South Australia’s squad this year is very deep, with the gap between their strongest and weakest players much smaller than the other sides. It’s a trait that’s become ingrained in South Australian junior sides – and a significant reason why they’ve encountered such success of late. Any number of 20 players could have featured in this article, so while they aren’t mentioned, Hugh Haysman (West Adelaide), Brendan Dew (Central Districts), Kyle Presbury (Central Districts), Harry Cross (Norwood), Jack Agostino (West Adelaide), Harrison Westhoff (West Adelaide), Will Combe (North Adelaide), Maris Olekalns (North Adelaide) and Andre Parella (Sturt) as well as underaged star Jonty Scharenberg (Glenelg) will play just as much of a role in the South Australian side as those mentioned. Injured players Ryan Burton (North Adelaide), Steven Slimming (Sturt – 2016 crop) and Tim Sullivan (Glenelg) would have locked down spots if not for long term leg, foot and knee injuries respectively and unfortunately will likely miss the championships.

Will Snelling – Captain (inside midfielder, West Adelaide)
The positives: Snelling’s production at SANFL league level is quite astounding, averaging 19 touches and six tackles a game. He’s proven himself against the bigger bodies and despite his size, tackles well and with intensity. He’s an excellent endurance runner and is able to make it to every contest and impact on the inside and has no issue with putting his head over the ball. He also has excellent leadership skills hence being named as the SA captain.

The negatives: Size. He’s no Caleb Daniel but at 176 cm Snelling is very small for a predominantly inside midfielder, especially with the way the game is moving towards tall, big bodied inside ball winners. However the success of Touk Miller this year proves there is still a place for the undersized inside midfielder. He is capable of finding the ball on the outside but he’s by no means someone who will cut you up by foot.

Production: 10/10
Potential: 7/10
Size: 3/10
Overall: 20/30

Luke Partington – Vice Captain (outside midfielder, Norwood)
The positives: There’s a lot to like about Partington. He’s a quick, agile and skilled outside midfielder who just understands football. He puts himself in the right places, times his runs well and hits the right spots. By foot he’s got a strong but not elite hurt factor. His improvement this year has been excellent, with his ball winning ability and clearance game the main winners. By hand his distribution is excellent. While he’s still an outside midfielder, he wins his own ball much more than most of his type.

The negatives: While everything Partington does he does with class, he hasn’t really torn apart games with the regularity a top prospect does. Not only that but he hasn’t found his way into the Norwood league side yet. He is also primarily a midfielder and lacks a bit of versatility. While he’s small, for an outside midfielder height isn’t as important so it doesn’t hold him back as much as it does the inside midfielders.

Production: 8/10
Potential: 9/10
Size: 6/10
Overall: 23/30

Aaron Francis – Vice Captain (key utility, West Adelaide)
The positives: Francis has already played league football for West Adelaide and impressed, a rare achievement for a 17 year old key position player. His read of the ball in flight is elite as is his marking ability in general. By foot he’s very reliable, with his kicks having some real control and penetration. He’s also versatile, with runs on the board back, forward and even off a wing.

The negatives: at 191 cm Francis sits just between small and key defender height. He plays like a key defender but perhaps lacks the raw speed to go with the smaller type key forwards. The role he plays at the next level may be a concern, with clubs perhaps shying from using a high pick on a ‘tweener’.

Production: 8.5/10
Potential: 9/10
Size: 6.5/10
Overall: 24/30

Keiran Agius (general utility, North Adelaide)
The Positives: Agius is all about the upside. He’s dynamic, quick, agile and swift – watching him is like poetry in motion. By foot he’s just superb, considered the best kick in the draft by some. With ball in hand he hurts. Inside 50 he has good spacial awareness, seeming to always know where the goals are and has an uncanny knack of kicking bags.

The Negatives: While Agius has potential, there’s a lot wrong with his game. He hasn’t been selected in round one of the champs for unknown reasons but performance and work rate is suspected to be a factor. He’s been tried all over the field and only really found a niche playing as a forward target. At 189 cm he’s not going to be a key forward at the next level. When played in defence he’s been unaccountable and when played in the middle his running patterns have been poor as has the defensive side to his game. He needs to improve his work rate and pressure to make it at the next level.

Production: 5/10
Potential: 9/10
Size: 6/10
Overall: 20/30

Matthew Nunn (outside midfielder, Norwood)
The positives: Nunn is an outside midfielder who accumulates well. While his best work is done wide of the contest, in traffic he’s reliable and doesn’t shy away from receiving the ball closer to the contest. He moves well with good evasive moves and nifty speed.

