SANFL 2025

[Pseudo]

Congrats to Sturt for winning this year’s Stanley H. Lewis Trophy.

... not to mention the Pure Minor Premiership (tm).

[Spargo]

North CEO, Craig Burton, leaving for sunnier pastures as the General Manager at the Noosa Heads Surf Life Saving Club.

I remember when he was a Coopers Brewery rep in the mid-late 90’s

[Dutchy]

Glenelg & Norwood only teams not represented, good to see (not from a Glenelg perspective)

Reserves are happy with the week off

Sorry I meant to put "Juniors" in there

[pmackk]

On another note we are getting a Perimeter fence at unley finally.

[dedja]

On another note we are getting a Perimeter fence at unley finally.

I’m sure the NIMBYs will maintain the rage.

[DOC]

Not sure why.

Every other dog park is fenced.

[another grub]

KEEP IT AS OPEN SPACE FFS. I will be there protesting FU

[PatowalongaPirate]

Unley Wanker.png (23.03 KiB) Viewed 9164 times

[am Bays]

Unley Wanker.png

Old mate does know the difference between a wall and a fence, no?

And an average home game attendance of 2.5-3 K says differently about "nobody wants it"...

[PatowalongaPirate]

Unley Wanker.png

Old mate does know the difference between a wall and a fence, no?

And an average home game attendance of 2.5-3 K says differently about "nobody wants it"...

https://www.facebook.com/groups/693343627835167/

There is some hysteria about it.

[Jim05]

Unley Wanker.png

I think that’s just a pisstake.
Uses the same wording as a Trump rant and I’m guess it’s just a joke

[dedja]

They’re totally delusional … the admin is of another world.

I’ve said this many times before, massive kudos to Sturt for the way they’ve picked themselves up from the canvas a few years ago when they quite easily could have folded and were stone motherless last. The way they fought back financially, and then on the field was a testimony to the great hard work that many put in to turn it around.

To do this by also dealing with an initially hostile Council, and then the continuous barrage from some deranged locals is truly impressive.

Well done Sturt. … albeit still want to kick your arse on the field if given the chance.

[RB]

It has always been very strange, the council's attitude towards SFC, going right back to the 80s, as well as the attitude of locals. I would've thought that a league football club would have support from the council. They've only been playing there (albeit with a significant interruption) since 1901 FFS.

Not an awful lot going on in Unley. Might be an idea to embrace an organisation that regularly attracts thousands of people to the area.

[another grub]

may as well cut down some trees while they at it......

I'm ringing Frank

[mal]

Interesting end to Minor Round
Both Norwood and Sturt have not beaten a side above them on the ladder

[Bluedemon]

Unley Wanker.png

Old mate does know the difference between a wall and a fence, no?

And an average home game attendance of 2.5-3 K says differently about "nobody wants it"...

https://www.facebook.com/groups/693343627835167/

There is some hysteria about it.

The group should be changed to "Friends of Unley Oval - We now have a fence"

[another grub]

Leave the fckn thing open.....

This wont get past Frank

[Booney]

Unley Wanker.png

I think that’s just a pisstake.
Uses the same wording as a Trump rant and I’m guess it’s just a joke

Yeah, have a look at the state of it though.

[Booney]

Minor premier Sturt has been rewarded for its record-breaking season by dominating selection in the 2025 The Advertiser SANFL Team of the Year.

After winning their first 17 games and shattering Port Adelaide’s century-old record for consecutive home-and-away wins, the Double Blues had a competition-high seven players chosen in the star-studded side, while their coach Martin Mattner was handed the reins to the team.

Sturt, which agonisingly fell two points shy of completing the first perfect SANFL minor round season since 1914 when it was upset by Adelaide at Unley Oval last Saturday, had a mix of experienced and young players picked in the side.

Its ‘Magnificent Seven’ were led by Magarey Medal favourite Tom Lewis, damaging small forwards Josh Hone (44 goals) and Sam Conforti (33), who bagged 77 majors between them in the home-and-away campaign, last year’s joint Magarey Medallist Will Snelling, defenders Casey Voss and Will Coomblas and vastly-improved on-baller Angus Anderson.

Lewis (137-point average), Snelling (128) and Anderson (115) finished in the top seven in Champion Data player rankings.

The powerful, 21-year-old Anderson has been a revelation for the Blues this season after being given more opportunities in the midfield, helping Mattner’s outfit to a record 30 consecutive minor round wins over the past two seasons.

