2021 The Advertiser SANFL Team of the Year

By ZAC MILBANK

Glenelg co-captain Chris Curran has added to his expanding list of accolades after being named skipper of the 2021 The Advertiser SANFL Team of the Year.

It is the second time in three years Curran has earned the prestigious honour after the Tigers’ premiership leader was named Team of the Year captain in the club’s drought-breaking season of 2019.

Listed to start at full back, the 30-year-old has North Adelaide captain Alex Spina alongside of him in the back pocket, acting as his vice-captain.

First-year Bays coach Brett Hand, thrust into the role in late December, has been recognised as the coach of The Advertiser SANFL Team of the Year after guiding his team to the minor premiership with a 17-1 win-loss record.

Hand has as many as six of his players, including Curran, named in the final 22 while second-placed Woodville-West Torrens has five.

Triple Ken Farmer Medallist Liam McBean was locked into full forward after booting 51 goals for the season while Tiger teammates Matthew Snook, Matthew Allen, Luke Partington and Brett Turner also made the cut.

The reigning premier Eagles are represented by the competition’s leading disposal-winner in James Tsitas, West End State captain Jack Hayes, elusive Daniel Menzel and former Crows pair Tyson Stengle and Riley Knight.

South Adelaide (Bryce Gibbs, Matthew Broadbent, Joseph Haines) and Sturt (James Battersby, Tom Lewis, Casey Voss) each have three players chosen while the Roosters have two, in Spina and 2020 Magarey Medallist Campbell Combe.

Twelve players make their debut, with Spina, Allen, Turner, Tsitas, Stengle, Menzel, Knight, Voss, Lewis, Gibbs joining Central District’s Kyle Presbury and Adelaide ruckman Kieran Strachan as their clubs’ sole representatives.

Port Adelaide and West Adelaide were the two clubs without a player listed.

Players who played fewer than 12 of the 18 minor round games were not considered for selection.

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

2021 THE ADVERTISER SANFL TEAM OF THE YEAR
FORWARDS
Tyson Stengle (Eagles, 1st selection), Liam McBean (Glenelg, 3rd), Daniel Menzel (Eagles, 1st)
HALF FORWARDS
Richard Douglas (Norwood, 2nd), Jack Hayes (Eagles, 3rd), Luke Partington (Glenelg, 3rd)
CENTRE
Matthew Allen (Glenelg, 1st), James Tsitas (Eagles, 1st), Riley Knight (Eagles, 1st)
HALF BACKS
Kyle Presbury (Central, 1st), Joey Haines (South, 3rd), Matthew Broadbent (South, 2nd)
BACKS
Casey Voss (Sturt, 1st), Chris Curran (C) (Glenelg, 3rd), Alex Spina (VC) (North, 1st)
1ST RUCK
Kieran Strachan (Adelaide, 1st), Bryce Gibbs (South, 1st), Campbell Combe (North, 2nd)
INTERCHANGE
Matthew Snook (Glenelg, 3rd), Tom Lewis (Sturt, 1st), James Battersby (Sturt, 4th), Brett Turner (Glenelg, 1st)
COACH
Brett Hand (Glenelg)