- May 8, 2001
- 5,694
- 868
- AFL Club
- Adelaide
- Other Teams
- CDFC (SANFL), Port Melb (VFL)
Hi Footy fans...
We're closer than ever now, next weekend marks the end of the minor round and is the absolute very last chance prior to the commencement of the 2024 SANFL Finals Series. We already know four of the participants and we still had the Redlegs on top with the Blues nipping at their heels for the minor premiership, while there was also a big possibility for the Bulldogs to snatch the prized double chance spot from the defending premiers of Glenelg. Still on that knife's edge in fifth position was the Eagles, who had a shocking outing at the Magpies' nest. Coming ever closer to their spot were the Crows and the Roosters, the former cutting that last thread in the Bloods' finals hopes while North handed the Bulldogs their chance at third with their triumph over the wayward Tigers. The weekend would be overshadowed only by the Saturday night Showdown at Adelaide Oval and the weather during the day for some wasn't the best, but there was one grandstand finish that would set up this season's climax and with no AFL games in town next week, here's hoping for some good numbers to finish the regular season. One more round, my fellow SA footy-heads.
Welcome to the Round 18 edition of the SANFL Wrap-Up.
The fun and games began with some Friday Night Mayhem, we're off to the Coopers Stadium in Norwood for a neighbourly dispute between the Redlegs and the Roosters. Back in Round 5 at Prospect, the Redlegs only just outlasted the Roosters in their eight-point victory. The 'Legs had a 22-point quarter-time lead slashed back to 10 at the long break and it only stayed that way at the final change thanks to a horrid third period in front of goal from North. The Roosters squandered the chance to take the 'W' with just one goal from three scoring shots in the last term, with Norwood's solitary major in added time proving the killer blow. The Redlegs were large and in charge against South last week in their 55-point win, while the Roosters' surprise win over the Tigers seemingly had them in with a chance here at The Parade. They were up for the challenge initially, locking up the scores at 4.2 each with the last goal of the opening term. But then the Redlegs booted 5.2 over the course of 19 minutes, the Roosters scoring four behinds before finally finding the goal at the end of the half as Norwood took a 22-point lead into the rooms. Early spoiler, there was not going to be a way back for the Roosters after this and by the end of the night, it would be their own chances at fifth spot that would take a massive hit. When play resumed the Redlegs would blow the gap out to 61 points going into the final change, ramming through a further 7.4 to the Roosters' lowly 1.1. The home side didn't need to do too much else now, the Roosters only able to shave a single kick off the final margin, ending their horrid night with a three to two goal last quarter. The Redlegs would need to have a horrid final round to lose the minor premiership now, winning by 55 points. Harry Boyd is very likely a contender for this year's Magarey Medal, named best afield for the Redlegs with 44 hitouts, 26 disposals and 14 clearances. The Roosters named Ewan Mackinlay as their standout with 12 disposals, eight tackles and two goals.
Now it's onto the traditional Saturday afternoon timeslot, we're now off to the northern suburbs and into the X-Convenience Oval in Elizabeth for the contest between fourth and third, the Bulldogs taking on the Tigers. The Bulldogs blew some cruicial chances in the final term out at Brighton Road back in Round 8 as the reigning premiers outlasted the challenge to win by seven points. This was around the time of the year where the Bulldogs' early season form seemed to desert them. They had actually taken the lead by three quarter-time, but then were held goal-less in the finish as the Bays eventually took the win. The Tigers were brought back to earth with a thud last week, their win against Norwood quickly forgotten in a shock loss to North, while the Doggies' Unley hoodoo continued with a 34-point loss. The clouds gathered over the top of the Ponderosa and while it wasn't torrential, the rain would make ball-handling quite difficult for the long bombers and also impairing attacking forays. The Bulldogs wouldn't find their way through the big sticks for the entire first half of the game, adding to their frustrations was the free kick count well in the Tigers' favour in that opening half. Centrals would get just three behinds in the opening term to the Tigers' 2.3, a two-goal lead to the premiers at quarter-time. Glenelg added another couple of majors in the second, their lead now out to 23 points come half-time when you count the missed shots from both sides. But then the unthinkable happened in the second half as the rainfall slowed, the Bulldogs were now fully awake as they brought the visitors lead back to just two kicks. The Tigers were now the ones copping the free kick penalties, the Dogs kicking 3.3 to 1.1 to bring the gap back to nine points at the final change. The Bulldogs bracketed the Tigers' opening two behinds of the final term with two goals, taking the lead for the first time since the first minor score of the opening term. It would become a nail-biting finish as the Dogs' last goal was answered with a Glenelg goal and behind which tied the scores prior to added time. But then a late behind by the Dogs would end up being the winning score, the home faithful erupting as Centrals took third spot with the narrowest of victories. Harry Grant was named best for the Bulldogs with 21 disposals, 12 tackles and nine clearances, while the Tigers had Ben Ridgeway as their best with 25 disposals, eight clearances along with five marks and tackles.
