A host of Port Adelaide players appeared in the SANFL in Round 15, with a number of impressive youngsters showcasing their wares.
All three of Port Adelaide’s 2009 NAB National Draft selections got game time under their belt after recovering from injuries, while surprise rookie selection Daniel Bass confirmed his promise by being awarded the SANFL Player of the Week for Round 15 after a stand-out performance in the SANFL reserves.
SANFL Player of the Week - Round 15
Daniel Bass (Panthers reserves v Tigers)
A stand-out performance by a developing player. He played both forward and in the ruck and was rewarded in the forward line by marking the ball and kicking goals, while in the ruck he jumped in aggressively and gave his players first use of the ball. He has a competitive nature which allows him to follow up his hit-outs. He took an exciting mark in front of the crowd and has set a benchmark performance for himself to measure up against each week. He finished the day with 7 kicks, 7 marks, 7 handballs, 21 hit-outs, and 4 goals.
Jason Davenport (Bloods v Magpies)
Dav played half forward, opposed to Slattery, and he worked very hard between the two 50s, accumulating lots of possessions and being a regular spot-up target out of defence. The defensive part of game was terrific with his hard tackling, and he managed to get on the end of some nice work from Harding in the middle with 4 shots on goal resulting in 2.2. This performance possibly may see him return to AFL ranks. He finished the day with 17 possessions, 9 marks, and 4 tackles to complement his 2 goals.
Scott Harding (Bloods v Magpies)
Harding was in and out of the game over the course of four quarters, but he showed terrific class and ability to get to many contests around the ground. He kicked a great goal out of stoppage work in the first quarter, and he continues to improve week after week. He accumulated 16 possessions, 5 marks, 4 tackles, and 3 clearances.
Daniel Webb (Bloods v Magpies)
Webb started on the bench, coming onto the ground to replace Ryan Willits in the ruck. Webby was very lively around the ground, regularly hitting the ball to the advantage of teammates, and getting involved in play between the arcs. It was a big improvement on last week’s game. He finished with 7 possessions, 4 marks, 4 tackles, and 4 hit-outs.
Cameron Cloke (Magpies v Bloods)
Cloke was positioned forward early, sharing duties in the ruck with Mieklejohn. It was a fantastic lead-up game giving his mids and backs a target coming out of defence. Opposed to Adam Hartlett, brother of Hamish, it proved to be an interesting and enthralling match-up. Cloke finished the day with 2 goals, and was serviceable in the ruck, finishing with 11 possessions, 5 marks, and 12 hit-outs.
John Butcher (Magpies reserves v Bloods)
It was his first game back after being on the Power’s Long Term Injury list, and he played 70% of the game. He started forward and had 7 possessions and 3 marks - one of which was a hanger. He laid 3 tackles and booted a goal, and importantly he got through the game unscathed and chased and worked hard in and around the forward 50. He will benefit from the run.
Danny Meyer (Tigers v Panthers)
Danny played quite well in a range of different positions - both as a forward and down back. He adapted well by kicking 2 goals when forward and rebounding when in defence. As usual, he took another exciting high grab and picked up 11 kicks, 4 handballs, 7 marks, and 2.2 goals.
Jasper Pittard (Double Blues reserves v Eagles)
Jasper started up forward and changed on-ball - it’s something different for him, having played most of his career on the half-back / wing in junior competitions. He didn’t have a great deal of impact in this role, getting caught on a few occasions. He moved to defence after half-time where he got his game going again. He was solid defensively and ran off to create offensively picking up 9 handball receives to go alongside 12 kicks, 4 marks, 5 handballs, and 2 tackles.
Andrew Moore (Panthers reserves v Tigers)
Moore played as a guest player for South Adelaide. He lined up at centre half back and read the play well. He keeps his feet in a contest, which is so important in modern football. He played a good role both defensively and offensively, and was a major contributor for the Panthers’ reserves first win of the year. He had 13 kicks, 5 handballs, 6 marks, and 2 tackles.
Jordan Johns (Panthers reserves v Tigers)
He’s been playing better footy since his injury, improving every week in his decision-making and use of the football. He covered the ground nicely, and rebounded the ball defensively, scoring 15 possessions, 4 tackles, and 4 marks.
Glenn Dawson (Eagles reserves v Double Blues)
Dawson started up forward and presented up for a few marks. He needs to build consistent form over the second half of the season as his performances have fluctuated from week to week. He hurt his ankle in the third quarter and took no further part in the game.
Jarrad Redden (Eagles reserves v Double Blues)
Redden is another youngster that needs to build consistency from week to week. Although, in fairness, this week he was rucking against a much harder opponent. He needs to think through situations to gain a better outcome for himself and his team.
Past SANFL Power Player of the Week winners
Round 14 - Jarrad Redden
Round 13 - Justin Westhoff
Round 12 - No Nomination
Round 11 - Nick Salter
Round 10 - Jay Schulz
Round 9 - Matthew Broadbent
Round 8 - Daniel Stewart
Round 7 - Michael Pettigrew
Round 6 - Cameron Cloke
Round 5 - Nick Salter
Round 4 - Josh Carr
Round 3 - David Rodan
Round 2 - Nick Salter
Round 1 - Danny Meyer
