Panthers Sign Tom Fields and Codey Ellison

South Adelaide Football Club are delighted to announce that Tom Fields will be re-joining the Panthers and to have also landed heavily recruited forward/ruckman Codey Ellison for season 2016.

Booming left-footer Fields is set to return to South's backline after spending 2015 on Carlton's rookie list. Fields was taken with pick 41 of the 2015 Rookie Draft and played two senior AFL games for the Blues before being delisted at the end of the season.Panthers fans will remember Fields from his 35 game stint in Noarlunga from 2013-14 and his raking left boot will be a welcome addition to Brad Gotch's defence.

Gotch said Fields was drawn back to Noarlunga by a sense of unfinished business as part of the Panthers team that fell just short of a Grand Final appearance in 2014.

"Tom wants to come back to us because he can see we're progressing well as a club and he wants to finish what he started a couple years ago," said Gotch.

"Hopefully we can have some success. That'd be his main aim coming back."

Gotch is also excited by the versatility Fields will add to South's backline in 2016.

"He'll add a lot in defence for us because not only is he a raking left foot, he also has the ability to play on a variety of forwards," Gotch explained.

"He can play small, medium or tall and he wants to grow to become more of a running defender.

"We've got lots of guys vying for that first, second and third tall position in defence, which might free Tom up to be a bit more attacking."

As for that thunderous left boot, Gotch could not help but smile when describe what sort of weapon Fields can be coming out of defence.

"You look back at some of his kicks from past years and he's kicking it all the way to the middle of the ground!" Gotch said with a grin.

Joining Fields at South Adelaide next season is forward/ruckman Codey Ellison.

The Panthers are hoping the 199cm 22-year-old can join the likes of Keegan Brooksby, Daniel Bass and Dean Brogan as another basketball convert to excel at the stoppages at Hickinbotham Oval.

Ellison caught Gotch's eye after enjoying a strong season with Reynella in the Southern Football League. Ellison was courted by a number of SANFL clubs following a standout SFL Grand Final performance in which he kicked three goals in what many thought was a best on ground display.

"When I watched him play last season I was really impressed with what I saw," said Gotch.

"He seems to have a lot of upside to his game.

"He's probably a little bit raw because he's only played one season of competitive football, but he's got athleticism, he's tall, he can play forward or ruck, he's got a good attitude and he's eager to learn and put in the work.

Hickinbotham Oval will be a welcome arena for Ellison. His standout Grand Final display for the Wineflies was played on the very turf he'll call home in 2016.

Tom Fields

Age: 22

Height: 192cm

Weight: 93kg

Playing Career:

• South Adelaide Panthers (2013-2014) 35 games, 1 goal
• Carlton (2015) 2 games

Codey Ellison

Age: 22

Height: 199cm

Playing Career:

• Reynella (2015) 19 games, 14 goals