SA Footy

Maybe Pooraka can be the 14th club.

Well done Daniel Drew on winning the Bradman Medal. What a great season and his development from year to year has been great to see. Hopefully some first class cricket for him soon.

Time to have a salary cap in atca. Geez pooraka are strong enough!

Nah, people should be allowed to spend their money on whatever they want.

If an asphalt mob are willing to give Pooraka $50k a season, and then the players put half their match payments back over the Pooraka bar, then good luck to them I say.

Do they have pokies as well?

Tony Clifton wrote:Do they have pokies as well?

They used to.....about 6 though. Might have sold them and invested the profits

Northern Messenger ran a story this week saying Mark Cosgrove has committed to Northern Jets for season 2017/18

helicopterking wrote:
$20k is the rumoured amount on Cossie.
Marks also on his way to Pooraka from ND but for about $6k.

Trader wrote:Nah, people should be allowed to spend their money on whatever they want.

If an asphalt mob are willing to give Pooraka $50k a season, and then the players put half their match payments back over the Pooraka bar, then good luck to them I say.

You read rumours about other clubs on the internet and try and convince yourself that they must be true, then you read rumours regarding your own club that you know are so far off the mark it is laughable and it makes you wonder if you can believe anything the internet tells you ever again !

Trader wrote:Nah, people should be allowed to spend their money on whatever they want.

If an asphalt mob are willing to give Pooraka $50k a season, and then the players put half their match payments back over the Pooraka bar, then good luck to them I say.

Who, apart from the dollarphins, can compete with that.....
Oh we beat them last round!
Cost us nothing.

Huh, you lost your last 4, including the last one outright didn't you?

Trader wrote:Huh, you lost your last 4, including the last one outright didn't you?

Beat them first innings. Only team to do so.
Not sure why the captain handed them an outright?

As expected, the Eags to go into the GF with an unchanged side from last week:

KR Smith
L Pastyn
B Renshaw
IL Johnson
BT Capel
+LJ Drennan
D Drew
C Mickan
P Fisher
BJ Williams
TP Kelly
SH Johnson

No real change to the Browns' team this weekend either. It is likely to just be up to how well Henry Dall has recovered from pneumonia that determines whether he or Liam Scanlon plays. Hoping for Henry's sake that he has fully recovered from his bout of pneumonia. However, with the forecast for both days being in the 30's, to play someone who has been struggling with pneumonia is a big risk, even a life-threatening one. Sadly, I personally nearly died from pneumonia last year and ended up contracting it three times.
Whoever plays, all the best for both teams.

Cheers

bulldogproud wrote:No real change to the Browns' team this weekend either. It is likely to just be up to how well Henry Dall has recovered from pneumonia that determines whether he or Liam Scanlon plays. Hoping for Henry's sake that he has fully recovered from his bout of pneumonia. However, with the forecast for both days being in the 30's, to play someone who has been struggling with pneumonia is a big risk, even a life-threatening one. Sadly, I personally nearly died from pneumonia last year and ended up contracting it three times.
Whoever plays, all the best for both teams.

Cheers

Doesn't look like Dall is playing. Not on team list on MyCricket

Tony Clifton wrote:

bulldogproud wrote:No real change to the Browns' team this weekend either. It is likely to just be up to how well Henry Dall has recovered from pneumonia that determines whether he or Liam Scanlon plays. Hoping for Henry's sake that he has fully recovered from his bout of pneumonia. However, with the forecast for both days being in the 30's, to play someone who has been struggling with pneumonia is a big risk, even a life-threatening one. Sadly, I personally nearly died from pneumonia last year and ended up contracting it three times.
Whoever plays, all the best for both teams.

Cheers

Doesn't look like Dall is playing. Not on team list on MyCricket

My bad... it was Lecamwasam who came into the 12, not Dall.
Still wishing Henry all the best for his recovery though... sad he misses out after a great debut season.
Cheers

West Torrens 8/325 at stumps after Kensington sent them in. Drennan 104. Match is poised nicely heading in to day 2.

Well, the 2016/17 Grade Cricket season has now ended.
In what could very well be described as the season in which the Eagles 'rose from the ashes like a phoenix', the season ended with West Torrens managing the very first threepeat or triple crown of 20/20, One Day and Two Day premierships.

In the two-day Grand Final, although Kensington fought the game out well, they were outplayed in all areas by the Eagles. West Torrens had five batsman make 22 or more (David Hookes and C.W. Walker winner Leigh Drennan 104, Bailey Capel 55, Kelvin Smith 45, Pat Fisher 28 and Ben Williams 22). in contrast, only Alex Ross (who made a magnificent 97not out in a lone-hand display) managed to make 20. The gallant Kensington bowlers were let down somewhat by their fielders, with 5 catches being dropped, most from top-order West Torrens batsmen. Having said that, Kensington's ground fielding was impressive, just that catches could not be held. Alternatively, West Torrens' catching was brilliant, with all chances being captured, including a number of brilliant catches in the slips cordon. West Torrens proved once again to have one of, if not the, best attacks in Grade Cricket with Trent Kelly 4/45, Ben Williams 3/33 and Braedon Renshaw 2/39 the chief wicket-takers. Braedon was extremely impressive early, capturing the two Kensington openers. The effort of Trent Kelly should certainly be applauded, nearly backing up his 5 wicket match-winning performance in the Grand Final exactly 10 years earlier. Although wicketless in the innings, Spencer Johnson and Logan Pastyn also bowled beautifully, whilst it was very fitting that Bradman medallist Daniel Drew took the final wicket, caught by Charlie Walker and David Hookes medallist Leigh Drennan.