The third match for the round takes us from the upper north to the lower south and into the Flinders University Stadium in Noarlunga where the Panthers hosted the Eagles. The Eagles only just escaped the clutches of the blue & whites in their last contest back in Round 6 at Woodville, winning by five points. A wasteful third quarter from the Eagles kept the Panthers very much in touch, kicking 2.5 to South's 3.1. The Panthers had actually taken the lead in the final term at around nine minutes, but with the last goal of the game and tense defending, the Eagles emerged with the victory. The Eagles were still in a precarious position on the ladder with two teams within strike and their loss to Port last week made it a three-way for fifth. South are now just playing for pride and to avoid the dreaded spoon, still hovering above said spot despite a defeat at The Parade. The Eagles dominated most of the opening term but inaccuracy on goal allowed the Panthers to reel a three-kick gap back to just one by quarter-time with the board reading 2.4 to 2.2. They sprayed even more chances wide in the second quarter, putting three minor scores on the board before finally getting one of their two goals for the term. Along with a couple more minor scores and restricting South to just 1.3, their lead was stretched to 10 points by the half-time break. However when play resumed in the second half, the Eagles came out with a renewed vigour, something not seen since Round 10. Their run of seven straight losses was about to come to an end, beginning with the first three majors of the third quarter. They could have been ahead by seven goals at the final change if not for two late missed chances. It was a 32-point advantage to the visitors after they kicked 5.5 to the Panthers' 2.1. They weren't finished there though, their accuracy improving in the final term to ram through eight goals to four. In the end the Eagles would win by 57 points and not a moment too soon with a pending clash with the Redlegs next week. James Rowe kicked four goals in his best afield efforts for the Eagles, with 29 disposals, eight marks, seven clearances and six tackles. South named Kobe Mutch as their best with 22 disposals and 11 tackles.
Game number four takes us over to the inner western side of Adelaide and into the Hisense Stadium in Richmond where the Bloods faced the Double Blues. Its been a long time since the Bloods took food off the Blues' table, a run of 17 straight defeats dating back to early 2016 all the way up to Round 12 of this year when they lost by 45 points at Oxford Terrace. The Blues are on a hot streak, their win against the Dogs last week adding another chapter of dominance over an individual club, plus they were closing in on a feat not done since 1978 with a dozen straight wins at hand today. The Bloods are now just playing for whatever pride is left, their finals chances done and dusted after a heavy defeat against Adelaide. Westies appeared up for the challenge early on, the weather likely helped their cause at the time and their defenders were holding the Blues at bay only up until the cusp of time on. Both sides kicked a goal each within minutes of each other, the Bloods putting three chances wide to the Blues single minor score to lead by two points at quarter-time. The Blues kicked a trio of goals over four minutes, bracketed by a pair of behinds before the Bloods got two goals of their own. A chance to make it a two-goal deficit at half's end didn't find the mark, the minor score putting the gap at seven points at the long break. From there however, the Blues' class shone through while the inaccuracy bug landed in the red & black camp. Westies could only manage 1.3 while the Blues kicked 5.1, which included yet another early three-goal burst much like the second quarter. At the final change the Blues were out to a 28-point lead. The Bloods finished with little more than a whimper in the final term, kicking just one behind after 17 minutes. The winning margin could have been much, much worse if the Blues' time-on peppering of their goal found more of the big sticks, scoring 4.6 to run out 57-point victors. With that, Sturt also closed the ladder gap between themselves and the 'Legs, less than half a percent with one last game remaining. Tom Lewis was the bruiserweight for the Blues, racking up 26 disposals, 18 tackles and five clearances as their best afield. Sam Frost was the Bloods' standout with 36 disposals, 10 clearances and eight tackles.
