Alan Didak is the best South Australian player in the AFL according to Jesper Fjeldstad.  Picture: Michael Klein
Source: Herald Sun

COMPILING a list of the “best” is always open to fierce debate – just ask colleague Mike Sheahan when he announces his top 50 AFL players twice a year.

Adelaide Sunday Mail chief football reporter Jesper Fjeldstad is the latest to put his neck out.

He has rated his top 25 South Australians playing in the AFL this season.

Has he got it right? Have your say below

And he says if SA footy legend Neil “Knuckles” Kerley, who put the original Adelaide side together, had his time over again, he could pick from 96 senior listed players of the 678 players in the AFL – or 119 from 796 if rookies are included.

The selection criteria were simple: last year’s form, talent shown and the potential seen.

Last year, Fjeldstad rated Western Bulldog Adam Cooney as the best SA player in the big league.

Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.

End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.

But this year, Collingwood’s Alan Didak has been rated No.1 and Western Bulldog Brian Lake No.2, with Cooney dropping to No.3.

Fremantle supporters probably will argue that Dockers skipper Matthew Pavlich deserves to be higher. He is No.6, up one from last year.

Hawthorn midfielder Shaun Burgoyne is up from No.20 to No. 9, ahead of Adelaide’s Bernie Vince, the only Crow or Port Adelaide player in Fjeldstad’s top 10.

Top 25 Croweaters

1. Alan Didak …………………Collingwood
2. Brian Lake …………………Western Bulldogs
3. Adam Cooney ……………..Western Bulldogs
4. Bryce Gibbs ………………Carlton
5. Corey Enright …………….Geelong
6. Matthew Pavlich ………..Fremantle
7. Sam Fisher ………………..St Kilda
8. Ryan Griffen ………………Western Bulldogs
9. Shaun Burgoyne …………Hawthorn
10. Bernie Vince ……………Adelaide
11. Heath Grundy …………..Sydney
12. Mark Jamar …………….Melbourne
13. Andrew Mackie ………..Geelong
14. Kane Cornes …………….Port Adelaide
15. Nathan Bock …………….Gold Coast
16. Scott Thompson ……….Adelaide
17. Beau Waters ……………West Coast
18. Jack Trengove ………….Melbourne
19. Jordan Russell …………Carlton
20. Travis Varcoe …………..Geelong
21. Danyle Pearce ………….Port Adelaide
22. Graham Johncock …….Adelaide
23. Angus Monfries ………..Essendon
24. Dean Brogan ……………Port Adelaide
25. Jason Porplyzia ………..Adelaide