SANFL Season Guide: All you need to know

By Joseph Marciano

Brush up on your Redlegs knowledge ahead of Round One:

Coach: Jarrod Cotton

2020 Captain: Matthew Panos

2020 Vice-Captain: Sam Baulderstone and Richard Douglas

2019 Best and Fairest: Brad McKenzie

2019 in a nutshell: After starting their 2019 campaign 5-0 the Redlegs snuck into finals contention with a win in their final round match against West Adelaide at Richmond. The Redlegs were struck down with a number of injuries to key players throughout the course of 2019, however their determination and grit showed they could still mix it with the best after winning four of their last five games to claim a finals berth. The Redlegs defeated the Double Blues in a high scoring affair in the Elimination Final, however, were defeated in the second semi-final against the Crows.

New players: Richard Douglas (Adelaide), Ryan Bastinac (North Melbourne/Brisbane Lions), Emmanuel Irra (South Adelaide), Codey Ellison (McLaren/South Adelaide), Nik Rokahr (Geelong VFL/Bell Park), Tom Pinyon (Mount Compass/Adelaide SANFL), Sam Johns (basketball), Brad Ficken (basketball)

Departures: Brady Dawe (retired/Lobethal), Jace Bode (retired/Payneham Norwood Union), Alex Georgiou (retired/Lobethal), Ed Smart (retired/Onkaparinga Valley), Dylan Stephens (Sydney Swans), Cam Taheny (Geelong), Chris Olsson (Central District), Josh Miller (Henley), Tom Forster (Study/Melbourne), Mitch Carter.

2020 opponents: Glenelg (Round One), North Adelaide (Round Two)

Circle it: Glenelg – Round 1. A massive chance for the Redlegs to make an early statement in 2020. Faced with the challenge of the reigning Premiers in Round One, Jarrod Cotton’s men will be looking to impress to get their 2020 campaign off to the perfect start.

Player to watch: Tom Pinyon – After the retirement of Brady Dawe and the loss of up and coming ruckman Henry Crauford, Tom Pinyon was a recruit the Redlegs just needed. At 197cm and 95Kg, Pinyon will have no problems throwing his weight around in Norwood’s forward 50 and will be a genuine target going forward. With SANFL experience at the Adelaide Crows, Pinyon has already notched up seven games kicking 14 goals.