The final match for the weekend takes us to the city itself and to the league headquarters of Adelaide Oval for the mini-Showdown between the Magpies and the Crows. Their last outing back in Round 5 saw the Crows inflict a 41-point defeat on the 'Pies, a win built on an 11 goal to three first half. You'd be forgiven for thinking the Crows decided to toy with the Magpies in the second half, though Port's accuracy would allow the Crows to cruise away with the win. The Magpies' win last week against the Eagles at Alberton last week did nothing to improve their standing on the league ladder, still behind the Panthers by percentage only. The Crows' victory at Richmond put them ever closer to the five, only in seventh position by percentage and sharing points with North and the Eagles. The Magpies should have done better in the opening term, the same could be said for Adelaide as well. They both skewed their fair share of chances, the Magpies leading at the first change with the board reading 3.3 to 2.4. But then half-way through the second term, the Crows hit their stride and would never look back. Port kicked three behinds to 1.1, then Adelaide kicked to a four-goal half-time lead with theri additional 4.1. It didn't feel like a Magpies home game at all after this and their quest to avoid the wooden spoon was to be dealt a massive blow. Their third term was just woeful, kicking just 1.2 while the Crows just ran with it, by the final change their lead had ballooned to nine goals even after kicking 6.2. Of course they weren't done, though the seniors would go on to lose the main event the chance to deal out some measure of pain to their arch-rival wasn't going to be passed up. Adelaide served up a repeat dose of 6.2 in the final term, Port kicked just 2.3 as they eventually went down by 77 points. Jay Boyle was Adelaide's pressure man and their best afield with 24 disposals, 16 tackles and seven clearances. The Magpies named Will Lorenz as their best with 27 disposals, 12 tackles and eight clearances.
FINAL SCORES IN ROUND 18 OF THE SANFL...
Friday August 16
Norwood 18.10 (118)
North Adelaide 9.9 (63)
2,311 @ Coopers Stadium, Norwood
Saturday August 17
Central District 6.9 (45)
Glenelg 6.8 (44)
1,458 @ X-Convenience Oval, Elizabeth
Woodville-West Torrens 17.16 (118)
South Adelaide 9.7 (61)
832 @ Flinders University Stadium, Noarlunga
Sturt 13.11 (89)
West Adelaide 4.8 (32)
1,486 @ Hisense Stadium, Richmond
Adelaide 19.10 (124)
Port Adelaide 6.11 (47)
Adelaide Oval -- AFL curtain raiser
INJURIES
Norwood -- Hamilton (ankle)
North -- Combe (head), Ryan, Tasker (ankle)
Glenelg -- Rossman (shoulder), Scannell (hip), Carmody (foot)
W-WT -- Angove (hamstring)
Sturt -- Slade (concussion)
West -- Gore (hamstring), McCormick (foot), Hutton (ankle)
Port -- Moss (concussion)
REPORTS
W-WT -- Firns (rough conduct)
South -- Bradley (rough conduct)
LEAGUE LADDER
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Norwood -- 28pts (14-3-0), 60.3%
Sturt -- 28pts (14-3-0), 60.1%
Central -- 22pts (11-6-0), 51.2%
Glenelg -- 20pts (10-7-0), 52.5%
W-WT -- 16pts (8-9-0), 53.4%
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Adelaide -- 16pts (8-9-0), 49.8%
North -- 14pts (7-10-0), 47.8%
West -- 10pts (5-12-0), 43.4%
South -- 8pts (4-13-0), 42.7%
Port -- 8pts (4-13-0), 41.1%
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Next weekend in Round 19... the finish line is in sight, the major round beckons!
Saturday August 24 @ 2:10pm
Glenelg vs. South Adelaide; Stratarama Stadium, Glenelg
Central District vs. Port Adelaide; X-Convenience Oval, Elizabeth
Woodville-West Torrens vs. Norwood; Maughan Thiem Kia Oval, Woodville
North Adelaide vs. West Adelaide; Prospect Oval
Sturt vs. Adelaide; Thomas Farms Oval, Unley
So until next weekend... see you at the Footy!
