Adelaide must continue its winning momentum and capitalise on the Club’s small injury list in Sunday’s SANFL Showdown at Mannum Oval, according to Crows SANFL coach Heath Younie.
Adelaide’s SANFL team opened its season with a thumping 74-point win over reigning premiers West Adelaide last weekend.
The hot start was a stark contrast from the Club’s first two years in the SANFL competition. Adelaide had to wait until Round Nine to register its first SANFL win last season, while the side scored just one victory in its opening seven games in 2014.
Only two Crows are off the selection table due to injury heading into this week’s double Showdown weekend. Offseason recruit Curtly Hampton (foot) and rookie ruckman Paul Hunter (ankle) won’t feature at either AFL or SANFL level, while former first-class cricketer Alex Keath is still building towards a SANFL debut.
Younie said it was important his side continued its winning ways against the Magpies on Sunday afternoon.
“We’re in a fortunate position to have minimal injuries at the footy club. This time last year it was a little bit different,” Younie said on Thursday.
“History shows for us, we really battled for the first half of the year last year. Then we were able to get some continuity and some players back, and I think we won eight out of 11 (games) and just missed the finals.
“We want to win every game we play.
“But there’s a long way to go and things can change very quickly in this game.”
Younie said the depth at the selection table would benefit both Adelaide’s AFL and SANFL teams leading into a huge weekend against the Club’s fiercest rival.
“We’ve got nearly a full complement to select from. The good thing is, similar to the other SANFL clubs, when you’ve got that there’s some real competition for spots.
“That’s just great for our footy club when you’ve got so many guys competing for spots.
“That’s the perfect recipe I suppose for sustained success in both competitions.“
The SANFL Crows won’t be taking the undermanned Magpies lightly however, with Port Adelaide still holding a 3-1 advantage from the four previous clashes between the two sides.
“They’re (Port) a great footy club. We’re really respectful of Port Adelaide and the way they go about it,” Younie said.
“Our guys understand they’ve got to come with the right mentality and perform to the level that they need to get the result.”
Sunday’s match at Mannum is the first of two home Crows SANFL games in 2016. Adelaide will also play a second State League game on the River Murray in the penultimate round of the SANFL season when it confronts West Adelaide in August.
Inaugural Dean Bailey Award winner Michael O’Malley is the current captain of the Mannum Roos, while Crows development squad member Sam Pfeiffer of the Ramblers also hails from the River Murray Football League.
Several Crows icons, including Mark Ricciuto and Tony Modra, still hold strong ties with the Riverland region, and current rookie Jonathon Beech was originally from the Barmera-Monash Football Club.
“It’s fantastic, more than 25 per cent of our supporter base is from the country,” Younie said.
“It’s great to take our game into the River Murray area. Early days, we had a number of players that represented our footy club in the SANFL from that particular competition. So we’re just giving something back.
“It’s a great opportunity for all supporters, whether that’s Port or Adelaide, to get up close with some AFL players and really support the local competition.”
Mannum will play the Imperials in a curtain-raiser before the main event at 1.40pm. A family friendly kids’ zone and a half-time signing session with players from both clubs will also be available.
Crows ticketed members receive free entry to the match upon presentation of their 2016 membership card.
