BALL magnet Kaine Stevens’ consistently strong performances for SFNL club Ouyen United this season have landed him the Holcroft Lawyers Footballer of the Year award.
The Adelaide-based midfield gun polled 17 votes, three ahead of teammate Dallas Willsmore and Wentworth defensive general Andy Wall, to pocket the $2000 cash prize, courtesy of Holcroft Lawyers.
Ahead of his side’s senior preliminary final against Irymple on Saturday, Stevens reflected on his third-placed side’s rocky road to the finals after a slow start.
“We’ve had a pretty good year so far. It’s been a bit up and down in some games,” he said.
“Team-wise, we’ve had so many injuries and blokes with COVID that our team’s changed more than any other team I’ve played in before.
“A lot of the teams in the comp have been like that, though.”
Coming from West Adelaide in the SANFL, where he played alongside Willsmore, the crafty midfielder said he had enjoyed playing in the SFNL this year.
“The standard of footy has been good,” Stevens said.
“The depth in the Sunraysia league is not as good as in the SANFL, but the top-tier players here are just as good.
“Players like ‘Cogs’ (Dan Coghlan) and Nick Mee (from Irymple) are just as good as anyone I played against in the SANFL.
“It’s just that the bottom half drops away a lot more than it does in Adelaide.”
He said he was expecting a tight tussle with the Swallows in the preliminary final.
“They beat us the first time this season pretty comfortably (by 24 points) and we beat them the second time (by three points) where we shouldn’t have. They missed a fair few opportunities,” he said.
“But I think we match up alright against them. In my eyes, they are the best structured team in the comp by a fair bit.
“Wentworth are very good and have been the best team all year, but Irymple have a good game plan and structure.
“Anything can happen in finals. It’s a prelim and we won’t be leaving anything out there.”
He said the Kangas were coming off a good “character-building” first semi-final win against Robinvale Euston last Sunday at Red Cliffs, where they stormed home in the last quarter to prevail by 10 points.
“The older guys like myself are used to having to step up like that, but the more inexperienced guys in the team would have taken a lot out of that win,” Stevens said.
The SA-based triumvirate of Stevens, Willsmore and former Geelong Cat Cory Gregson are set to pose the biggest threat to the Swallows, just as they did against the Eagles last weekend.
Stevens said he was delighted to continue the playing links with his Adelaide mates.
“I played with Dallas at West Adelaide and played against Cory, who was with Glenelg,” he said.
“I can tell you it’s definitely better playing with Cory than against him.
“I also work with Dallas (at a construction company), so we’re pretty much together 24/7 during the footy season. But we’re good mates.”
