Sportsbeat - Friday June 8 2012

The weekly Sportsbeat columns, from CK. The weekly previews, plus "The Ultimate SANFL Player" - combining the best features of many current players to make the Ideal SANFL Player:

Central District v West Adelaide (Playford Alive Oval) – Saturday 2.10pm

The battle for second spot really heats up at Elizabeth when the Bloods travel to face Central. West are playing an impressive brand of football that is not high scoring, but restricts the opposition heavily at the same time. Central will be seething after falling to Sturt last week and would be expected to emerge snarling.

The way West is playing has the potential to cause the Bulldogs some issues, although the latter has kicked 14 goals or more on four occasions this season. Roy Laird’s charges will need to back their vast experience of the wide Elizabeth ground to run the Bloods ragged and try to restrict their ability to dictate the game. The longer the ball spends out wide gives Central more time to drop numbers back into their defensive 50 and crowd the leading space of the bigger West forwards. Central ought to be favorites at home, but don’t underestimate West whatsoever.

RADIO: Life FM
Tip: Central District 13-24

North Adelaide v Norwood (Prospect Oval) – Saturday 2.10pm

The Redlegs continue on their merry way, still undefeated after eight matches after surviving a major scare at the hands of South. Being down at half time seemed to wake Nathan Bassett’s men into their usual brand of football, but the 25 point margin still wasn’t a true reflection of the match. North held sway all day over Glenelg to hold their place in the final five and gain a break over the chasing pack.

The Roosters can be very hard to stop when they throw the ball around quickly and work it through James Allan and James Bennett. The latter’s omission from the state team remains one of the mysteries of 2012, as his work to win the contested ball is a major factor in North’s best football. This will be a real test of Josh Francou’s charges and to find out just how much they have improved this season. At their absolute best, they can restrict Norwood. It remains to be seen, however, just whether they have it in them to run over the top.

TV: ABC-TV
Tip: Norwood 25-36

Port Adelaide v South Adelaide (Alberton) – Saturday 2.10pm

While it is not their primary focus for the season, Port will be bitterly disappointed with their Foxtel Cup exit last week. Expected to win comfortably, they looked extremely flat against Morningside and could not raise supporters hopes at any stage. Speaking of raising hopes, South went from looking in control at half time, to being on the ropes within 40 minutes against Norwood, ultimately falling by 25 points.

Quite why South is sitting out of the five, however, is extremely strange. They have one of the most potent midfields in the SANFL, with Nick Liddle in Magarey Medal form, and Joel Cross, Toby Stribling and Tim Houlihan all playing great support roles. Their attack has the potential to regularly boot more than 14 goals, yet they can’t seem to win games at home. Port will need to be very mindful of giving the Panthers too much space to create, and will also aim to utilise their advantage in ruck to give first use to the Magpies midfield. The potential is certainly there for either team to pinch this one, and will lean to South to snare the points.

RADIO: 5RPH
Tip: South Adelaide 13-24

Glenelg v Woodville/West Torrens (Gliderol Stadium) – Monday 2.10pm

Both teams will be licking their wounds after deflating defeats last week when neither group really looked to be in it for extended periods. The most worrying aspect for the Eagles is just how flat they look at times. They really appear to be finding it hard to lift for more than 15-20 minutes at times, and are looking toward the same players each time to take them to the level required.

The Tigers, however, will also be looking for more from their 15th to 25th players on their list. Their top echelon is working well, but some of their next level are really struggling for consistency. If Glenelg is to really press for a finals berth, they have to tighten up in defence. In four of their last six matches, they have conceded 17 goals or more and are finding it hard to exceed that amount in attack regularly in the same period. They should still be able to get over the Eagles here, however.

RADIO: 5RPH
Tip: Glenelg 25-36


THE ULTIMATE SANFL PLAYER

The prototype of the ideal SANFL player? If you had the ability to compile the best attributes from every current SANFL player to combine into the one footballer, which aspects would you combine to construct that Ultimate SANFL Player?

