- May 8, 2001
- 5,694
- 868
- AFL Club
- Adelaide
- Other Teams
- CDFC (SANFL), Port Melb (VFL)
Hi Footy fans...
The home and away portion of the 2024 SANFL premiership season is at a close and for five teams it's back to the drawing board, at least at the league level. For some it will go on at other levels, perhaps that will form part of their preparations ahead of the 2025 season. Next weekend, we will see one by one who will join those five as the Hostplus League Finals Series kick off at the home of football in South Australia, the Adelaide Oval. There was still a big possibility of changes to the overall make-up of the top-five however, the Eagles still no guarantee of being in finals at all. Before this weekend's action went down, the Crows had the best chance of usurping their position. The Roosters had a realistic chance as well with their last game of the year being at home against the Bloods as compared to Adelaide outing to Unley. There was also the question of whether or not the lowly pair of the Panthers and the Magpies could serve some upsets in their final games for the year and as a result, change the look of the Qualifying Final. And speaking of the two cellar dwellers... who would finish up with the dreaded spoon? Read on.
Welcome to the Round 19 edition of the SANFL Wrap-Up.
All five games would be played out at the same time on Saturday afternoon, the first of which takes us to Stratarama Stadium in Glenelg for the "Clash of the Cats" between the Tigers and the Panthers. It took until the final term for the Bays to shake of the persistent Panthers back in Round 5 at Noarlunga, winning by 27 points. The reigning premiers had one of their dirtiest days in front of goal, kicking nine goals from 25 scoring shots. Four of those goals in the final term were what saved their hides. Last weekend the Tigers dropped their guard in the wet at the Ponderosa, going down by a point and dropping to fourth after leading by four kicks at half-time. The Panthers were competitive only up to half-time against the Eagles before going down by 57 points. The Tigers' chances of regaining third spot were not that great, given that their conquerors were facing bottom-placed Port Adelaide. But ahead of an Elimination Final they needed to make an example and that is exactly what the reigning premiers did. It didn't happen straight away, though the Panthers' wasteful opening term return of four behinds would allow the Tigers to hold a four-kick lead at quarter-time with their tally of 4.3. The Bays had a turn with the inaccuracy bug in the second term, the Panthers actually cut the gap back to two straight kicks early into it before the home side had a sequence goals and behinds -- one after the other -- that put them out to almost eight goals up at the break. Glenelg scored all up 5.7 to 2.1, a 47-point advantage going into the break. And then the real punishment would begin. The Tigers rammed through seven goals before the visitors scored their only major for the third term, the lead getting as high as 15 goals even well into time-on. It could have been well over 110 points if not more a few missed shots from the Tigers, with missed shots counted the deficit would be 82 points at three quarter-time. The gap would indeed reach three-digit figures in the end, South's season ending in a whimper with a single behind in the final quarter while the Tigers added a further 5.7 to win by a 118 points and retain the Carey-Darley Cup. Matt Allen was Glenelg's best on ground with 30 disposals, 14 marks and seven clearances and took out the Schneebichler Medal while for the Panthers it was Kobe Mutch with 25 disposals plus six marks and clearances. At the time of the final siren, the Panthers still had a marginal percentage over the Magpies.
