ALL THE ZING
HALF THE SUGAR NEW
ALCOHOLIC GINGER BEER
GETTING HIS KICKS BY STEVE BARRETT
It is no coincidence West Adelaide’s vastly-improved form in 2023 has arrived hand-in-hand with Callum Park producing his career-best SANFL season. The lithe, longstriding Bloods half-back heads the league leaderboards in kicks and disposals, while ranking equal first in the competition with team-mate Tom Morrish for rebound-50s and fourth in marks. Behind Park and Morrish’s attacking counterpunches from defence and Josh Ryan’s elite intercept marking and spoiling at full back – and with captain Kaiden Brand still to slot in – West’s defence has made huge steps forward this season. It is conceding 72 points per week – last year it was 97 points per game after 12 rounds. “A lot of the time we are under siege, so it’s good to have a back six or seven that’s really stable and reliable,” Park said. “We’re starting to form that trust good footy teams need defensively. Being a younger squad, it’s been my time to step up and lead the charge in terms of commanding the ball and moving it up the field. I’ve taken that responsibility on.” Park’s one-wood has always been his booming, lethal left leg. Almost 80 per cent of 22-year-old Park’s possessions are via foot, which is by design rather than accident. “My kick is probably my best asset, so I try to use that as best as possible,” said the multi-talented Park, also a gun junior baseball player – firstly as a pitcher then as a second baseman – who twice toured the US representing Australian teams. “Being a lighter frame, the areas where I’ve stood out are being able to kick and use my running ability to break lines and take the game on. Tom Morrish and I are probably the people whose hands the team wants the ball to be in. It’s been a bit of a trademark for both of us this year, our kicking exiting back-
50 and trying to find targets. Definitely my left-foot kicking has been the thing that sets me apart from others.” Originally zoned to Glenelg, Park kicked off his SANFL career at the Bay, making 22 league and 18 reserves appearances – including a premiership – with the Tigers from 2019-21. After switching to the Bloods – who he grew up barracking for – at the end of 2021, Park’s footy has flourished. “Coming to Westies seemed like a good fit where I might be able to develop, expand and play at a higher level, really consistently,” said Park, whose older brother Scott Bricknell played 100 games for the club from 2006-14. “This definitely has been my best (season).” Adam Hartlett, a long-time former team-mate of Bricknell in the red-
and-black, is running the show from West’s coaches’ box these days and is making a mighty decent fist of it. This season, Hartlett has regularly been able to extract the best out of Park and the resurgent Bloods. “Going into the rooms as a young fella, I was a bit scared going up to Harts because he was quite an aggressive player on the field,” Park recalled. “But I’ve known him for a long time now and we’ve got a really good relationship. When I was at Glenelg, my first year of seniors, he was there as well (Mark Stone’s assistant). “As a coach he’s passionate about developing the players into their best selves. The way he’s got this young group believing and buying into what we’re doing, it’s really exciting. And the possibilities are endless.” sanfl.com.au
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