In closing, perhaps a comment that could be made, following the SACA stance taken 18 months ago, could be:

'Sure, kick us out, SACA, but do you mind if we take all your silverware with us as we go out the door?'

Cheers

Now the dusk has settled after yesterday's Grand Final, we can reflect on what would have to be one of the most amazing performances in the history of Grade Cricket in SA. To come from wooden spooners last year to be the first Club ever to win all three Premierships in one season is still hard to comprehend.

With the merger stuff going on last year, we were basically dead and buried. We then had all other Clubs trying to pinch all our players (Kelvin to Glenelg, Drew to Kensington, Drennan to East Torrens, plus several others as well). We may as well have packed our bags and closed the door.

But full credit to the A Grade players, led by Trent Kelly, they had a team meeting last August and agreed to all stick together and pay back all the volunteers at the Club who were trying to make it survive. After Round 1, he told them all the reason he was playing on was because he knew this young group of talented players would win the Premiership. How profound that statement turned out to be!

We have played 23 games this year in all formats and lost one (due to one hour of bad cricket against Glenelg) which is remarkable. We won six out of six in One day and 20/20 games. Comprehensive wins in all finals. Only the Port semi was close, and that was the most intense game of Grade cricket I have seen, full credit to Port.

We had the best bowling line up in the comp by a mile. Spencer Johnson with his left arm quicks would be the quickest in the comp. Braeden Renshaw is hugely under rated, but lots of wise people from various Clubs rate him the best bowler in 1st Grade. Ben Williams has relished having three other pace bowlers support him after going solo last year, ended up the leading wicket taker in the comp with 33 wickets @ 16.6, every game got the breakthrough whenever the team needed it. And last but not least, Trent Kelly with his experience and competitiveness no doubt won us many games, with both bat and ball. Logan Pastyn with his spin late in the year was vital too.

Batting was massive improvement this year, Kelvin was awesome after Xmas, and Bailey Capel for a 16 year old to open in A Grade and score 340 runs was brilliant. His innings in the GF was amazing. Drennan with three centuries and over 600 runs to go with his Keeper award was remarkable. Daniel Drew went to another level this year, resulting in a comprehensive Bradman Medal win. Pat Fisher improved with over 400 runs and Carl Mickan did his bit during year too.

The best thing was 10 of the 12 in the Grand Final are West Torrens Juniors, plus Drennan and Renshaw have played all their Senior cricket here. Other clubs could take a leaf out of our book. Ironically, we now have had approaches from 4 very good 1st Grade players from other Clubs wanting to join us, how times have changed!

Well that ends the 2016/2017 season. Expect to wake up soon and it has all been a dream, but if it is all true, then we will keep celebrating for a little while yet!

Great write ups above. Incredible season. The greatest achievement in the history of Grade Cricket in SA and that's before you even delve into the mess the incompetent SACA board put the club through last season. It was only a month or so ago the SACA backed down and said West Torrens and Port could continue.

It really is about the players though. And the coaching staff Harrity, Woolford and co, amazing job.

As eagles2014 said, it would have been easy for this group of players to have gone elsewhere last year. It wasn't until June that SACA indicated we would be allowed to compete this year. Can you believe that?

The first XI is made up of board members, club coaches, sponsors.

Trent Kelly is a born leader and his importance is evidenced by the last 4 years - the two he missed we finished towards the bottom. The two he played we finished in finals.

Kelvin Smith and Leigh Drennan have shown terrific leadership over the last 4 years. Smith batted for half a day (normally that would be a century for him) and Drennan to win the Hookes Medal with his century was so apt. The best keeper-batsman the club has had since Tim Nielsen and as important recruit as Wes Thomas was 10 years ago.

The emergence of Bradman medalist Drew, Johnson and Williams as three of the best players in the comp has been satisfying for those who believed in our junior program and hopefully these three along with Kelvin can be seen playing for the Redbacks sooner rather than later.

Capel has been solid in his first full season and his knock in the Grand Final should give him plenty of confidence heading into 17/18. Great experience for him to bat with Smith this year.

Renshaw, Pastyn, Mickan and Fisher are great club men. Great blokes who deserve all the success that has come their way.

Sensational. Instead of a chapter closing, this club can continue to make its own history. 160 years young and still fighting fit.

Players moving about already. Tyrell Sinclair headed to Northerns after playing in the 2's GF for Tea Tree Gully over the weekend.

backoftheroom wrote:Players moving about already. Tyrell Sinclair headed to Northerns after playing in the 2's GF for Tea Tree Gully over the weekend.

overrated anyway.. But I heard Prospect is his destination.