Which brings us to the second match of the weekend that took place in the outer north of Adelaide at the X-Convenience Oval in Elizabeth where the Bulldogs took on the Magpies. Their last encounter back in Round 12 could be considered a lost opportunity for the Magpies, given that they had kept the Dogs goal-less in the opening term at Alberton but only managed 1.3 at the same time. The Dogs finally found the big sticks in the second and then returned the goal-less favour in the third, kicking six majors unanswered and ultimately winning by 25 points. The Bulldogs' victory last week would be vital going into finals, their one-point win against Glenelg their first against top-three sides. The Magpies on the other hand were hoping to avoid a fate not suffered since the end of the 19th century, a last-placed finish. The Crows brought them one step closer to said eventuality, handing them a 77-point belting. For the local faithful, it couldn't get any better than this against their most hated enemy, the chance to hammer the last nail in. The opening term was frustrating for the Dogs, despite taking a 14-point lead at the first change after having scored 4.9 to the Magpies' 3.1. But the accuracy improved good and proper in the second as the Magpies wouldn't get another goal for over an hour of football. They managed just one behind, the Dogs kicking six unanswered goals to go into the rooms with a 49-point lead at the long break. That run of unanswered majors would stretch out to nine by the final change after Centrals added another three goals, which could have been at least three more if not for some missed chances. The Magpies missed three of their own as well as the gap was stretched to 67 points. The Dogs would have to finish without one of their main playmakers who left the ground with a possible concussion, but it wouldn't matter as the home side would maintain their advantage as the visitors finally found their way to goal again. They each kicked two goals, with behinds counted the Dogs ran out 68-point winners and of course, the supporters rubbed salt in the wounds as Port were consigned to their worst finish in more than 124 years. Jez McLennan was the Dogs' best afield with 26 disposals and 11 marks, while Quinton Narkle was best for Port with 32 disposals as well as seven marks, tackles and clearances.
Moving on to match number three and we're now heading over to the mid north-western suburbs and into the Maughan Thiem Kia Oval in Woodville wher the Eagles faced the Redlegs. As shocking as it sounds now, it was the Eagles who inflicted the first defeat upon the Redlegs this season. It was back in Round 8 at The Parade where the Eagles played probably their best football of the year, winning by 39 points. The Eagles nowadays are a far cry from that outfit, at that time they were second on the ladder and considered a contender. It would all go horribly wrong just weeks later as their slide began toward the middle of the table, last week's victory against South cushioning their fall after six straight losses. Norwood however, got back on task and before today were ready to collect the minor premiership, their latest triumph coming at the expense of the Roosters. Inaccuracy from the Eagles in the first quarter stopped them taking a quarter-time lead, they kicked 2.5 while the Redlegs didn't fare that much better with their 3.3 to lead by four points at the first change. The Eagles would keep step with the Redlegs almost up to time-on, with the gap a single kick after kicking two goals to one. But then the Redlegs finished the half with four goals during added time, going into the half-time break with a 28-point lead. Unfortunately for the Eagles faithful, they would be made to wait upon other results to determine their fate from here. The third quarter was a reality check from hell as the Redlegs rammed home eight unanswered goals, along with some missed shots from both sides the visitors were now leading by 74 points. Norwood would take that out to as much as 87 points deep into the final quarter before the home side put a couple through to finish the day off, reducing the eventual demolition to 75 points. As a result, the Redlegs sealed the minor premiership and the week off. Billy Cootee was Norwood's best on ground with 32 disposals, seven tackles and six clearances. The Eagles named captain Joe Sinor as their best with 20 disposals and eight tackles.
Next up in the wrap we're going to the affluent inner north of Adelaide and into the Prospect Oval for the contest between the Roosters and the Bloods. They had one of their better starts to the season than in most recent years, the Bloods' victory against North at Richmond in Round 7 their third win for the year which went to 4-4 the following week. The Bloods' second half made the difference, kicking six goals to two and winning by 31 points. Unfortunately they weren't able to maintain the rage this year, despite showing some improvements upon the multiple wooden spoon seasons in recent times. For both sides, this was pretty much a dead rubber as the Roosters needed to win by an exorbitant margin to break into the five. They were also on the wrong end of the stick last week, North going down to the 'Legs while the Bloods' lengthy losing streak against Sturt continued. The Bloods had a similar beginning to this match as the Bulldogs did, kicking an absolute bag of behinds. They were all over the Roosters initally, but their return of 1.9 to North's 3.1 saw them lead by just four points at quarter-time. However the Roosters' turned the tables in the second quarter, kicking four of the first five goals. All together they banged through 6.1 to 2.2 to lead by 27 points at the half-time siren. After the break, the Roosters would extend their advantage to 45 points early into time-on after kicking four goals to one. But the Bloods would chop that gap by more than half by the final change, the period reaching over 33 minutes as Westies kicked four unanswered goals to bring the margin down to 21 points. It looked as though the momentum had swung and the Bloods would perhaps cause a boilover. But as hard as they pushed the Roosters, the closest they could get was 16 points after trading goals and behinds for most of the final quarter. The Bloods scored 5.1 to 4.3, the Roosters winning by 17 points in the end to finish the year for both clubs. Sam Ramsay racked up 36 disposals as best afield for North, along with 11 tackles and clearances. Sam Frost was Westies' standout with 25 disposals, nine tackles, six marks and four frees.
