As the SANFL home and away season nears a close, we're taking a look at the 10 best recruits who have joined the SANFL this season and the impact they have had on their new club.
A number of ex-AFL players, and one current one, feature in our list, as does an Eagles big man and a Tiger defender who were pulled out of retirement.
In no particular order, here are our 10 best SANFL recruits of the year.
As the raging Magarey Medal favourite and leader of most media awards to this point of the season, it is hard to go past Will Snelling as recruit of the year.
Returning to the SANFL after being delisted by Essendon at the end of last year, Snelling has been a superb recruit for Sturt, who beat his former club West Adelaide in getting his signature.
Having played mostly as a small forward at the Bombers, Snelling has slotted straight into the Double Blues midfield, adding speed and classy ball use to complement the likes of James Battersby and Tom Lewis.
Despite missing two games with personal issues earlier in the season, Snelling still ranks third in the competition for disposals and second for tackles, proving his value on both sides of the ball.
Across 13 games he has averaged nearly 30 disposals, seven clearances and 11 tackles, registering at least 20 touches and six tackles in every game this season.
Possessing both toughness and cleanliness with ball in hand, Snelling could be the difference that sees Sturt go one step further and claim the premiership in 2024.
With premiership midfielders Nik Rokahr and Matthew Nunn departing the Redlegs at the end of last season, Norwood went about finding quality replacements in the engine room.
One of their marquee signings was former Essendon VFL captain Billy Cootee, who has been a key component in Norwood's rise back into premiership contention.
Boasting terrific speed, agility and skill, Cootee has reinvigorated Norwood's midfield, adding polish and game-breaking bursts away from stoppage.
With lightning-quick hands and an acute ability to read the play around him, Cootee also holds his own in the clinches and often releases teammates into space to set up scoring opportunities.
Cootee's season was interrupted by a calf injury that saw him miss two games, which coincided with two of Norwood's three losses to this point of the season.
In 13 games Cootee has averaged 22 disposals, six tackles, three clearances and four inside 50s per game, demonstrating the balance in his game.
With Mitch O'Neill still stuck on the sidelines with an ankle injury that seemingly won't go away, Cootee will be a crucial figure as Norwood enter September action.
Unable to break into a strong Glenelg midfield that propelled the Tigers to last year's premiership triumph, Searle transferred to West Adelaide over the off-season in search of more opportunities.
Stepping into an inexperienced and developing midfield group, Searle has immediately assumed a major role in the Bloods' engine room, averaging 21 disposals, eight tackles and four clearances across 12 games.
Measuring in at 187cm and 90kg, Searle is doing much of the bullocking work at the stoppages, helping to ease the burden on emerging midfield guns Kobe Ryan and Sam Frost.
The inclusion of the big-bodied Searle has enabled West Adelaide's midfield brigade to start matching it with the best in the competition, which has been seen on numerous occasions this year.
Most notably, the Bloods' onballers took down their more fancied counterparts from Woodville-West Torrens and North Adelaide in devastating fashion earlier this year.
Searle was unsurprisingly prominent on both occasions, setting the tone with his desire to win first possession and make life difficult for his opponent.
More than anything else, it is this attitude and leadership that has made Searle such a crucial acquisition for a football club that is finally starting to emerge from years of darkness.
After falling short in last year's grand final against Glenelg, the Sturt hierarchy identified the need for a polished, damaging ball user to help them go one step better in 2024.
Former Essendon VFL-listed half-forward Sam Conforti is shaping as that player, adding a new dynamic to the Sturt outfit that could be the missing piece that lifts them to premiership glory.
Conforti has had an instant impact upon arriving at Unley Oval, with his speed, creativity and sharp ball use creating serious headaches for the opposition.
The 21-year-old has stood out with his ability to either find the goals himself or set up scoring opportunities for others, ensuring Sturt's good work goes on the scoreboard.
He is a classic maximum-impact player and only needs a handful of disposals to break a game open.
This was on full display in Sturt's Round 9 win over Norwood, kicking two quick goals early in the last quarter, including a miraculous snap from deep in the pocket, that squashed the Redlegs' hopes of victory.
Conforti has also shown his versatility in playing numerous positions across the season whenever the circumstances have required it, spending time as a small forward, wingman and midfielder at different stages.
Averaging 14 disposals, four marks, three tackles, three inside 50s and a goal per game, Conforti has a well-rounded game that makes him hard to stop.
With his infectious energy and ability to turn a game on its head in an instant, Conforti looks made for September and could be the spark for a premiership assault.
Recruited from Port Melbourne in the VFL, Gasper is one of several shrewd off-season recruits that have helped lift Central District into top-three contention this season.
With 26 goals from just 12 games, Gasper currently sits fifth in the Ken Farmer Medal race and is the leading small forward on the list.
The 24-year-old has hit the scoreboard in all but one match this season and kicked multiple goals in eight of 12 games.
Importantly, he has provided another avenue to goal and reduced the reliance on three-time leading goalkicker Aiden Grace.
Measuring in at 184cm and possessing blistering speed and agility, Gasper has proved a difficult matchup and is lethal when the ball is in his area.
