Round 14 of the SANFL season saw one match on a Saturday afternoon followed by three Sunday afternoon fixtures.

The first game of the round was held at Alberton Oval, where the Panthers had a strong victory over the Magpies by 23 points. The Sunday matches saw two close matches - North Adelaide went down by 10 points to Sturt, and the Eagles fell short by a goal to Central District - while West Adelaide suffered a big loss against Glenelg.

Last year’s grand final runner-up Norwood had the bye.

All games were watched closely by development manager Daniel Healy and development coach Matthew Nicks. Their full report is below.

SANFL Player of the Week
Cameron Hitchcock (for Tigers vs Bloods)
In a game in which his side was convincing winners, Hitch had a very, very good game. He took 7 marks as a small forward-cum-wingman, kicking 5 goals 1. Most pleasingly he also laid 4 tackles, with his defensive pressure something that he’s been working on all year. After 4 goals last week to kick 5 this week was a really solid performance.

Steve Salopek (for Tigers vs Bloods)
Sal played half-forward with a little bit on the ball and on the wing, and didn’t dominate but did kick 2 goals. His influence on the game wasn’t massive, but it was pleasing to see him impact the scoreboard with limited opportunities in the Glenelg side that won well on the day.

Jason Davenport (for Bloods vs Tigers)
Similar to Sal, Dav had 18 touches but wasn’t absolutely dominant - he picked up 8 of those in the last quarter alone when West Adelaide were being well beaten. He kicked 2 goals and laid 3 tackles playing half-forward and wing.

Marlon Motlop (for Bloods vs Tigers)
Promoted to the league side following some encouraging form in the SANFL reserves, Mots wasn’t able to have a huge impact upon the game, but it’s good to see him back in the SANFL seniors. Hopefully he’ll be able to hold his spot for Round 15.

Michael Pettigrew (for Bloods vs Tigers)
Petters played centre half forward, and kicked a goal whilst picking up 13 possessions but only took 3 marks. He competed well in the forward line, and ideally you’d like to see him taking more marks than that playing in the forward half of the ground as a target.

Daniel Webb (for Bloods vs Tigers)
Webby played predominantly in the ruck in this game. He had 24 hit-outs and his ruckwork was pretty good, but he needs to work on his actions around the ground in order to have more influence. He had 7 possessions, laid a few tackles, and kicked a goal.

Daniel Bass (for Panthers vs Magpies)
Bass started in the centre square from the opening bounce and acquitted himself well against two of the stronger ruckmen in the competition in Maric and Mieklejohn. He worked hard in a tough gig, but hunted the ball. He didn’t get a lot of it, but his effort to work alongside McKernan was very impressive.

Jacob Surjan (for Magpies vs Panthers)
A really strong first half by Surj with his defensive pursuits well up, showing a change in mindset that’s a real credit to him. When he was fatigued in the second half that dropped off a bit, with his fitness something that he continues to work on.

Mitch Banner (for Magpies vs Panthers)
Mitch ran the game out reasonably well, finishing with a solid game. He continues to get a fair whack of the ball in the midfield, but when the side is beaten it’s hard to judge how good the game actually was, particularly as South won a lot of take away balls around the contest.

Aaron Young (for Roosters reserves vs Double Blues)
Youngie continued his solid form at the lower level, named in his side’s best players and picking up 21 possessions, kicked a goal, and is continuing to move really well around the ground and show very encouraging form for a player in his first year of the AFL system.

Daniel Motlop (for Roosters vs Double Blues)
Mots picked up 12 possessions playing as a forward who moved up the ground a bit, and he also put on 2 tackles. He didn’t have a massive day out, not getting on the scoreboard.

Jarrad Redden (for Eagles reserves vs Bulldogs)
Big Red played ruck as well as forward and was named in the best for his team. He had 15 or so possessions and kicked 3 goals 1, marking the ball really well both in the forward line and around the ground when stationed in the ruck. His ruckwork was a dominant feature of his game, which is pleasing as this was only his second game back from injury.

Matt Westhoff (for Bulldogs reserves vs Eagles)
Matt kicked 1 goal 2 and didn’t have a huge day out playing forward, so it’s important for him to remain in the contest at all times, and really involve himself in the play to get his place back in the league side.

Mitch Curnow (for Double Blues u18s vs Roosters)
In terrible conditions, Mitch had 48 hit-outs and was dominant in the ruck. Some of his work in the centre square where he jumped into his opposition ruckman showed the benefits of the development work that he’s been doing in recent times. Around the ground it was tough for a big guy given the conditions, but he did go forward and kick a goal late as he continues to improve at this level.

Previous SANFL Reports
SANFL Wrap - Round 13
SANFL Wrap - Round 12
SANFL Wrap - Round 11
SANFL Wrap - Round 10
SANFL Wrap - Round 9
SANFL Wrap - Round 8
SANFL Wrap - Round 7
SANFL Wrap - Round 6
SANFL Wrap - Round 5
SANFL Wrap - Round 4
SANFL Wrap - Round 3
SANFL Wrap - Round 2
SANFL Wrap - Round 1