The final match to close out the 2024 minor round would take place in the south side of the city, the Double Blues hosting the Crows at the Thomas Farms Oval in Unley. Their last encounter was back in Round 7 at Oxford Terrace, the Blues absolutely dominating the Crows to the tune of 61 points. Adelaide had no answers for the onslaught, held to just 6.5 by the rampant Blues who kicked 15.12. The last few weeks have seen a change in fortunes for the Crows though, having won six of their last seven games, most of them by at least six goals. Last week they hammered the Magpies by 77 points in the curtain raiser to the AFL Showdown, while the Blues continued their winning ways against the Bloods. Their place on the ladder was pretty much assured, though the minor premiership would be out of reach with Norwood winning their game, said triumph would open the door for the Crows to usurp the Eagles' fifth spot. Sturt's accuracy wasn't going to be at its best today, burning several chances both early and late. They kicked 2.6 to Adelaide's 2.2, a lead of just four points at quarter-time. It was the Crows' turn to feel the bite of the inaccuracy bug in the second quarter, though the Blues were still having a dog of a day themselves. The Blues did manage to stretch their advantage to 19 points going into the rooms at half-time, scoring 3.4 to the Crows' nine behinds. The big sticks would be hard to come by from here, both teams continuing to burn chance after chance, especially by the Blues. Not having two of their prime forwards out of the game certainly didn't help. Adelaide managed to bring them back to an eight-point gap deep into the third term, having scored 2.2 to Sturt's three behinds. The Blues' lone goal early into time on helped steady the ship, a further three minor scores put their lead back out to 17 points going into the final stanza. The Blues' ground to a halt in front of the big sticks just 13 minutes into the last term after scoring 1.2 to one goal, from there the visitors were able to make more penetrating runs into their attacking zone. But the inaccuracy bug had by this time dropped into the Crows camp, five shots for five behinds. Their finals aspirations went up in smoke, the home side winning by 14 points. James Battersby is probably a favourite for the Blues' B&F medal, notching up 24 disposals along with six marks and tackles. Adelaide named Will Hamill as their best with 25 disposals and five marks.
FINAL SCORES IN ROUND 19 OF THE SANFL...
Saturday August 24
Glenelg 21.22 (148)
South Adelaide 3.12 (30)
2,787 @ Stratarama Stadium, Glenelg
Central District 15.14 (104)
Port Adelaide 5.6 (36)
2,508 @ X-Convenience Oval, Elizabeth
Norwood 19.8 (122)
Woodville-West Torrens 6.11 (47)
2,267 @ Maughan Thiem Kia Oval, Woodville
North Adelaide 17.7 (109)
West Adelaide 13.14 (92)
1,925 @ Prospect Oval
Sturt 7.18 (60)
Adelaide 5.16 (46)
4,147 @ Thomas Farms Oval, Unley
INJURIES
Glenelg -- McGree, Stockman (ankle), Stevens (foot)
Central -- Grant (broken jaw/concussion)
Norwood -- Walker (knee)
W-WT -- Hann (concussion)
Sturt -- Carey (calf), Spain (hamstring)
REPORTS
North -- Wissman (umpire contact)
West -- Ryan (umpire contact), Stevens (rough conduct x 2), Frost (striking)
Sturt -- Grivell (striking)
Adelaide -- McHenry (striking), Himmelberg (striking x 2)
LEAGUE LADDER -- Final standings
---------------------------------------------------------
Norwood -- 30pts (15-3-0), 61.1%
Sturt -- 30pts (15-3-0), 59.9%
Central -- 24pts (12-6-0), 52.5%
Glenelg -- 22pts (11-7-0), 54.6%
W-WT -- 16pts (8-10-0), 51.8%
---------------------------------------------------------
Adelaide -- 16pts (8-10-0), 49.5%