We're closer than ever now, next weekend marks the end of the minor round and is the absolute very last chance prior to the commencement of the 2024 SANFL Finals Series. We already know four of the participants and we still had the Redlegs on top with the Blues nipping at their heels for the minor premiership, while there was also a big possibility for the Bulldogs to snatch the prized double chance spot from the defending premiers of Glenelg. Still on that knife's edge in fifth position was the Eagles, who had a shocking outing at the Magpies' nest. Coming ever closer to their spot were the Crows and the Roosters, the former cutting that last thread in the Bloods' finals hopes while North handed the Bulldogs their chance at third with their triumph over the wayward Tigers. The weekend would be overshadowed only by the Saturday night Showdown at Adelaide Oval and the weather during the day for some wasn't the best, but there was one grandstand finish that would set up this season's climax and with no AFL games in town next week, here's hoping for some good numbers to finish the regular season. One more round, my fellow SA footy-heads.
Welcome to the Round 18 edition of the SANFL Wrap-Up.
The fun and games began with some Friday Night Mayhem, we're off to the Coopers Stadium in Norwood for a neighbourly dispute between the Redlegs and the Roosters. Back in Round 5 at Prospect, the Redlegs only just outlasted the Roosters in their eight-point victory. The 'Legs had a 22-point quarter-time lead slashed back to 10 at the long break and it only stayed that way at the final change thanks to a horrid third period in front of goal from North. The Roosters squandered the chance to take the 'W' with just one goal from three scoring shots in the last term, with Norwood's solitary major in added time proving the killer blow. The Redlegs were large and in charge against South last week in their 55-point win, while the Roosters' surprise win over the Tigers seemingly had them in with a chance here at The Parade. They were up for the challenge initially, locking up the scores at 4.2 each with the last goal of the opening term. But then the Redlegs booted 5.2 over the course of 19 minutes, the Roosters scoring four behinds before finally finding the goal at the end of the half as Norwood took a 22-point lead into the rooms. Early spoiler, there was not going to be a way back for the Roosters after this and by the end of the night, it would be their own chances at fifth spot that would take a massive hit. When play resumed the Redlegs would blow the gap out to 61 points going into the final change, ramming through a further 7.4 to the Roosters' lowly 1.1. The home side didn't need to do too much else now, the Roosters only able to shave a single kick off the final margin, ending their horrid night with a three to two goal last quarter. The Redlegs would need to have a horrid final round to lose the minor premiership now, winning by 55 points. Harry Boyd is very likely a contender for this year's Magarey Medal, named best afield for the Redlegs with 44 hitouts, 26 disposals and 14 clearances. The Roosters named Ewan Mackinlay as their standout with 12 disposals, eight tackles and two goals.
Now it's onto the traditional Saturday afternoon timeslot, we're now off to the northern suburbs and into the X-Convenience Oval in Elizabeth for the contest between fourth and third, the Bulldogs taking on the Tigers. The Bulldogs blew some cruicial chances in the final term out at Brighton Road back in Round 8 as the reigning premiers outlasted the challenge to win by seven points. This was around the time of the year where the Bulldogs' early season form seemed to desert them. They had actually taken the lead by three quarter-time, but then were held goal-less in the finish as the Bays eventually took the win. The Tigers were brought back to earth with a thud last week, their win against Norwood quickly forgotten in a shock loss to North, while the Doggies' Unley hoodoo continued with a 34-point loss. The clouds gathered over the top of the Ponderosa and while it wasn't torrential, the rain would make ball-handling quite difficult for the long bombers and also impairing attacking forays. The Bulldogs wouldn't find their way through the big sticks for the entire first half of the game, adding to their frustrations was the free kick count well in the Tigers' favour in that opening half. Centrals would get just three behinds in the opening term to the Tigers' 2.3, a two-goal lead to the premiers at quarter-time. Glenelg added another couple of majors in the second, their lead now out to 23 points come half-time when you count the missed shots from both sides. But then the unthinkable happened in the second half as the rainfall slowed, the Bulldogs were now fully awake as they brought the visitors lead back to just two kicks. The Tigers were now the ones copping the free kick penalties, the Dogs kicking 3.3 to 1.1 to bring the gap back to nine points at the final change. The Bulldogs bracketed the Tigers' opening two behinds of the final term with two goals, taking the lead for the first time since the first minor score of the opening term. It would become a nail-biting finish as the Dogs' last goal was answered with a Glenelg goal and behind which tied the scores prior to added time. But then a late behind by the Dogs would end up being the winning score, the home faithful erupting as Centrals took third spot with the narrowest of victories. Harry Grant was named best for the Bulldogs with 21 disposals, 12 tackles and nine clearances, while the Tigers had Ben Ridgeway as their best with 25 disposals, eight clearances along with five marks and tackles.
