Norwood still best placed to with SANFL flag but it’ll be tight, says Brad Gotch

SOUTH Adelaide coach Brad Gotch best summed up the mood of SANFL coaches at yesterday’s season launched when he was asked who would be the teams to beat.

SOUTH Adelaide coach Brad Gotch best summed up the mood of SANFL coaches at yesterday’s season launched when he was asked who would be the teams to beat.

“I really like the Eagles,’’ Gotch said.

“Sturt look like they’ve recruited well …

“Central towards the back end of last year really seemed to click with Roy (Laird’s) system …

“North Adelaide will be better with Lewy Johnston.”

Gotch went on to make a case for just about every club and genuinely believed this season — like last year — would be among the most even in SANFL history.

But he, like most coaches, couldn’t go past three-time reigning premier Norwood as the team to beat.

“I’ve been really impressed with Norwood’s pre-season and I actually think they are going to be better, so that’s a worry but it’s a terrific challenge,” Gotch said.

Whether Norwood can maintain its rage into a fourth season will become clearer in five days, when it opens the SANFL season against Sturt at The Parade.

But Legs coach Ben Warren supports Gotch’s view his side will get better.

“We’ve lost four of our (2015) premiership players but we’re pretty fortunate to have Alex Georgiou, Mat Suckling and Mitch Wilkins coming back to the club,’’ Warren said.

“I still feel like the group is hungry, they’re willing to take on feedback and they want to get better.”

Three wins separated top-placed Port Adelaide from seventh-placed Central at the end of the minor round last season and coaches yesterday believed 2015 would have a similar storyline.

Gotch’s Panthers were the surprise packet last winter but they lost three players to the AFL including ruckman Keegan Brooksby, who the coach admits will be tough to replace.

Woodville-West Torrens coach Michael Godden ended last season believing he needed to a recruit a ruckman and key defenders.

“We picked up Fraser Thurlow (Essendon) in the ruck and Luke Thompson (Crows) and Aseri Raikiwasa (Port) in the back half and I think that, along with the general development of the squad, will really serve us well.”

North Adelaide coach Ken McGregor also believed his squad had improved with additions like former AFL list duo Mitch Clisby and Johnston, while incoming Bays coach Matt Lokan said his squad was ready to rise off the bottom.

“We were a good inside team last year but we needed some speed and some guys who could kick the footy,’’ Lokan said. “We think with (Terry) Milera, (Jake) Johansen and Christian Howard we’ve done that.”

The Advertiser columnists tipped West Adelaide to replace the Bays at the foot of the table last week but coach Mark Mickan said proving the critics wrong was not a motivator.

“Our expectations are purely internal,’’ he said.

“We finished ninth last year and our reserves were bottom which was below our expectations and we’re focused as a club on improving and being the best we can be.”

Coaches agreed the Crows and Port Adelaide’s state league sides remained difficult to predict but would be strong if their AFL lists remained healthy.