ABILITY TO READ THE PLAY: James Allan – Players don’t win three Magarey Medals without being to assess the play, anticipate where the ball will go next and then place themselves in the right positions to win the ball, by pure luck. Allan has that rare ability to find the ball so often, simply with his skill at working to the contest and finding space to clear it away from danger zones.

LEG SPEED: Leigh Ryswyk – Even at the age of 27, it’s nearly impossible to stop Ryswyk when in full flight around the wing. Has that rare ability to change gears when the opposition are closing in, and very uncommon to see him run down from behind. Can find space better than most and uses it to the absolute best advantage on most occasions.

LEFT LEG: Luke Jarrad – Few players are able to hit targets as often as Jarrad with either foot, but the number of times he pinpoints the next target with that penetrating left foot has been a key to the Eagles being in the top echelon for so long. He may not use the right foot as often, but with such accurate disposal on the other side, most SANFL players would dearly love to have a left side close to Jarrad’s.

RIGHT LEG: Eddie Sansbury – A number of very good finishers in the SANFL, but Sansbury hits the target so well when setting up from defence and through midfield, that it’s hard to ignore his impact at Central for being such a key to their success. Has certainly compensated for having a limited left side by being one of most accurate on the right side of all. Could usually count on one hand how many times he would spray it over a month.

CONTESTED MARK: Ryan Ferguson – Setting the standard now for many seasons, the number of times Ferguson runs backwards with the flight of the ball to take a towering mark for West, has been innumerable. Able to play at both ends of the ground where needed, he has rarely dropped below his best in marking since crossing over from Melbourne, and is richly recognised with the captaincy of the club.

COURAGE: Nick Liddle - Many, many players could have won this category, but ultimately, the 178cm South dynamo breaks through many packs and throws himself into so many dangerous situations during the year that he narrowly won the title. Working feverishly in traffic to pump the Panthers forward, with little regard for his own safety, he is also noted by the umpires for his work, finishing runner up in the Magarey Medal last year.

KICK FOR YOUR LIFE: Luke Jericho – Another difficult one to narrow down, with so many excellent candidates. Within 50 metres of goal, Jericho very rarely misses and if he does, it’s usually only a narrow miss. Has a classical kicking style that brings a smile to the face of the purists and is a vital cog in the Norwood wheel whenever they go into attack.

TAPWORK: James Mieklejohn – A number of very efficient ruckmen in the SANFL, but over a number of years, it’s been the Port captain that has illustrated his skill in using his body at the ball-ups to give his onballers first use at the stoppages. Another very good reader of the play, he is also able to get to the contests first through clever conservation of energy, without compromising his overall performance.

LEADERSHIP: Ty Allen – There are so many outstanding captains in the SANFL, that this was one of the toughest choices of all. It speaks volumes, however, for how Glenelg tend to really struggle when the skipper is missing. No fear at bursting through the packs, working desperately at the bottom of them or farming out the ball to runners, he may not have the highest possession rate, but makes sure that he sets the ultimate example for teammates with his actions.

DEFENSIVE PRESSURE: Brett Zorzi – Amazing longevity for a player who is in his eighth season at Norwood after a distinguished career with the Northern Bullants in the VFL. Came across as a midfielder, but was reinvented as a defender and has played many fine matches on players much taller and heavier, but is very rarely beaten in the contest. Reads the play beautifully and if he is not able to mark or spoil, positions himself perfectly for the spillage.

An interesting and good analysis of the ideal SANFL player, CK.

Can't argue too much with any of those selections.

To start one more category, who would you choose for the best kick with both feet? ie: Capable on both left and right foot kicking?

I naturally have a West player in mind, but I'm interested in nominations from other clubs.

I'd also add that although I wouldn't change Luke Jarrad, I'd say Braydn O'Hara would be as good a left foot kick as there is in the comp.

Chris and James Gowans from Central are very good on both feet, as is promising youngster Paul Marschall.

I see that Luke Jericho's accuracy rate is less than 60%, which surprises me, as I instinctively agreed with CK's nomination.

The player I referred to as being the best on his non-preferred foot is Fort Caruso, who I think has no peer in that category.

He's also kicked 11.1 this year to be at the top of the accuracy stakes, too.