ROUND 8 of the SANFL season saw a number of Power players performing at both senior league and reserves level.

This week, North Adelaide had the bye, but took part in the Foxtel Cup, where they had a resounding win at AAMI against Labrador by 85 points.

In the local competition, Sturt were stunned by Glenelg on Friday night at Adelaide Oval, while in the other Friday night match Port Adelaide Magpies were thrashed by Norwood. Saturday saw two games on show, with the Eagles sneaking home against West Adelaide and Central District taking out South Adelaide.

All games were watched closely by development manager Daniel Healy and development coach Matthew Nicks. Their full report is below, but they didn’t believe that anyone deserved to be nominated as the SANFL Player of the Week this week, but there are video highlights of Cameron Hitchcock's game with the Bays to watch above.

Jacob Surjan (for Magpies vs Redlegs)
Surj played as both an on-baller and across the half-forward line, picking up 18 possessions in a side that was well beaten on the day. It was one of his better nights for the year, and he just needs to keep working on his defensive running and his pressure when the opposition have the football - but he did lay some good tackles and got a few good clearances.

Tom Jonas (for Redlegs vs Magpies)
Tom continues where he left off from last week, continuing his development as he shifted to more of an on-ball role with an occasional stint across half-back. He had 16 possessions and was really impressive around stoppages - he hasn’t played on-ball all that often, and is still learning the craft, but his toughness and his accountability and his ability to win clearances was really impressive.

Mitch Banner (for Magpies vs Redlegs)
It was another typically solid display from Mitch, getting plenty of the ball but winning a few more clearances than normal - he had 24 possessions and again what we want to see some more of from him is hunting of the opposition when they have the ball, laying some more tackles and having an impact defensively.

John Butcher (for Magpies vs Redlegs)
John played up forward on what was a dirty day for the Magpies. He kicked a point in the first half and really had very limited opportunities. He then went to centre half back in the second half and was really competitive back there and impressed in that regard as well as with his ability to read the play and have an impact.

Ben Newton (for Bloods reserves vs Eagles)
Ben played on a wing and started really well again, picking up 8 possessions in the first quarter. He dropped away again as he continues to build up his conditioning, as has been the case since he’s resumed from injury. He did some really good stuff and kicked a goal and there’s a lot to like about him which reminds why he was drafted - it’s just a matter of time for Ben as he adjusts to the workload.

Jarrad Irons (for Eagles reserves vs Bloods)
Unfortunately Jarrad hurt his shoulder in the first quarter and didn’t come back on the ground, but fortunately it looks like the shoulder is not too bad and he’ll hopefully play in Round 9 of the SANFL season.

Daniel Webb (for Bloods vs Eagles)
It was a very quiet game against a strong defensive group for Woodville-West Torrens. He kicked a nice goal, off the ground, but it was quite a quiet game for him.

Jason Davenport (for Bloods vs Eagles)
Dav had a quiet one in the windy conditions - there wasn’t a lot of scores in the game, and it was a very tight game in terms of good pressure from both sides, and Dav had some good efforts in the tackle but he’ll be keen to get back out there this week.

Matt Lobbe (for Bloods vs Eagles)
Matt got to a number of marking contests but just couldn’t haul many down - he’s working hard on his contested marking and if he keeps getting to the contests he’ll soon begin to pluck a few.

Marlon Motlop (for Bloods vs Eagles)
This was Marlon’s first game in the league side since switching from North Adelaide, and it was a good solid effort from Marlon, playing across half-forward and wing, picking up 18 possessions. He kicked a goal and was probably one of West’s better players, and undoubtedly he’ll be looking forward to another game in the seniors this week.

Mitch Curnow (for Double Blues reserves vs Tigers)
A very quiet night for Mitch, but he’s been working really hard in his first year in the AFL system, and with Sturt having the bye this week it’s a chance for him to recharge his batteries for the second half of the year.

Cameron Hitchcock (for Tigers vs Double Blues)
This was probably one of Hitchie’s best games for the year. He was a real spark early, kicking the first couple of goals and roving the ball well off the packs, and just making a nuisance of himself up forward for the opposition. He also went to the wing and had a reasonable amount of ball there as well - he’s really pushing hard for selection in the Power side.

Daniel Bass (for Panthers vs Bulldogs)
Bass played as the secondary ruckman for South Adelaide, and had a really good performance - he’s continuing to improve each week as he work with him on a number of key areas of his development as an AFL player. His ruckwork has been very strong, and it’s important that he works on his around-the-ground play, with his side unlucky to lose - they were up early and couldn’t hang on in the end - and Bassy had some influence on the play in his 10-15 bursts each quarter as the relieving ruckman.

Previous SANFL Reports
SANFL Wrap - Round 7
SANFL Wrap - Round 6
SANFL Wrap - Round 5
SANFL Wrap - Round 4
SANFL Wrap - Round 3
SANFL Wrap - Round
SANFL Wrap - Round 1