Our SANFL team has provided a few stories so far this season that are too good not to share …

Gone with the wind
Cam Ellis-Yolmen’s long bomb was the talking point of Adelaide’s 21-point win over South Adelaide on Sunday. It took Ellis-Yolmen all of 16 seconds to post his team’s first goal of the third term. The young midfielder burst away from the centre clearance and gave his Panthers opponent a ‘don’t argue’ before letting loose with a bomb from inside the centre square. The 70-plus metre missile triggered a string of nine unanswered goals as the Crows set-up their second-ever SANFL victory. Left out of the retelling of the story was the gale-force wind blowing to the southern end of the ground!

Click the play button above to see Cam’s amazing goal in Crows SANFL Highlights.

Finger-licking good
Another important contributor in Adelaide’s SANFL win over South was development player Gene Robinson. Robinson was initially named as an emergency for the match, but the Crows sent out a search party to locate the Mypolonga goalkicker when defender Sam Shaw pulled out with illness no more than 10 minutes before the opening bounce. Eventually, Robinson was located sitting in his car with a bucket of KFC. It proved to be the perfect pre-match preparation for the skilful forward, who gathered 23 disposals, 10 marks and booted two goals to make the best players.

Thommo’s tucker
Another development Crow, Matt Thompson, also has an interesting pre-game meal ritual. The reliable defender enjoys tucking into a thick rump steak on the day of a match. Thompson certainly isn’t short of supply of meat. His day job is in an abattoir back home in Murray Bridge. He often makes the hour-long trip to a game or training in Adelaide after finishing the red-eye 3am shift.

Catching the coach’s eye
However, the ‘most dedicated’ award for the month goes to gritty defender Michael O’Malley. O’Malley wasn’t happy with his ‘touch’ in Adelaide’s loss to Norwood on Friday night in Round Seven, so he decided to lace up the boots for local club, Mannum. Despite playing a full game the night prior, O’Malley gathered 47 possessions in three quarters in a best-on-ground display for Mannum. It’s no wonder the backman has endeared himself to the Crows coaching staff.

“Mick is a ripper player and a real favourite of the coaching group,” coach Brenton Sanderson said.

“He’s just got that competitive nature and we are really happy with the way he goes about it. To go back and play two games in two days and perform like that says a lot about the character of the young man.”

SA great
Setting the example for Adelaide’s SANFL players is captain Ian Callinan, who will represent South Australia in the state game against the VFL in Melbourne on Saturday.  SA has won two of its past three State game clashes with the “Big V” and will start favourites again this weekend. It’ll be an interesting experience for Callinan – a proud Tasmanian – running out in the Croweaters jumper. 

(photograph courtesy of Phil Aspinall)