Crows midfielders Patrick Dangerfield and Rory Sloane have been included in Mike Sheehan’s top 30 players of 2013.
Dangerfield, who was Adelaide’s sole All Australian this season, was selected at No.12, while Club Champion Rory Sloane slotted in at No.23. Sloane moved three positions up on his pre-season ranking of No.26. The veteran Herald Sun journalist had Dangerfield at No.3 in his top 50 players prior to the start of the season.
Dangerfield enjoyed another individually brilliant season, winning plenty of the ball in the midfield and also creating a nightmare match-up for opposition teams as a forward.
The game-breaking 23-year-old ranked fourth at Adelaide in total disposals (466) and also kicked 31 goals to finish second in the Club’s goalkicking. He ranked fourth in the AFL for centre clearances (59) and hard ball-gets (118), seventh in contested possessions (274) and eighth in inside 50ms (102).
In 2013, Sloane ranked third at Adelaide in total disposals (494), averaging 23.5 possessions (including 11.2 contested), five marks and four inside 50ms per game.
Regarded as one of the hardest-running players in the League, Sloane was second at the Club in clearances (84) and hard ball-gets (88), third in tackles (83) and contested possessions (235) and fourth in inside 50ms. He was also fifth in scoreboard impact, kicking 12 goals and assisting in 25 scores.
An All-Australian nominee this year, Richard Douglas also earned recognition from Sheehan for the first time since 2010. Sheehan will name his top 10 players on Friday.
Mike Sheehan’s Herald Sun Top 50
(11-30)
11. DAN HANNEBERY (Sydney Swans)
12. PATRICK DANGERFIELD (Adelaide)
13. NATHAN FYFE (Fremantle)
14. SCOTT THOMPSON (North Melbourne)
15. JOSH KENNEDY (West Coast)
16. DAVID MUNDY (Fremantle)
17. TRAVIS BOAK (Port Adelaide)
18. JOBE WATSON (Essendon)
19. STEVEN MOTLOP (Geelong)
20. CHAD WINGARD (Port Adelaide)
21. STEVE JOHNSON (Geelong)
22. TRAVIS CLOKE (Collingwood)
23. RORY SLOANE (Adelaide)
24. MICHAEL JOHNSON (Fremantle)
25. NICK RIEWOLDT (St Kilda)
26. JOSH KENNEDY (Sydney Swans)
27. JEREMY CAMERON (GWS)
28. CHRIS MAYNE (Fremantle)
29. LUKE HODGE (Hawthorn)
30. ANDREW MACKIE (Geelong)