ROUND 3 of the SANFL season saw a number of Power players performing at both senior league and reserves level, with reigning premiers Central District returning to form and trouncing South Adelaide at Playford Alive Oval.
This week, West Adelaide had the bye, while Friday night again saw two games being played - Norwood was beaten by Glenelg at home, while the Eagles lost to Sturt under lights at Adelaide Oval. The final match of the round saw North Adelaide defeated Port Adelaide Magpies at Prospect Oval.
All games were watched closely by development manager Daniel Healy and development coach Matthew Nicks. Their full report is below, but make sure you watch the video report to find out why they elected not to have a ‘Player of the Week’ this week.
Danyle Pearce (for Double Blues vs Eagles)
Danyle went back to SANFL level with the right attitude and was able to play a good game a result - he had 22 possessions, 15 handball receives and laid 4 tackles across the course of the match. We’ll continue to work with him on developing his intensity and defensive running, but there were some good signs in his game.
Jarrad Irons (for Eagles vs Double Blues)
Jarrad had a quiet night by his standards - he still worked hard defensively to put pressure upon the opposition, and ended up with 8 touches in a game in which he couldn’t really get into the play as much as he would have liked.
Daniel Bass (for Panthers reserves vs Bulldogs)
Bassy is returning from a knee injury and this was his second game back - he’s really still just finding his way back into touch, and we’ll continue to work with him on his positioning around the ground. His ruckwork was pretty solid again and he just needs to get more involved in the play.
Matt Westhoff (for Bulldogs vs Panthers)
After a quieter first half he came right into the game as it went on. He took 5 marks and ended up kicking 4 goals 1, as well as giving one off in a pretty comprehensive win for Centrals. He was their leading goal scorer and whilst his workrate could still be improved it was a very solid return for him.
Mitch Curnow (for Double Blues reserves vs Eagles)
He played ruck and forward and as the games have gone on thus far in season 2011 he’s not getting as much time leading the line as he has in the past. He did some really nice ruckwork, and similar to Bassy he’ll continue to work on his positioning around the ground and his strength in the contest.
Callum Hay (for Roosters reserves vs Magpies)
Callum had a quiet day for his standards, and wasn’t able to make a huge impact upon the play. He had some nice passages where he packed himself in and took on his opponents. He pulled up a little bit sore in the last quarter and will need to see how he goes as to whether or not he’ll take part in Round 4 of the SANFL season.
Andrew Moore (for Roosters reserves vs Magpies)
Andrew took another really positive step forward as he recovers from injury, playing nearly a full game at SANFL reserves level. He’s continuing to work on his touch and his skills and getting that back, but his in-close work around stoppages was fantastic and he took a real step forward in that area. He ended up kicking a goal whilst playing on the ball, which is something we’re always after, and most importantly he continues to improve and get some match fitness.
Aaron Young (for Roosters reserves vs Magpies)
Youngie’s form is getting better and better as he gets more confidence playing at SANFL level after being in the Victorian under-18s competition last year. He picked up 18 possessions and kicked 1 goal, missing a couple of other opportunities. The stand-out area for Aaron continues to be his hard-ball gets - he had 8 for the game, which is a fantastic effort from the wing and he continues to work on his fitness and prolong it for a full game.
Daniel Stewart (for Roosters vs Magpies)
North had a good win and Stewie got to several contests in the forward line and really provided them with a target in the front half - he probably didn’t take as many marks as he would have liked, but he had a really good opponent in Lokan who excels at spoiling. Stewie will be better for the run and it’ll help his confidence as he strives to get back to AFL level.
John Butcher (for Magpies vs Roosters)
Butch stared the game as a real focal point for the Magpies going forward - he looked really dangerous in the first quarter, kicking 1 goal 2, and getting to around 4 or 5 contests and moving really well. He probably tapered off a little in the second half as North got on top, and he needs to keep working on those areas but he has been playing some really good footy over the last month.
Mitch Banner (for Magpies vs Roosters)
Mitch is really pushing hard for selection in the Power side with his consistent performances at SANFL level. He had around 20 possessions playing on-ball for the game and really working well both ways now, with his defensive running being something that we’ve really been working on with him. He laid a number of tackles and spread really well from the contest, getting the ball out on his own. It was a good effort in a solid game.
Jason Davenport (for Bloods vs Ainslie in the Foxtel Championship)
Dav had a solid game, picking up around 18 possessions and kicking 1 goal 1. He started really well, having 100% effectiveness for the first half, showing off some really polished skills by both hand and foot. He probably dropped away a little bit towards the end of the game but it was an otherwise solid game.
Daniel Webb (for Bloods vs Ainslie in the Foxtel Championship)
Webb started slowly, but he got to a number of contests after quarter time, which is what we’re really looking for from him - we’re looking for him to turn the potential that he has at the moment into some really quality football and we’re working on also getting him to crash and hit the packs hard. He’s improving week-to-week.