The negatives: Nunn isn’t a poor kick, but at times he’s a little shaky. Over short distances he has some issues weighting the ball and occasionally rushes himself. He can win his own ball but doesn’t do it as regularly as you’d like him to, remaining very much wide of the contest most of the time.

Production: 7/10
Potential: 7/10
Size: 6/10
Overall: 20/30

Riley Bonner (general utility, West Adelaide)
The positives: Bonner is very much the wild card of the draft thus far. At 191 cm, he’s played all over the ground so far and hurts the opposition wherever he plays. He has an elite left foot, with his vision, technique and penetration all excellent. His right foot is also reliable. Under pressure he’s composed and he has the makings of a solid intercept game. He’s also willing to run and carry the ball and break the lines. He’s not a key position player, but his height is handy for the role he plays.

The negatives: While Bonner looks best used off half back, he still has some way to come defensively. He hasn’t learnt the finer details of one on one defense and occasionally suffers from a below par work rate, letting his man run free and not putting in those second and third efforts. He also prefers being fed the ball as opposed to winning it himself.

Production: 6/10
Potential: 9/10
Size: 8/10
Overall: 23/10

Jordan Dawson (general forward, Sturt)
The positives: Dawson just loves to kick goals. A 190 cm medium forward, he leads to the right spots and just understands how to work in a forward line. He’s kicked bags for fun in the SANFL reserves this year, having had 27 shots in his four SANFL reserves games thus far. He’s a good mark of the football and covers the ground well. He’s also grown an inch since the start of the year, going from 187 to 190 cm – if he keeps growing he could turn into a genuine key forward prospect.

The negatives: Kicking. Dawson misses a lot of shots, with 12.15 in reserves this year. He’s just got to be more efficient with his kicking. At his current size he’s also in that ‘tweener’ zone where he’s not really a small but not a key forward either. He can make it as that third tall type but some growth would help him.

Production: 8/10
Potential: 7/10
Size: 7/10
Overall: 20/30

Matthew Allen (key forward, Glenelg)
The Positives: Allen comes from an elite cricketing background, finally deciding to focus on football and give the draft a shot. He’s a physical monster, already weighing in at 97 kg despite only being 193 cm. He’s quick on the lead and has a good work rate, covering the ground well. At under 18 level he’s been kicking bags for fun and has shown some aptitude pushing up into the middle.

The negatives: There’s a bit of Reece McKenzie about Allen, for now. He’s dominating the level he’s playing at but with his relative size compared to other SANFL under 18 footballers, you’ve got to wonder how much stock to put in it given these kids would rarely be able to keep up with him endurance wise and would definitely be outmuscled by him. While he measures well for speed, like McKenzie, he doesn’t look incredibly quick on the ground. The next step for Allen is dominating a higher level like he has the under-18s. As a pure key forward he’s about an inch shorter than he’d want to be – but that won’t be what holds him back from making the grade.

Production: 7/10
Potential: 7/10
Size: 6/10
Overall: 20/30

Stephen Tahana (small defender, North Adelaide)
The positives: Tahana is brilliant defensively and, at the moment, severely underrated. For speed he’s exceptional – as a small defender he’s able to close down even the most exciting goal sneaks. He’s also got an excellent work rate, dedicating himself to getting the job done. His agility too is excellent. With ball in hand he’s very composed and while he’s not the typical quarterback type half back, he does do damage. There is some scope to move into the midfield.

The negatives: For a player of Tahana’s position and athleticism, he doesn’t break the lines enough. You’d really want him to back himself to run and carry. He perhaps doesn’t get enough of the ball at times either, though it’s hard to tell if that’s a result of poor positioning and running patterns or his over the top defensive discipline. Either way, there’s still a role for the lockdown small in football, offense isn’t everything.

Production: 7/10
Potential: 9/10
Size: 7/10
Overall: 23/30

Wayne Milera (half forward, Central Districts)
The Positives: Milera has already made his SANFL league debut, and played the whole season in the seniors – a rare feat for a predominantly outside player. While outside, Milera is capable of getting in tough and doing the pressure acts and tackling required of  senior player. He also possesses good speed and a creative mind and knows where the goals are. He also seems to have a good work rate and a real desire to do what it takes to make the grade.

The Negatives: It’s difficult to gauge the negatives with Milera as he’s already playing at the highest possible level so it’s expected that he won’t dominate, however even with that in mind he does drift in and out of games a little and hasn’t produced a sustained four quarter performance yet.

Production: 7/10
Potential: 7/10
Size: 7/10
Overall: 21/30