Brendon Lade has shown that age is no barrier for him despite difficult conditions at Woodville Oval. Lade was brilliant in the ruck against the Eagles in a match described by Darren Trevena and Daniel Healy as a “slogfest”.

With the past two Player of Week winners earning an AFL call-up the following week, Lade will be hoping the trend continues.

The award is judged by Power development coaches, Healy and Trevena, and is announced exclusively at PortAdelaideFC.com.au each Monday afternoon.

It was a busy, and dirty, weekend for Power players in the SANFL, with players battling mud and rain in the hope of catching the selectors’ eye. Here’s the full wrap…

Cibo Glenelg SANFL Player of the Week
Brendon Lade (for South v Eagles at Woodville) – Very tough conditions in this slogfest. Worked very hard in the ruck with 35 hitouts, a number of them going to South’s advantage. Also had 15 possessions and 7 marks in very wet conditions.

Matt Westhoff (for Central v North at Prospect) – Started really well with a ball coming to him straight from the first centre bounce, picked it up cleanly and gave the handball off to set up a goal. Tapered off a bit from there, with the conditions not suiting the bigger players. Only had a few touches but continues to work hard and has improved immensely from the start of the year.

Nathan Lonie (for North v Central at Prospect) – Lones was very good on a wing. Great work rate and used the ball well. Picked up 18 kicks, 4 marks and 4 handball as well as 6 tackles, an area he’s been working on. His ability to cover the ground and get from contest to contest is fantastic.

Adam Thomson (for Sturt v Norwood at Norwood) – One of the picks of the weekend. He reveled in the conditions, which suited him being a clearance player. Had 11 kicks, 4 marks, 18 handballs, 11 tackles, 4 chases and 6 hardball gets. A very impressive effort from Thomo.

Greg Bentley (for Sturt v Norwood at Norwood) – Bents battled hard, but didn’t have a huge impact on the game. Had 12 possessions.

Toby Thurstans (for Sturt v Norwood at Norwood) – Found it difficult in the conditions playing up forward with his side only kicking a handful of goals. Looked good in the ruck with 19 hitouts.

Adam Cockshell (for Norwood v Sturt at Norwood) – A quiet day with 3 possessions and 3 marks. A couple of good grabs but not a huge influence on the game.

Ryan Willits (for West v Port at Richmond) – Played up forward and spent some time on a wing and moved really well. He had a number of tackles and chases. Finished with 13 possessions and 5 marks and looked good in a losing team.

Robbie Gray (for West v Port at Richmond) – Returning from an ankle injury, he played forward in a side that managed only 4 goals, but we were really happy with the way he moved and his ankle pulled up well. Had 12 possessions and 2 tackles in a solid return.

Matt Lobbe (for Port reserves v West reserves at Richmond) – Played up forward and in the ruck as usual. Conditions didn’t suit the bigger players, but he continues to improve and the signs he’s showing suggest he’s not too far away from a league game. Had 15 possessions, 4 marks and 1.1. Playing really competitive footy and has really improved this year.

Jonathon Giles (for Central reserves v North reserves at Prospect) – Played up forward and did the ruck work in the forward line. Still adjusting to the position but there were some good signs. Had 8 kicks, 2 marks, 5 handballs and 18 hitouts. Not a bad day.

Daniel Boyle (for Central reserves v North reserves at Prospect) – Boyley worked hard but probably couldn’t use his pace as much as he’s been able to in the past because of the wet and slippery conditions. 15 kicks, 4 marks and 5 handballs. He’s working hard, just needs to keep improving the defensive side of his game

Marlon Motlop (for North reserves v Central reserves at Prospect) – Marlon worked really hard on the ball – an excellent work ethic actually. Was very smart with his use and he’s developing the body to be able to handle SANFL footy. His ability to get out of tight situations continues to impress. He had 16 kicks, 8 marks and 10 handballs as he moves closer to league selection.

Gavin Grose (for North reserves v Central reserves at Prospect) – Second game back for Gav it was a marked improvement. Played at full back and half back on the Bulldogs’ ruckmen. Provided plenty of run, linking up nicely. Finished with 18 kicks, 3 marks, 4 handballs and 7 spoils.

Past Cibo Glenelg Player of the Week award winners
Round 18 – Ryan Williams
Round 17 – Nick Salter
Round 16 – Marlon Motlop
Round 15 – Daniel Boyle
Round 14 – Jacob Surjan
Round 13 – Michael Wilson
Round 12 – Nathan Lonie
Round 11 – Matt Thomas
Round 10 – Adam Cockshell
Round 9 – Marlon Motlop
Round 8 – Fabian Deluca
Round 7 – Fabian Deluca
Round 6 – Damon White
Round 5 – Paul Stewart
Round 4 – Robbie Gray
Round 3 – Matthew Westhoff
Round 2 – Adam Thomson
Round 1 – Adam Thomson