With tremendous goal sense and one-on-one ability, Gasper is a game-breaking player capable of turning a match on its head.
This was no more evident than in the Bulldogs' Round 3 win over South Adelaide, in which he kicked four first-quarter goals to completely seize the momentum.
With ruckmen David Brinker-Ritchie and David Sladojevic both sidelined with long-term injuries for the 2024 season, Woodville-West Torrens talked triple-premiership big man Jarrad Redden out of retirement for one more campaign.
After hanging up the boots at Woodville Oval in 2022, Redden spent the 2023 season playing for Southern Eagles on the Yorke Peninsula before receiving the call-up from coach Sam Jacobs.
In a remarkable return to league football, Redden has missed only two games and picked up where he left off as one of the competition's best ruckmen.
Averaging 32 hitouts and three clearances per game, Redden has carried the ruck division superbly and been an important presence at stoppages.
Now aged 33 as the oldest ruckman in the competition, Redden is using all his strength and experience to his advantage, ranking third in the league for hitouts and providing excellent service to his midfielders.
While the Eagles' finals place is still in doubt, Redden's experience on the big stage and ability to give first use to his midfielders will be invaluable if they do see September action.
Morris returned home to Woodville-West Torrens this year after four seasons on Hawthorn's AFL list in which he played 15 games.
Recruited to the Hawks as a medium-sized forward in his under-18 year, Morris played mostly in defence at Hawthorn and slotted straight into the backline upon his return to Oval Avenue.
The 187cm half-back has been an important presence down back for the Eagles, providing plenty of drive out of defence with his creativity and attacking ball use.
Morris can turn defence into attack in an instant, catching out opposition defences with his ability to take the game on and make good decisions with ball in hand.
Averaging nearly 20 disposals, five rebound 50s and five marks per game, Morris has been integral in the Eagles' new-found attacking ball movement that was so prominent early in the year.
As well as finding plenty of the ball, Morris is a terrific aerialist and reader of the play, allowing him to float across as a spare man and take saving intercept marks.
Additionally, he can push further up the ground and use his foot skills to deliver the ball inside 50, which he has done on several occasions this year.
Burgess was traded onto the Crows' AFL list at the end of last season after five years with the Gold Coast Suns, where he received limited opportunities in the senior team.
The 193cm utility has again spent significant time at state league level, playing eight SANFL matches and proving a valuable pick-up.
Stationed mostly in attack, Burgess has kicked 19 goals to sit equal with Lachie Gollant as the team's leading goalkicker so far this year.
The 29-year-old has stood out with his strong contested marking, averaging three per game to sit fourth in the competition despite missing seven games with AFL duties.
He has been crucial as a key marking target both inside 50 and further up the ground, serving as a bail-out option for defenders exiting the backline under pressure.
Playing mostly as a key defender in his previous SANFL stint with West Adelaide, Burgess has on several occasions pushed into defence to provide extra support when needed.
His addition has also helped ease the load on younger key forwards Gollant and Toby Murray, allowing the Crows much greater flexibility with their forward set-up.
Burgess' state league level dominance is not new either, with the former Suns sharpshooter claiming the past two Jim 'Frosty' Miller Medals as the VFL's leading goalkicker.
After being delisted by Essendon at the end of last season, Montgomerie started the 2024 campaign with Footscray in the VFL before returning home to his junior club in May in search of more opportunities.
The versatile defender has played every game since and has been an inspired acquisition by Central District in their quest for a top-three berth.
In his nine games back at SANFL level, Montgomerie has averaged 15 disposals, seven marks and three rebound 50s, slotting seamlessly into the Bulldogs' backline.
He has been a major presence with his intercept marking, using his innate ability to read the play to patrol the defence and cut off opposition attacks.
Measuring in at 190cm, Montgomerie can play on a variety of opponents and is more than comfortable in one-on-one contests.
A penetrating kick and good decision-maker, Montgomerie has been key in kick-starting much of the Bulldogs' ball movement out of defence.
In addition to his own performance, Montgomerie's inclusion has added crucial depth and experience to the Bulldogs' defence, giving them a healthy array of key defenders to alter match-ups if needed.
After losing key defender Toby Pink to North Melbourne and premiership skipper Max Proud to retirement (albeit briefly) following last year's flag triumph, the Tigers went about shoring up their backline ahead of the premiership defence.
In the process, Glenelg enticed 2019 premiership captain Chris Curran out of retirement, having hung up the boots at the end of 2021.
The 33-year-old has not missed a beat upon his return, playing 14 of 15 games and looking as energetic and determined as ever.
Starting the year in his usual defensive post, Curran has moved onto the wing in recent weeks and thrived in his new role, using all his experience to out-point his opponent.
Averaging 19 disposals, seven marks and three rebound 50s across the season, Curran has excellently combined his composed ball use and defensive intent.
Above all else, he has provided another experienced head and crucial versatility that allows him to shift roles whenever the team needs him to.
Standing at 189cm, Curran is well-suited to playing on small and tall opponents, making him a difficult matchup with his aerial strength and agility at ground level.
Having stood tall on the biggest stage of all in years gone by, Curran will be a valuable commodity for the Tigers come September as they look to defend their crown.