South Adelaide midfielder Nick Liddle to achieve 150-game SANFL milestone against West Adelaide
SOUTH Adelaide Nick Liddle has yet to decide if he will play beyond this season, but he is focused on the important clash against West Adelaide in Noarlunga on Saturday.
SOUTH Adelaide may have to do some sweet talking to persuade star onballer Nick Liddle to pull on the navy jumper again next year.
Liddle is yet to commit to extending his career beyond this season and is still undecided whether he will front for a ninth season with the Panthers.
Next year will be busy for Liddle with his marriage to fiance Jess Harris in February and his graduation from Flinders University as a teacher.
“I honestly don’t know what I’m doing next season,” Liddle said. “I’ll assess it at the end of the year, how I’m tracking.
“I’m enjoying my footy, but I’ll weigh it all up, speak to the club and see how I’m feeling.
“At the moment it is all about Westies (game against West Adelaide in Noarlunga on Saturday). We have got to beat Westies to keep our finals chances alive, this is an important game.”
Liddle will achieve the 150-game milestone in the league on Saturday, a feat he describes as meaning a lot given he has reached the figure with the same club.
Recruited from Coburg after winning that club’s best and fairest in 2009, Liddle’s influence at the Panthers is reflected in his three wins in the Knuckey Cup as the club’s best and fairest. His game is based on honesty, courage, hard work and devotion to the team.
“I just try and contribute and support the midfielders,” Liddle said. “We have been a little inconsistent, we have got the game plan and structures in place to win.
“But it is about a four-quarter effort, we are not doing that and everyone has to contribute for four quarters.”
Central District chief executive Kris Grant has used the club’s website to take a swipe at the SANFL’s decision to fine the Bulldogs and Port Adelaide following a half-time melee in Elizabeth last weekend.
Grant said the clubs had been fined $750 after the SANFL deemed the melee detrimental to the image of the league. However, Grant claimed the league was hypocritical because vision of the melee was shown on the SANFL’s website as part of its round 13 highlights package.
The Bulldogs, coming off the impressive win over Port, face another imposing challenge when they take on Sturt in Unley on Saturday.
The Double Blues had their eight-game winning streak snapped by ladder-leading Woodville-West Torrens in Woodville on Sunday, but they are hotly favoured to bounce back immediately at home.
Tough Double Blues onballer Aidan Riley will miss the clash due to hamstring tightness.