SANFL under-18 match replay: Panthers talent on display in South Adelaide v Norwood clash
A host of AFL Draft hopefuls have battled it out, as South Adelaide and Norwood under-18s squared off at Noarlunga. Relive all the action now in our match replay video.
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It was once a club falling behind in talent production but now South Adelaide is transforming itself into a football factory.
And – with a strong under-18 crop coming through the ranks this season – Panthers youngsters have plenty of reasons to believe the future is bright at Noarlunga.
In the decade from 2008 to 2017, South Adelaide ranked last among SANFL clubs with just six players taken in AFL drafts.
But, in the past three years, the Panthers have rated second with 11 selections.
Some of the club’s top talent will be on display this Saturday when they take on Norwood in round five of the under-18 Torrens University Cup.
The match will be live streamed on advertiser.com.au from 11.30am as part of a triple-header day of SANFL action.
South Adelaide talent manager and under-18 coach Mark Clayton said the turnaround came down to a shift in culture and the groundwork laid in previous years.
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“I think we’ve set up a really good program with great culture now,” said Clayton, who took on the role from Tony Bamford in 2018.
“Kids want to come here now and they can see a progression through to senior football at the club and a progression through to the AFL.
“Tony deserves a lot of the credit, because he did a lot of the hard work those early years building relationships with local clubs and setting up a professional program.
“When he started, players from the local zone weren’t as keen to come out to South Adelaide as what they are now.”
This year the Panthers’ talent is headlined by Jason Horne – a young star in the making who has been hailed as a potential No. 1 draft pick.
There also Matt Roberts, in the AFL Academy along with Horne, the versatile Arlo Draper, wingman Isaac Birt and under-18 captain Dylan Brown.
Clayton highlighted Roberts, Draper, Birt and Brown among the players to watch in this Saturday’s live streamed match.
The talented 2021 group comes after a last year’s draft where Panthers products Brayden Cook (Adelaide), Pheonix Spicer (North Melbourne), Beau McCreery (Collingwood) and Tom Highmore (St Kilda) taken.
The club also defeated Glenelg to claim the under-16 Torrens University Cup on Sunday.
Brown, a product of the Happy Valley Football Club who was selected as skipper for the season, believed this Saturday’s contest against the Redlegs shaped as an important one.
But the captain said the team’s culture would be crucial.
“We’re a really tight-knit group on and off the field and I think that helps going into tough games, especially like this weekend,” Brown said.
“Having guys like Jason, Arlo and Matty Roberts in and around the team has brought another level to our boys because they bring a presence and teach a lot to the younger guys.”
South Adelaide will take on Norwood at Noarlunga from 11.30am on Saturday, live streamed here.
The clash will be followed by broadcast matches of the North Adelaide and Glenelg league match at 1.10pm and the women’s contest between West Adelaide and Central District at 4.40pm.
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