Where are the good SA midfielders

WeeBlake

All Australian
Joined
Aug 5, 2006
Posts
873
Likes
838
Location
Melbourne
AFL Club
Adelaide
Thread starter #1
There are not many gun midfielders from SA, which might be part of the reason we can't get gun midfielders to come home, which might be part of the reason we don't have a gun midfield. It is actually pretty striking when you look at each team's top 4 midfielders how few are from SA

Ade
Sloane
Thompson - yes
Matt crouch
Richard Douglas

Bris
D Beams
Zorko
Rockliff
Robinson

Carlton
Cripps
Gibbs - yes
Murphy
Kerridge

Coll
Pendlebury
Sidebottom
Treloar
Adams

Ess
Watson
Heppell
Zaharakis
Goddard

Freo
Fyfe
Neale - yes
Mundy
Hill

Geelong
Selwood
Danger
Duncan
Caddy

Gold Coast
Ablett
O'Meara
Prestia
Swallow

GWS
Ward
Coniglio
Shiel
Griffen - yes

Hawks
Mitchell
Lewis
Shiels
Smith

North
Swallow
Cunnington
Ziebell
DalSanto

Melb
Jones
viney - arguable
Vince - yes
Oliver


Port
Boak
Wines
Hartlett - yes
Ebert - yes

Rich
Cotchin
Martin
Edwards
Delidio

Swans
Kennedy
Hanneberry
Jack
Parker

Saints
Steven
Armitage
Montagna
Dunstan - yes


WC
Priddis
Shuey
Gaff
Masten

Dogs
Bont
Libba
Hunter
Macrae


That is 72 players, of which 8 (11%) are from SA, including 3 currently at SA teams.

Why so few? Shouldn't the SANFL give pre-draft mids a development advantage? Also drives home the point that Gibbs and Neale opportunities don't come that often.
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

Samcro24

Suffering from BS Awareness
Joined
Oct 28, 2014
Posts
5,717
Likes
12,133
AFL Club
Adelaide
#2
There is a dearth of up-and-coming top end SA talent in general. Plenty of hyped players with potential over the last few years that have mostly turned into busts or under acheived. (and some injured)

If we played origin, the team would be made of mostly of over 30's. Posters have made theoretical state sides on the main board, and ours is the weakest on paper. Makes a mockery of the 'we need to draft from SA at all costs' brigade.
 

mattymac

GM of Awareness
Joined
Jul 9, 2009
Posts
12,935
Likes
21,005
Location
Yes
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
No
#5
Really highlights why we need to go hard after Lachie Neale. Thommo gone next year, Dougie the year after. We've got nothing but a dick named hope in our hands.

If we rely on developing (not to mention retaining) the kids we have and hope they make it we'll be a middle to low tier midfield for a number of years to come. And you can't make top 4 with mid to low tier midfields. And you don't win flags under the current system from outside top 4
 

GROTTO

Hall of Famer
Joined
Jul 5, 2013
Posts
36,567
Likes
36,819
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
#6
Really highlights why we need to go hard after Lachie Neale. Thommo gone next year, Dougie the year after. We've got nothing but a dick named hope in our hands.

If we rely on developing (not to mention retaining) the kids we have and hope they make it we'll be a middle to low tier midfield for a number of years to come. And you can't make top 4 with mid to low tier midfields. And you don't win flags under the current system from outside top 4
Makes sense. So expect us to give another a year to Thommo and Douglas.

We are cooked if we cant get Neale. Our midfield lacks top shelf quality and depth.
 

MRB37

Brownlow Medallist
Joined
May 17, 2009
Posts
21,757
Likes
27,370
Location
Adelaide
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
Glenelg
#9
Forgot Jack Redden at the Eagles too.

Makes sense. So expect us to give another a year to Thommo and Douglas.

We are cooked if we cant get Neale. Our midfield lacks top shelf quality and depth.
Guess we're cooked then, like a lot of SA'ers, seems not many of them look to come back once they leave.
 
Joined
Jun 3, 2013
Posts
1,409
Likes
1,074
Location
Adelaide
AFL Club
Adelaide
#10
Thommo gone next year, Dougie the year
So expect us to give another a year to Thommo and Douglas.
Those names should've gone last year. And you can add VB and MacKay to that list, except they should've gone years earlier. And if they do play on next year, I'm likely to start a petition.

Not at all saying we shouldn't go after a top shelf Mid....in fact it's an absolute priority....but we've got a list of blokes we've had for years, rotting in the Magoos - starting with Cam Ellis-Yolmen and Lyons. Are they top shelf? Maybe, maybe not. But if you recruit blokes, for f*cks sake, play them....or don't recruit them to begin with. To have kept these blokes sidelined for as long as we have is beyond absurd. It would not surprise me if these two (and others) look to get traded next year, and they play against us and give us a flogging....while we give Thommo and Co. a warm hug and black-slapping send-off retirement, when they finally hobble off on walking frames to the retirement village.