Back-to-back premier Glenelg has five representatives in the all-star team – captain Liam McBean, Ken Farmer Medallist Lachie Hosie, midfielders Jarryd Lyons and Matthew Allen and defender Jonty Scharenberg.

Illustrating the giant impact he has made in the SANFL since joining the Tigers in 2017 from AFL club Richmond, McBean has made the elite side for the sixth time in the past seven years.

The key forward has been picked as skipper for the first time after another standout season, which netted him 48 goals.

Hosie won the Farmer medal for the second time, bagging 65 goals – the most kicked in the SANFL since Brett Eddy booted 68 for South Adelaide in 2016.

Lyons, who averaged 24 disposals and six clearances in his return to Glenelg after a long AFL stint, is second favourite for the Magarey Medal after finishing runner-up to Lewis in The Advertiser SANFL Player of the Year voting.

The Crows had the next-most players selected, with three – their SANFL captain Jack Madgen, key forward Chris Burgess, who kicked a career-high 52 goals, and beanpole ruckman Lachlan McAndrew.

Eight of the 10 SANFL clubs are represented in the team.

Other clubs to have multiple selections were Norwood, which clinched fifth spot from Port Adelaide in the final minor round, and Woodville-West Torrens, which was rocked by injuries this year.

Central District, Port and South Adelaide each had one player picked.

North Adelaide and wooden spooner West Adelaide were the only clubs without a representative in the 22-man side.

There are 12 team of the year debutants, illustrating the depth of talent in the competition.

They are: Anderson, Conforti, Lyons, Scharenberg, Burgess, McAndrew, Madgen, Norwood’s Billy Cootee and Pierce Seymour, Port’s Jack Watkins, the Eagles’ Kobe Mutch and South’s Oliver Davis.

McBean (six Team of the Year selections), Rowe (five) and Lewis, Allen and Voss (four) are the most capped players in the side.

The Advertiser SANFL Team of the Year was selected by The Advertiser’s Andrew Capel and Peter Cornwall, the SANFL’s Zac Milbank, Sean Toohey and Daniel Joyce and Channel 7’s John Casey.

FORWARDS
Josh Hone (Sturt, 2nd selection), Lachie Hosie (Glenelg, 3rd), Chris Burgess (Adelaide, 1st)
HALF-FORWARDS
Will Snelling (Sturt, 2nd), Liam McBean (C) (Glenelg, 6th), Sam Conforti (Sturt, 1st)
CENTRE
Matthew Allen (Glenelg, 4th), Tom Lewis (VC) (Sturt, 4th), Billy Cootee (Norwood, 1st)
HALF-BACKS
Casey Voss (Sturt, 4th), Will Coomblas (Sturt, 2nd), Jonty Scharenberg (Glenelg, 1st)
BACKS
Pierce Seymour (Norwood, 1st), Jack Madgen (Adelaide, 1st), Rhett Montgomerie (Central, 2nd)
RUCK
Lachlan McAndrew (Adelaide, 1st), Jarryd Lyons (Glenelg, 1st), Jack Watkins (Port, 1st)
INTERCHANGE
Angus Anderson (Sturt, 1st), Kobe Mutch (Eagles, 1st), Oliver Davis (South, 1st), James Rowe (Eagles, 5th)
COACH
Martin Mattner (Sturt, 3rd)

[saintal]

With the minor round concluding, it’s timely to have a quick look at attendances. Based on the publicly available data for 87 games (3 others were played at Adelaide Oval), the average attendance was funnily enough 2025, down roughly 6% on last season.

Home match averages (includes any country games):

Glenelg 3420 (up 5%)
Sturt 3174 (up 1%)
North 2226 (up 6%)
Norwood 2193 (down 10%)
Centrals 1704 (down 8%)
Port 1498 (up 13%)
Eagles 1425 (down 26%)
West 1276 (down 9%)
South 1142 (down 23%)

2025 is largely consistent with averages over the past 3-4 years.

For comparison, the average was 2353 in 2019 (the "pre covid" era), 2447 in 2015 and a healthy 3073 in 2010. A concerning but not surprising longer term decline.

Crowds over 4K were:

6052- Glenelg v Norwood
5595 – Sturt v Ravens
5231- Glenelg v Ravens
5148 – Glenelg v Sturt
4571- Glenelg v Norwood
4047 - North v Centrals

9 games attracted a crowd under 1K, with 8 of these involving an AFL reserves team. The recent exception was South v WWT (757).