North -- 16pts (8-10-0), 48.2%
West -- 10pts (5-13-0), 43.6%
South -- 8pts (4-14-0), 40.9%
Port -- 8pts (4-14-0), 40.3%
---------------------------------------------------------
EARLY REWARDS -- Redlegs get first week off, Blues win Lewis Trophy
As you already have read or knew, Norwood will sit out the first week of finals as minor premiers with a record of 15 wins, scoring 1491 points over the season and having the second best record for scores against with 948. The second-placed Blues had the best overall defence having leaked 896 points and took out their fourth Stanley H. Lewis Trophy for performances across the board. Sturt's seniors, reserves and U-18's all reaching finals, their U-16's and Women's division just missing out on their respective play-offs. Glenelg and Centrals were second and third respectively. We also know who has won two individual awards, starting with the Player of the Year award which went to Sturt's Will Snelling. He returned to SANFL football from Essendon where he played 64 games since 2019, though instead of going back to the Bloods he would instead land at Oxford Terrace. He would poll 28 votes, followed by Norwood's Harry Boyd on 23 votes and then Rooster Campbell Combe on 19. Speaking of North Adelaide, the Ken Farmer Medal would go to Mitch Harvey, finishing on 45 goals of which three came in the final round. He beat out Bulldog Aiden Grace, who ended the minor round with 42 goals, as well as the Tigers' Liam McBean who finished with 38. Harvey is only the third Roosters forward to win the award, joining Daniel Hargraves (2002) and John Roberts (1987).
CROWEATER GIRLS FINISH NATIONAL SERIES WITH WIN
The South Australians finished the 2024 AFL-W National Championships on a high this past Saturday, ending on a 2-1 record after defeating Western Australia at Thebarton Oval. The visitors were ahead at the first change in a tight opening term, a point separating the two with the board reading 3.3 to 3.2. The Sandgropers wouldn't find the big sticks again until the final quarter, South Australia's second quarter seeing them kick to a half-time lead of 21 points after scoring 4.1 to three minor scores. WA added two behinds though two goals would have been far more handy after keeping the Croweaters to a single major as the margin crept out to 25 points going into the final break. The visitors finally found goals again, but their four goals wouldn't stack up against SA's 3.2 as the home side ended their campaign with a 21-point win. The eventual champions would be Victoria Metro who usurped the crown from the Croweaters a couple of weeks ago. Best afield on the day was Mikaylah Antony with 14 disposals and nine marks, Eloise Mackereth kicked four goals and the overall series MVP for SA would end up being Esther Schirmer of South Adelaide.
South Australia 11.5 (71) def. Western Australia 7.8 (50)
So now its down to business folks... here's the Week One schedule of finals for all grades.
Saturday August 31
RESERVES ELIMINATION FINAL
South Adelaide vs. Woodville-West Torrens @ 11:30am
Flinders University Stadium, Noarlunga
U-16 1st SEMI-FINAL
North Adelaide vs. Central District @ 11am
U-18 2nd SEMI-FINAL
Glenelg vs. Central District @ 1:20pm
Stratarama Stadium, Glenelg
U-18 1st SEMI-FINAL
Sturt vs. Woodville-West Torrens @ 10am
U-16 2nd SEMI-FINAL
Sturt vs. South Adelaide @ 12:30pm
RESERVES QUALIFYING FINAL
Sturt vs. Glenelg @ 2:50pm
Thomas Farms Oval, Unley
Sunday September 1
LEAGUE ELIMINATION FINAL
Glenelg vs. Woodville-West Torrens @ 12:15pm
LEAGUE QUALIFYING FINAL
Sturt vs. Central District @ 3:15pm
Adelaide Oval
So until next weekend... see you at the Footy!
