Four Adelaide Crows players in mix for major AFL awards
ADELAIDE is on course for an unprecedented AFL quadrella.
ADELAIDE is on course for an unprecedented AFL quadrella.
Patrick Dangerfield's best-afield display against Fremantle on Saturday has seen him storm into Brownlow Medal calculations, along with teammate Scott Thompson.
And defensive standout Daniel Talia has become favourite for the AFL Rising Star award after silencing Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich at AAMI Stadium.
The second-placed Crows also are equal-fourth favourite for the premiership and gun forward Taylor Walker is fifth on the line of betting for the Coleman Medal as the league's top goalkicker, giving the club genuine chances to win the Big Four honours in Brenton Sanderson's remarkable first year as coach.
The last club to dominate a season to such an extent was Geelong in 2007. The Cats won the flag, Brownlow (Jimmy Bartel) and Rising Star (Joel Selwood). Geelong also went close in the Coleman, with Cam Mooney (67 goals) edged by Brisbane's Jonathan Brown (77).
Walker has sensationally been backed in from $101 to $41 for the Coleman after booting four goals against Fremantle.
He trails leader Pavlich by 12 goals with three rounds remaining but has three bottom-eight sides to play - Brisbane, Melbourne and Gold Coast - in the run into the finals, boosting his chances of a late surge.
Sanderson has declared Talia a certainty to become the first Crows player to win the Rising Star while he said Dangerfield - backed in from $21 to $12 for the Brownlow after his 34-disposal display against the Dockers - and Thompson were strong Brownlow hopes.
"They (their chances) are very, very high," Sanderson said. "I'm sure it will be an exciting night for the Adelaide Football Club because we'll have a few players in the top 10."
But while the Crows are the only club with strong chances to win all four major honours, Sanderson has warned his players not to get ahead of themselves. "The group's strength this year has been the ability to narrow the focus on the next opponent," he said. "That won't change."
Young Crow Lewis Johnston - who played his first game for Adelaide on Saturday - said there was a "good feeling" around the club but that the players were focused on their upcoming opponent, not individual accolades.
"Everyone's upbeat, there's such a good feeling around the club," he said.
"But the boys aren't even thinking about what's ahead, it's all about this week against Brisbane.
"They are just playing good football and if the individual awards come, they do. All the boys are pretty level-headed and I don't see any of them getting ahead of themselves."