The third match for the round takes us from the upper north to the lower south and into the Flinders University Stadium in Noarlunga where the Panthers hosted the Eagles. The Eagles only just escaped the clutches of the blue & whites in their last contest back in Round 6 at Woodville, winning by five points. A wasteful third quarter from the Eagles kept the Panthers very much in touch, kicking 2.5 to South's 3.1. The Panthers had actually taken the lead in the final term at around nine minutes, but with the last goal of the game and tense defending, the Eagles emerged with the victory. The Eagles were still in a precarious position on the ladder with two teams within strike and their loss to Port last week made it a three-way for fifth. South are now just playing for pride and to avoid the dreaded spoon, still hovering above said spot despite a defeat at The Parade. The Eagles dominated most of the opening term but inaccuracy on goal allowed the Panthers to reel a three-kick gap back to just one by quarter-time with the board reading 2.4 to 2.2. They sprayed even more chances wide in the second quarter, putting three minor scores on the board before finally getting one of their two goals for the term. Along with a couple more minor scores and restricting South to just 1.3, their lead was stretched to 10 points by the half-time break. However when play resumed in the second half, the Eagles came out with a renewed vigour, something not seen since Round 10. Their run of seven straight losses was about to come to an end, beginning with the first three majors of the third quarter. They could have been ahead by seven goals at the final change if not for two late missed chances. It was a 32-point advantage to the visitors after they kicked 5.5 to the Panthers' 2.1. They weren't finished there though, their accuracy improving in the final term to ram through eight goals to four. In the end the Eagles would win by 57 points and not a moment too soon with a pending clash with the Redlegs next week. James Rowe kicked four goals in his best afield efforts for the Eagles, with 29 disposals, eight marks, seven clearances and six tackles. South named Kobe Mutch as their best with 22 disposals and 11 tackles.
Game number four takes us over to the inner western side of Adelaide and into the Hisense Stadium in Richmond where the Bloods faced the Double Blues. Its been a long time since the Bloods took food off the Blues' table, a run of 17 straight defeats dating back to early 2016 all the way up to Round 12 of this year when they lost by 45 points at Oxford Terrace. The Blues are on a hot streak, their win against the Dogs last week adding another chapter of dominance over an individual club, plus they were closing in on a feat not done since 1978 with a dozen straight wins at hand today. The Bloods are now just playing for whatever pride is left, their finals chances done and dusted after a heavy defeat against Adelaide. Westies appeared up for the challenge early on, the weather likely helped their cause at the time and their defenders were holding the Blues at bay only up until the cusp of time on. Both sides kicked a goal each within minutes of each other, the Bloods putting three chances wide to the Blues single minor score to lead by two points at quarter-time. The Blues kicked a trio of goals over four minutes, bracketed by a pair of behinds before the Bloods got two goals of their own. A chance to make it a two-goal deficit at half's end didn't find the mark, the minor score putting the gap at seven points at the long break. From there however, the Blues' class shone through while the inaccuracy bug landed in the red & black camp. Westies could only manage 1.3 while the Blues kicked 5.1, which included yet another early three-goal burst much like the second quarter. At the final change the Blues were out to a 28-point lead. The Bloods finished with little more than a whimper in the final term, kicking just one behind after 17 minutes. The winning margin could have been much, much worse if the Blues' time-on peppering of their goal found more of the big sticks, scoring 4.6 to run out 57-point victors. With that, Sturt also closed the ladder gap between themselves and the 'Legs, less than half a percent with one last game remaining. Tom Lewis was the bruiserweight for the Blues, racking up 26 disposals, 18 tackles and five clearances as their best afield. Sam Frost was the Bloods' standout with 36 disposals, 10 clearances and eight tackles.