The home and away portion of the 2024 SANFL premiership season is at a close and for five teams it's back to the drawing board, at least at the league level. For some it will go on at other levels, perhaps that will form part of their preparations ahead of the 2025 season. Next weekend, we will see one by one who will join those five as the Hostplus League Finals Series kick off at the home of football in South Australia, the Adelaide Oval. There was still a big possibility of changes to the overall make-up of the top-five however, the Eagles still no guarantee of being in finals at all. Before this weekend's action went down, the Crows had the best chance of usurping their position. The Roosters had a realistic chance as well with their last game of the year being at home against the Bloods as compared to Adelaide outing to Unley. There was also the question of whether or not the lowly pair of the Panthers and the Magpies could serve some upsets in their final games for the year and as a result, change the look of the Qualifying Final. And speaking of the two cellar dwellers... who would finish up with the dreaded spoon? Read on.
Welcome to the Round 19 edition of the SANFL Wrap-Up.
All five games would be played out at the same time on Saturday afternoon, the first of which takes us to Stratarama Stadium in Glenelg for the "Clash of the Cats" between the Tigers and the Panthers. It took until the final term for the Bays to shake of the persistent Panthers back in Round 5 at Noarlunga, winning by 27 points. The reigning premiers had one of their dirtiest days in front of goal, kicking nine goals from 25 scoring shots. Four of those goals in the final term were what saved their hides. Last weekend the Tigers dropped their guard in the wet at the Ponderosa, going down by a point and dropping to fourth after leading by four kicks at half-time. The Panthers were competitive only up to half-time against the Eagles before going down by 57 points. The Tigers' chances of regaining third spot were not that great, given that their conquerors were facing bottom-placed Port Adelaide. But ahead of an Elimination Final they needed to make an example and that is exactly what the reigning premiers did. It didn't happen straight away, though the Panthers' wasteful opening term return of four behinds would allow the Tigers to hold a four-kick lead at quarter-time with their tally of 4.3. The Bays had a turn with the inaccuracy bug in the second term, the Panthers actually cut the gap back to two straight kicks early into it before the home side had a sequence goals and behinds -- one after the other -- that put them out to almost eight goals up at the break. Glenelg scored all up 5.7 to 2.1, a 47-point advantage going into the break. And then the real punishment would begin. The Tigers rammed through seven goals before the visitors scored their only major for the third term, the lead getting as high as 15 goals even well into time-on. It could have been well over 110 points if not more a few missed shots from the Tigers, with missed shots counted the deficit would be 82 points at three quarter-time. The gap would indeed reach three-digit figures in the end, South's season ending in a whimper with a single behind in the final quarter while the Tigers added a further 5.7 to win by a 118 points and retain the Carey-Darley Cup. Matt Allen was Glenelg's best on ground with 30 disposals, 14 marks and seven clearances and took out the Schneebichler Medal while for the Panthers it was Kobe Mutch with 25 disposals plus six marks and clearances. At the time of the final siren, the Panthers still had a marginal percentage over the Magpies.
Which brings us to the second match of the weekend that took place in the outer north of Adelaide at the X-Convenience Oval in Elizabeth where the Bulldogs took on the Magpies. Their last encounter back in Round 12 could be considered a lost opportunity for the Magpies, given that they had kept the Dogs goal-less in the opening term at Alberton but only managed 1.3 at the same time. The Dogs finally found the big sticks in the second and then returned the goal-less favour in the third, kicking six majors unanswered and ultimately winning by 25 points. The Bulldogs' victory last week would be vital going into finals, their one-point win against Glenelg their first against top-three sides. The Magpies on the other hand were hoping to avoid a fate not suffered since the end of the 19th century, a last-placed finish. The Crows brought them one step closer to said eventuality, handing them a 77-point belting. For the local faithful, it couldn't get any better than this against their most hated enemy, the chance to hammer the last nail in. The opening term was frustrating for the Dogs, despite taking a 14-point lead at the first change after having scored 4.9 to the Magpies' 3.1. But the accuracy improved good and proper in the second as the Magpies wouldn't get another goal for over an hour of football. They managed just one behind, the Dogs kicking six unanswered goals to go into the rooms with a 49-point lead at the long break. That run of unanswered majors would stretch out to nine by the final change after Centrals added another three goals, which could have been at least three more if not for some missed chances. The Magpies missed three of their own as well as the gap was stretched to 67 points. The Dogs would have to finish without one of their main playmakers who left the ground with a possible concussion, but it wouldn't matter as the home side would maintain their advantage as the visitors finally found their way to goal again. They each kicked two goals, with behinds counted the Dogs ran out 68-point winners and of course, the supporters rubbed salt in the wounds as Port were consigned to their worst finish in more than 124 years. Jez McLennan was the Dogs' best afield with 26 disposals and 11 marks, while Quinton Narkle was best for Port with 32 disposals as well as seven marks, tackles and clearances.
