His 30 (possessions) on the wing were just so important in the outcome.’’
CROWD CONTROL
THE triple header at Prospect Oval last Saturday with the reserves, league and SANFLW on the card was a good promotion for the local league.
But a second consecutive week of capped crowds of 1000 because of COVID-19 restrictions meant just a trickle of people saw what were three good games, the crowd dropping off after the league clash which split the triple header.
Roosters officials acknowledged that many fans had approached them about the difficulties they had attending matches because they weren’t full members or had struggled to get to games early under the first-in, first-served ticketing arrangements.
The SANFL continues to work closely with the SA Health Department on COVID management plans in the hope of opening up the games to more people soon, possibly as early as this weekend’s round five matches.
SCOREBOARDS
EAGLES 1.1 5.4 6.7 10.9 (69)
NORTH 3.2 5.4 6.8 7.12 (54)
BEST – Eagles: Foote, Toumpas, Sinor, Goldsworthy, Poole, Rowe. North: Moore, Wigg, C. Combe, Allmond, Craig, Spina.
GOALS – Eagles: Rowe 4, Foote 2, N. Hayes, Carcuro, J. Hayes, McNeil. North: Hender 3, C. Barns, Clisby, Minervini, Le Bois
UMPIRES – M. Schramm, G. Lewis, R. Hundertmark.
CROWD – 950 at Prospect Oval.
WEST 2.1 5.1 9.1 10.4 (64)
GLENELG 3.3 5.6 5.6 7.6 (48)
BEST – West: Keough, Boyle, Stevens, Turner, Waite, Johnson, Duval. Glenelg: Curran, Bradley, Snook, Reynolds, Nicholson.
GOALS – West: Keough 5, Batley, Johnson, May, Waite, Hupfeld. Glenelg: Reynolds 3, McBean 2, Park, Merrett.
UMPIRES – M. Sboro, M. Harris, T. Burke
CROWD – 900 at Richmond Oval.
NORWOOD 4.4 7.8 11.11 15.14 (104)
CENTRAL 2.0 2.4 5.10 12.14 (86)
BEST – Norwood: Douglas, Baulderstone, Barry, Grigg, Rohakr, Z. Richards, Bampton. Central: Hoskin, Boyd, J. Schiller, Habel, T. Schiller, Olsson. GOALS – Norwood: Bampton, Pinyon 4, Douglas, Hamilton 2, Barry, Grigg, Panos. Central: Hoskin 6, Butcher 3, Durdin, T. Menzel, Olsson.
UMPIRES – T. Bryce, M. Scott, A. Crosby.
CROWD – 750 at Norwood Oval.
SOUTH 3.6 3.7 8.10 10.10 (70)
STURT 1.0 3.3 3.3 7.5 (47)
BEST – South: Broadbent, Highmore, Schwarz, Cross, Haines, Heaslip. Sturt: Battersby, Colquhoun, Kirkwood, Davis.
GOALS – South: Overall 2, Broadbent, McCreery, Summerton, Cross, Bogle, Sampson, Dumesny, Fitt. Sturt: Ash Johnson 2, Hone, Sutcliffe, Fahey-Sparks, Lewis, Battersby.
UMPIRES – C. Bowen, S. Morgan, D. Sobieraj.
CROWD – 750 at Noarlunga Oval.