As an aside, giving blokes one or two games in a pre-season isn't giving them a go. It's just an insult to them.
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

GROTTO

Hall of Famer
Joined
Jul 5, 2013
Posts
36,567
Likes
36,819
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
#12
It all goes in cycles I guess. I read somewhere that SA has produced the most All-Australian players per capita, but at the moment we are just going through a crappy phase in SA football.
When was the last phase and who were the players?:$
 

GROTTO

Hall of Famer
Joined
Jul 5, 2013
Posts
36,567
Likes
36,819
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
#15
Goodwin, Roo, Hart McLeod, Bock for starters...
Greg Anderson?
Well blow me over if we need to go that far back.

Anderson, Hart, Roo all grew their footy skills in the 80s at junior level.

Wasnt McLeod from NT?

This is over 25+ years ago.
 

Bicks

Premium Platinum
Joined
Jun 10, 2009
Posts
29,523
Likes
41,200
Location
Victorian Central Highlands
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
Panthers, GWV Rebels Beaufort Crows
#16
Well blow me over if we need to go that far back.

Anderson, Hart, Roo all grew their footy skills in the 80s at junior level.

Wasnt McLeod from NT?

This is over 25+ years ago.
Cooney won a Brownlow before his knees gave up on him.
 
Joined
Oct 1, 2011
Posts
2,390
Likes
1,192
Location
Adelaide Hills
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
Sturt, Celtics, Team Vodafone
#22
2015 Draft(s)
~16 players drafted from SA in last years draft, 2 of which were mature aged recruits. Wayne Milera and Bailey Williams (Dogs) have been the standouts so far, but Francis has been injured I think. Would like us to try and get Williams, but I don't think it will be easy.

2014 Afl Draft(s)
~17 Players drafted from SA, 6 of which were mature age recruits. Caleb Daniel is the standout at this stage, Durdin has had a few injuries.

2013 AFL Draft(s)
~20 Players drafted from SA, 4 or 5 were mature age recruits. Luke Dunstan is the best performed player so far, Scharenberg has had a lot of injuries.

2012 AFL Draft(s)
~22 Players drafted from SA, 6 of which were mature age recruits. Brodie Grundy is the best performed player so far.

2011 AFL Draft(s)
~22 Players drafted/GWS pre-selected and traded from SA, at least 9 of which were mature aged recruits. Chad Wingard is the best performed player so far.

The midfielders drafted from SA in this period that are still in the AFL system that aren't playing in SA: Sam Mayes, Tim Broomhead, Brad McKenzie, Lachie Neale,James Aish, Luke Dunstan, Trent Dumont, George Hewett, Orazio Fantasia, Alex Neal-Bullen, Billy Stretch, Caleb Daniel, Luke Partington, Aaron Francis (More a defender), Bailey Williams and Matthew Hayball(?).
 

GameofSloanes

Premiership Player
Joined
Oct 20, 2015
Posts
3,619
Likes
5,313
Location
In a Galaxy Far, Far Away
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
Liverpool
#23
There are not many gun midfielders from SA, which might be part of the reason we can't get gun midfielders to come home, which might be part of the reason we don't have a gun midfield. It is actually pretty striking when you look at each team's top 4 midfielders how few are from SA

Ade
Sloane
Thompson - yes
Matt crouch
Richard Douglas

Bris
D Beams
Zorko
Rockliff
Robinson

Carlton
Cripps
Gibbs - yes
Murphy
Kerridge

Coll
Pendlebury
Sidebottom
Treloar
Adams

Ess
Watson
Heppell
Zaharakis
Goddard

Freo
Fyfe
Neale - yes
Mundy
Hill

Geelong
Selwood
Danger
Duncan
Caddy

Gold Coast
Ablett
O'Meara
Prestia
Swallow

GWS
Ward
Coniglio
Shiel
Griffen - yes

Hawks
Mitchell
Lewis
Shiels
Smith

North
Swallow
Cunnington
Ziebell
DalSanto

Melb
Jones
viney - arguable
Vince - yes
Oliver


Port
Boak
Wines
Hartlett - yes
Ebert - yes

Rich
Cotchin
Martin
Edwards
Delidio

Swans
Kennedy
Hanneberry
Jack
Parker

Saints
Steven
Armitage
Montagna
Dunstan - yes


WC
Priddis
Shuey
Gaff
Masten

Dogs
Bont
Libba
Hunter
Macrae


That is 72 players, of which 8 (11%) are from SA, including 3 currently at SA teams.

Why so few? Shouldn't the SANFL give pre-draft mids a development advantage? Also drives home the point that Gibbs and Neale opportunities don't come that often.
Given that SA makes up about 6% of the national population you could argue we are over represented. Even if you take out half the nation who like rugby (probably not that many) it's still average
 

Cleric

Brownlow Medallist
Joined
Oct 14, 2011
Posts
12,896
Likes
13,754
Location
Adelaide
AFL Club
Adelaide
#24
Prior to 2012 we went through a really poor development patch. WA has been through one over the last 5 years as well.
Reality is that the AFL has neglected Jr development in both SA and WA prefering to spend their time and money with the TAC cup and NSW/Qld. It could also be noted that Tasmania has gone backwards for many years.
But the AFL doesnt give a shit, and neither do most SA football supporters.
 
Top Bottom