The final match for the weekend takes us to the city itself and to the league headquarters of Adelaide Oval for the mini-Showdown between the Magpies and the Crows. Their last outing back in Round 5 saw the Crows inflict a 41-point defeat on the 'Pies, a win built on an 11 goal to three first half. You'd be forgiven for thinking the Crows decided to toy with the Magpies in the second half, though Port's accuracy would allow the Crows to cruise away with the win. The Magpies' win last week against the Eagles at Alberton last week did nothing to improve their standing on the league ladder, still behind the Panthers by percentage only. The Crows' victory at Richmond put them ever closer to the five, only in seventh position by percentage and sharing points with North and the Eagles. The Magpies should have done better in the opening term, the same could be said for Adelaide as well. They both skewed their fair share of chances, the Magpies leading at the first change with the board reading 3.3 to 2.4. But then half-way through the second term, the Crows hit their stride and would never look back. Port kicked three behinds to 1.1, then Adelaide kicked to a four-goal half-time lead with theri additional 4.1. It didn't feel like a Magpies home game at all after this and their quest to avoid the wooden spoon was to be dealt a massive blow. Their third term was just woeful, kicking just 1.2 while the Crows just ran with it, by the final change their lead had ballooned to nine goals even after kicking 6.2. Of course they weren't done, though the seniors would go on to lose the main event the chance to deal out some measure of pain to their arch-rival wasn't going to be passed up. Adelaide served up a repeat dose of 6.2 in the final term, Port kicked just 2.3 as they eventually went down by 77 points. Jay Boyle was Adelaide's pressure man and their best afield with 24 disposals, 16 tackles and seven clearances. The Magpies named Will Lorenz as their best with 27 disposals, 12 tackles and eight clearances.
FINAL SCORES IN ROUND 18 OF THE SANFL...
Friday August 16
Norwood 18.10 (118)
North Adelaide 9.9 (63)
2,311 @ Coopers Stadium, Norwood
Saturday August 17
Central District 6.9 (45)
Glenelg 6.8 (44)
1,458 @ X-Convenience Oval, Elizabeth
Woodville-West Torrens 17.16 (118)
South Adelaide 9.7 (61)
832 @ Flinders University Stadium, Noarlunga
Sturt 13.11 (89)
West Adelaide 4.8 (32)
1,486 @ Hisense Stadium, Richmond
Adelaide 19.10 (124)
Port Adelaide 6.11 (47)
Adelaide Oval -- AFL curtain raiser
INJURIES
Norwood -- Hamilton (ankle)
North -- Combe (head), Ryan, Tasker (ankle)
Glenelg -- Rossman (shoulder), Scannell (hip), Carmody (foot)
W-WT -- Angove (hamstring)
Sturt -- Slade (concussion)
West -- Gore (hamstring), McCormick (foot), Hutton (ankle)
Port -- Moss (concussion)
REPORTS
W-WT -- Firns (rough conduct)
South -- Bradley (rough conduct)
LEAGUE LADDER
-------------------------------------------------------
Norwood -- 28pts (14-3-0), 60.3%
Sturt -- 28pts (14-3-0), 60.1%
Central -- 22pts (11-6-0), 51.2%
Glenelg -- 20pts (10-7-0), 52.5%
W-WT -- 16pts (8-9-0), 53.4%
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Adelaide -- 16pts (8-9-0), 49.8%
North -- 14pts (7-10-0), 47.8%
West -- 10pts (5-12-0), 43.4%
South -- 8pts (4-13-0), 42.7%
Port -- 8pts (4-13-0), 41.1%
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Next weekend in Round 19... the finish line is in sight, the major round beckons!
Saturday August 24 @ 2:10pm
Glenelg vs. South Adelaide; Stratarama Stadium, Glenelg
Central District vs. Port Adelaide; X-Convenience Oval, Elizabeth
Woodville-West Torrens vs. Norwood; Maughan Thiem Kia Oval, Woodville
North Adelaide vs. West Adelaide; Prospect Oval
Sturt vs. Adelaide; Thomas Farms Oval, Unley
So until next weekend... see you at the Footy!
