Grassroots: SA footy round-up
In this week’s round-up of local South Australian footy news, the SANFL’s indigenous round is celebrated in patchy fashion, milestones for local players, under age talent in action, and the Eagles’ winning streak grows.
Patchy celebration of indigenous round
Reigning premier Norwood, North Adelaide, South Adelaide and the Port Adelaide Magpies all donned stunning and vibrant jumpers for the 2015 SANFL indigenous round fixtures at Coopers Stadium and Noarlunga last week.
Small man Matthew Rankine from South Adelaide designed the Panthers’ jumper for the indigenous round, while the Roosters’ guernsey was created by Blackfriars student Brayden Nicol, who won a competition.
The Redlegs had their playing stripped designed by Charles Campbell College student Khadejia Bright, while the Magpies’ jumper was created by artist Scott Cook, who liaised with a cultural advisor for the Kaurna people.
The obvious question is why Central District, Glenelg, West Adelaide, Woodville-West Torrens and Sturt didn’t create indigenous jumpers for this round?
Each club has a significant Aboriginal history.
Sturt champion from the 1960s Roger Rigney played in the five successive flags from ‘66 and those of us who are old enough can’t forget Michael ‘Flash’ Graham.
Central District has a number of Aboriginal premiership players including Eddie Sansbury, a triple flag winner. Syd Jackson and Mark Motlop played at Glenelg, while Mathew Stokes made his mark at the Eagles before becoming a dual premiership player at Geelong. This list goes on.
Allmond to bring up century
From a large family at Two Wells, 2011 premiership player and hard-running Eagles utility Jared Allmond will play his 100th SANFL league game this Saturday against Port Adelaide at Oval Avenue.
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He started in the SANFL in 2009, winning a SANFL Starsearch nomination in his first game – the season opener against Central District at the Ponderosa. He went on to become the third winner of the award at the end of his rookie season, following James Boyd and Steve Summerton.
After playing in the Eagles’ 2011 premiership, Allmond returned to his foundation club – the Two Wells Roosters – for a season and helped them to an Adelaide Plains Football League flag. He returned to the Eagles the following year.
Youth championships
The state under 15 country and metropolitan championships and the under 17 championships are both underway at league grounds across suburban Adelaide.
Over the years an amazing number of football talents that have come through these development competitions.
For example, looking back on the 2011 under-15 titles, the winning Glenelg metro squad, coached by Darren Tull, included the AFL trio of Corey Gregson, Billy Stretch and Alex Neal-Bullen. The South metro team included Western Bulldogs rookie Caleb Daniel, the Sturt list included Swans first year player James Rose, and the West Adelaide country under 15s side included North Melbourne’s Sam Durdin.
At under Under 17 level, Port Broughton lad, now at Sydney, George Hewett was on Roosters list, and Carlton-listed tall Cameron Giles was an Eagles player during this July week in ’11.
Edmead starting to find his feet
After a four-year apprenticeship in the SANFL reserves that started back in 2010, 22-year-old Central District small forward Caleb Edmead is starting to make his mark at league level.
Edmead kicked a career high four-goal haul in the Bulldogs impressive round 12 win over Norwood. He followed that up on Saturday with three more as the ‘Dogs league team grabbed an important victory over the Crows.
“I starting to feel at home at this level,” said Edmead, who has now played 18 games at this level.
“I’m picking up the pace, but it’s been hard work.
“My game against Norwood was definitely my best at his level, as I also laid six tackles as well.
“The primary role for me in the side is as defensive small forward, putting pressure on the opposition.”
“Any goals are a bonus for me. I last played as a small forward in my first year of reserves footy, the last time the league side won the flag.”
With 18 goals so far this year, Edmead is second on the club’s goal kicking list behind key forward Bryce Retzlaff on 20, and well ahead of the third-placed Justin Hosking on 12.
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Third Redden at elite level
Twenty-year-old Jed Redden become the third of the Redden brothers to play elite level football, debuting for the Glenelg in its round 13 clash with West Adelaide at City Mazda Stadium last Saturday.
The oldest of his siblings, Tom, was on the Crows rookie list for a short period and played SANFL league football with both the Bays and South Adelaide. The second brother, Jack, is a well-regarded Brisbane Lions midfielder, racking up 123 senior games with the Lions.
All three have been through SA state underage programs.
Easily the tallest of the trio, Jed, 193cm and 74 kgs, had eight possessions and four hit outs and a pair of tackles in his initial outing.
Three more debutants
Considered South Australia’s most productive player at the under 18s championships, Luke Partington made his SANFL league debut in the Norwood’s thrilling one-point win over traditional rivals Port Adelaide at Coopers Stadium last Saturday.
“Luke was very good as an on-baller, finishing with 16 disposals, the (equal) second most in the team, along with five clearances and a couple of tackles,” said coach Ben Warren.
“He’ll just get better the more games he plays at this level and didn’t look out of place.
“What I liked the most was his cleanness with ball in hand and he has a long kick.”
Payneham Norwood Union 21-year-old Anthony Giannini also made his debut.
“Anthony played in our last trial game, but injured his ankle and missed 13 weeks,” Warren said.
“He has good speed and agility, and laid a critical tackle in the final term which resulted in a goal.”
In the Sunday match at Noarlunga Oval against South Adelaide, cellar dweller North Adelaide introduced another first gamer, small forward, 17-year-old Kahlin Santillo.
In the second term, he kicked the Roosters’ second, and what would prove to be their last goal of the game, in a 65-point defeat.
For the struggling North Adelaide side, two players, Marlon Motlop (39 disposals) and Mitchell Clisby (33 possessions) had 22.5 percent of the team’s effective touches.
Eagles winning streak
Top-of-the-table Woodville West Torrens have won 11 consecutive games since losing their season opener against West Adelaide at Oval Avenue by six points.
In the 25 years since Woodville and West Torrens amalgamated, this is the Eagles’ second best winning streak.
Amazingly they have two streaks that beat that. The first included the amalgamated club’s first premiership win in 1993, and the second came in the 2004 season. Both were 14-game streaks.
SA under-16s come close
A four-goal-to-one third quarter by Victorian Country saw the 2015 under 16s championships slip away from SA, in what was effectively the grand final of the tournament yesterday at Southport in Queensland.
Norwood midfielder Isaac Hewson won the South Australian Most Valuable Player award. Others who performed strongly in this final contest included the Eagles pair of Thomas Schmusch and Brennan Cox, West Adelaide’s Josh Smithson and with three goals, Glenelg talent from Lucindale, Darcy Fogarty.
Padthaway Lions A grader Tobin Cox kicked five goals in the round two win over Western Australia. Also in this emphatic 74 point victory, Norwood’s Lachlan Pascoe, Roosters’ lad Stefan Giro and ruckman Callum Coleman-Jones all stood out.
Grassroots is published on Wednesdays.
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