Crows SANFL coach Heath Younie is confident his side can match Sturt’s strong midfield in Sunday’s Preliminary Final even without Magarey Medal contender Cam Ellis-Yolmen.
Ellis-Yolmen has been ruled out of this week's clash at Adelaide Oval after suffering a hamstring injury in the early minutes of the Crows’ Semi-Final victory over South Adelaide.
It’s a significant blow for Adelaide’s SANFL midfield brigade given the depth of ball-winners at Sturt’s disposal. 2014 Magarey Medallist Zane Kirkwood and former Crows James Battersby, Aidan Riley and Brodie Martin have all enjoyed standout seasons under new Double Blues coach Marty Mattner.
Hard-nuts Battersby, Riley and Kirkwood all rank inside the top 11 in the SANFL for contested possessions, hard-ball gets, clearances and tackles in a fitting picture of Sturt’s strength at the contest. Martin balances the tough trio with his class on the outside, rated fourth in the League for kicks and eighth for score assists.
Younie said Sunday’s Preliminary Final would be won and lost at the coalface and backed his side to step up in Ellis-Yolmen’s absence.
“Cam unfortunately will miss this week,” Younie confirmed.
“Sturt have had a fantastic year under Marty (Mattner). We’ll have to be at our best to compete against them on Sunday.
“They’ve kept sides to low scores and they defend really well. We had some trouble against them a couple of times.
“But for me it starts at the contest. It’s going to be a good midfield battle. Whoever can get the ball going forward and get some field position has the first crack at it.”
Ruckman/forward Paul Hunter is certain to return after missing last week’s Semi-Final victory over the Panthers. The first-year rookie was the unlucky victim of circumstance given the Club’s fortunate run with injuries late in the season.
Younie said the continuity in the playing group was a major factor behind Adelaide’s strong finals form.
“We’ve had minimal injuries across the Club and we’ve been able to get some consistency in our performance with the same players playing every week,” he said.
“Some of our guys are also a legitimate chance to play AFL, so the pressure’s on our AFL team to perform and our guys have to continue to perform when they play for the SANFL team.
“But the big thing is the consistency in our list.”
The injured Ellis-Yolmen is among several leading contenders for Tuesday night’s Magarey Medal count.
Younie agreed the prolific onballer was a strong chance to win the award, but predicted Mitch Grigg to also poll well.
“We’ve had a number of players who have had really good years,” he said.
“Cameron Ellis-Yolmen’s had a super year, but Mitch Grigg has had a consistent year and played a lot of SANFL footy. He’s polled well in the past.
“There’s some outstanding players in the SANFL. Zane (Kirkwood’s) a previous winner and polls well, Joel Cross is a two-time winner and polls well, Chris Jansen has had an outstanding year.
“I think it could be any of those guys on the night.”
Adelaide confronts Sturt at 2.10pm on Sunday at Adelaide Oval in the SANFL Preliminary Final.
