Statewide Super League Top 50 – No.15

By ZAC MILBANK

There isn’t much Sturt’s Zane Kirkwood hasn’t achieved in the SANFL world.

But in a healthy sign for Double Blues coach Nathan Grima, the team’s reliance on the 29-year-old Magarey Medallist isn’t as high as it was two years ago.

Stepping down as captain during summer, Kirkwood placed sixth in the 2019 P. T Morton Medal count as club best-and-fairest.

Incredibly fearless, Kirkwood loves nothing more than getting his hands dirty at the bottom of the pack to win the hard ball for his teammates.

Now with Sturt ball magnets Sam Colquhoun and James Battersby taking the lead, the veteran may not receive a hard tag as much as he used to which could free him up in the twilight of his glittering career.

And with Abe Davis arriving from South Adelaide in the off-season, Kirkwood could also find himself spending more time in attack, something Grima trialled at times in 2019 by starting his No.9 inside the 50m arc.

Regardless of the role Kirkwood plays, expect him to give nothing less than 100 per cent as he has displayed in his 206 Statewide Super League appearances since 2008.

Selected by SANFL Media Producer Zac Milbank, the 2020 Statewide Super League Top 50 is being unveiled one player at a time on the League’s website and social media channels.

For incumbent SANFL players, form across the 2019 season was used as a significant factor in the selection process, with selection in The Advertiser Team of the Year, West End State squad, club leadership group and placings in club best-and-fairest weighing heavily.

This is to ensure there is meaningful movement of player rankings between each year’s Top 50 list at the start and end of the season.

Recruits to the Statewide Super League for 2020 have also been included, with significant AFL experience, performance at State League level and their predicted impact proving critical in deciding the order of players.

15 – Zane Kirkwood (Sturt)
16 – Max Proud (Glenelg)
17 – Andrew Moore (North)
18 – Luke Reynolds (Glenelg)
19 – Abe Davis (Sturt)
20 – Tyson Goldsack (Port)
21 – Jarred Allmond (North)
22 – Marlon Motlop (Glenelg)
23 – Kaine Stevens (West)
24 – Matthew Snook (Glenelg)
25 – Travis Schiller (Central)
26 – Billy Stretch (Glenelg)
27 – Joseph Haines (South)
28 – Brad McKenzie (Norwood)
29 – Matthew Rose (South)
30 – James Rowe (Eagles)
31 – Dom Barry (Norwood)
32 – Justin Hoskin (Central)
33 – Harrison Wigg (North)
34 – Matthew Allen (Glenelg)
35 – Troy Menzel (Central)
36 – Mitch Grigg (Norwood)
37 – Jack Hayes (Eagles)
38 – James Rose (South)
39 – Robbie Young (North)
40 – Andrew Bradley (Glenelg)
41 – Tom Schwarz (North)
42 – Matthew Panos (Norwood)
43 – Brad Agnew (Glenelg)
44 – Cole Gerloff (Norwood)
45 – Matthew Wright (Adelaide)
46 – Dean Gore (Sturt)
47 – Tom Keough (West)
48 – Jesse Lonergan (Eagles)
49 – Alex Spina (North)
50 – Logan Hill (West)