JONATHON Giles has reacted emphatically to being dropped to the Bulldogs’ reserves, by dominating the ruck, winning 43 hitouts and sending a clear message that he wants to be back in the league side sooner rather than later.

The performance earned him his third Cibo Glenelg SANFL Player of the Week Award, the others coming in round five and round 10. Giles was not only influential in the ruck, but also at ground level at the stoppages, impressing the development coaches with his aggression and determination.

The award is judged by Power development coaches, Darren Trevena and Stuart Cochrane, and is announced exclusively at PortAdelaideFC.com.au each week.

A couple of big names were back in the SANFL, with Peter Burgoyne and Josh Carr going head to head at the Bay, while Mitch Farmer was back to the form that earned him an AFL call-up last year. The full wrap is below.

Cibo Glenelg SANFL Player of the Week
Jonathon Giles (for Central reserves v Eagles reserves @ Elizabeth) – With Griffin back in the league team, Joffa was dropped to the reserves this week, but to his credit bounced back with a standout performance. He was excellent in the ruck, winning 43 hitouts and was also good around the ground with 11 kicks, 10 marks, 8 handballs and 4 tackles. He also pushed forward at times and booted 2.1. He was good following up his ruck work at the stoppages and was aggressive around the packs. He’ll need to build on that performance again this week against Glenelg.

Glenn Dawson (for Eagles reserves v Central reserves @ Elizabeth) – Glenn was ill in the lead-up to the match and that affected his preparation and performance. He only had 4 possessions but still managed to bag two goals. Despite the illness, he applied good forward line pressure and with a better preparation this week, he’ll be hoping for a bigger output.

Mitch Banner (for Eagles v Central @ Elizabeth) – Mitch didn’t have as much of the ball as he has had, but he was competitive around the stoppages and applied good pressure through the midfield and half forward. Although it was a slightly down week this week, we’ve still been happy with his consistency throughout the year when he’s been fit.

Jarrad Redden (for Eagles v Central @ Elizabeth) – Playing the in ruck against a good ruck duo of Mackenzie and Griffin, Jarrad didn’t have a huge influence. He did, however, follow up well with second efforts at stoppages and kept the opposition ruckmen honest by running to space when the Eagles had the ball. He’ll learn a lot from the game, especially about positioning in the ruck.

Matthew Westhoff (for Central v Eagles @ Elizabeth) – Matty was quieter than he has been, with 7 kicks, 6 marks and no goals. He had a few good lead-up marks but with Daniel Schell on fire booting 6.5, Westy played second fiddle as they looked to go to Schell.

Matthew Lobbe (for West v North @ Prospect) – Matty was another who was coming off a virus during the week, and struggled a bit because of it. He still managed 16 hitouts and competed well against the opposition ruckmen. With a better preparation, he’s another who we’re confident will perform better.

Jesse Laurie (for West v North @ Prospect) – Again used sparingly, which stopped him from having a huge impact on the game. Played half back and also had a run-with role at times. He’s still adjusting to league footy.

Mitch Farmer (for South v Sturt @ Noarlunga) – Probably Mitch’s best game for the year. He played down back and attacked the footy and the man hard, showing some good speed, something we haven’t really seen since lasty year. He beat his man all day, played some desperate footy – smothering and tackling – and was back closer to the level we expect of Mitch. Finished with 10 kicks, 4 marks, 4 handballs and a goal.

Jackson Trengove (for Port v Glenelg @ the Bay) – Jacko didn’t get used as much on the weekend, despite doing a good job on Grima when he was on the field. He was good when he was on the ground with 6 tackles, and also spent some time forward.

Peter Burgoyne (for Port v Glenelg @ the Bay) – Peter played half forward, wing and spent some time on the ball but found it tough in the conditions. He ran hard for handball receives but his possessions weren’t generally as damaging as usual. We’d hoped that he’d spend some more time on the ball, given how good he is at clearance work.

Josh Carr (for Glenelg v Port @ the Bay) – Josh got dropped back to the SANFL and had a good game, playing mainly on the half forward line. He finished with 8 kicks, 8 handballs, 5 marks and 2.1. He looked dangerous at times and had some effective clearances at forward stoppages, but it would have been nice for him to spend some more time in the midfield.

Daniel Stewart (for North reserves v West reserves @ Prospect) – Another good performance from Stewie, taking 6 grabs and kicking 2.1. He got a slight knock in the first half which restricted him slightly in the second half, but he battled all day and will again be pushing for league selection.

Matthew Martin (for West reserves v North reserves @ Prospect) – First game back from injury and he got through unscathed playing up forward and booting 3 goals. He took some nice marks and kicked a couple of good goals. Solid return.

Wade Thompson (for North reserves v West reserves @ Prospect) – A good game from Wade, with 9 kicks, 3 marks, 3 handballs, 4 tackles and 3 goals. He worked hard and was rewarded with a few goals. He runs to the right spots, but at that level doesn’t always get used. We’re confident he’ll play better as he goes up a level.

Jordan Johns (for South reserves v Port reserves @ Alberton) – Jordan’s second game for South’s reserves. He was quiet in the first half, but moved onto the ball in the second and showed some good signs, running well and picking up 12 possessions. He’s still adjusting to the SANFL, having come from the under 18s comp.

Past Cibo Glenelg Power SANFL Player of Week Award winners
Round 15 – Nick Salter
Round 14 – Nick Lower
Round 13 – Matt Lobbe
Round 12 – Matthew Broadbent
Round 11 – Daniel Stewart
Round 10 – Jonathon Giles
Round 9 – Nick Lower
Round 8 – Toby Thurstans
Round 7 – Marlon Motlop
Round 6 – Josh Carr
Round 5 – Jonathon Giles
Round 4 – Marlon Motlop
Round 3 – Nick Lower
Round 2 – Matt Thomas
Round 1 – Nick Lower