Moving on to match number three and we're now heading over to the mid north-western suburbs and into the Maughan Thiem Kia Oval in Woodville wher the Eagles faced the Redlegs. As shocking as it sounds now, it was the Eagles who inflicted the first defeat upon the Redlegs this season. It was back in Round 8 at The Parade where the Eagles played probably their best football of the year, winning by 39 points. The Eagles nowadays are a far cry from that outfit, at that time they were second on the ladder and considered a contender. It would all go horribly wrong just weeks later as their slide began toward the middle of the table, last week's victory against South cushioning their fall after six straight losses. Norwood however, got back on task and before today were ready to collect the minor premiership, their latest triumph coming at the expense of the Roosters. Inaccuracy from the Eagles in the first quarter stopped them taking a quarter-time lead, they kicked 2.5 while the Redlegs didn't fare that much better with their 3.3 to lead by four points at the first change. The Eagles would keep step with the Redlegs almost up to time-on, with the gap a single kick after kicking two goals to one. But then the Redlegs finished the half with four goals during added time, going into the half-time break with a 28-point lead. Unfortunately for the Eagles faithful, they would be made to wait upon other results to determine their fate from here. The third quarter was a reality check from hell as the Redlegs rammed home eight unanswered goals, along with some missed shots from both sides the visitors were now leading by 74 points. Norwood would take that out to as much as 87 points deep into the final quarter before the home side put a couple through to finish the day off, reducing the eventual demolition to 75 points. As a result, the Redlegs sealed the minor premiership and the week off. Billy Cootee was Norwood's best on ground with 32 disposals, seven tackles and six clearances. The Eagles named captain Joe Sinor as their best with 20 disposals and eight tackles.
Next up in the wrap we're going to the affluent inner north of Adelaide and into the Prospect Oval for the contest between the Roosters and the Bloods. They had one of their better starts to the season than in most recent years, the Bloods' victory against North at Richmond in Round 7 their third win for the year which went to 4-4 the following week. The Bloods' second half made the difference, kicking six goals to two and winning by 31 points. Unfortunately they weren't able to maintain the rage this year, despite showing some improvements upon the multiple wooden spoon seasons in recent times. For both sides, this was pretty much a dead rubber as the Roosters needed to win by an exorbitant margin to break into the five. They were also on the wrong end of the stick last week, North going down to the 'Legs while the Bloods' lengthy losing streak against Sturt continued. The Bloods had a similar beginning to this match as the Bulldogs did, kicking an absolute bag of behinds. They were all over the Roosters initally, but their return of 1.9 to North's 3.1 saw them lead by just four points at quarter-time. However the Roosters' turned the tables in the second quarter, kicking four of the first five goals. All together they banged through 6.1 to 2.2 to lead by 27 points at the half-time siren. After the break, the Roosters would extend their advantage to 45 points early into time-on after kicking four goals to one. But the Bloods would chop that gap by more than half by the final change, the period reaching over 33 minutes as Westies kicked four unanswered goals to bring the margin down to 21 points. It looked as though the momentum had swung and the Bloods would perhaps cause a boilover. But as hard as they pushed the Roosters, the closest they could get was 16 points after trading goals and behinds for most of the final quarter. The Bloods scored 5.1 to 4.3, the Roosters winning by 17 points in the end to finish the year for both clubs. Sam Ramsay racked up 36 disposals as best afield for North, along with 11 tackles and clearances. Sam Frost was Westies' standout with 25 disposals, nine tackles, six marks and four frees.
The final match to close out the 2024 minor round would take place in the south side of the city, the Double Blues hosting the Crows at the Thomas Farms Oval in Unley. Their last encounter was back in Round 7 at Oxford Terrace, the Blues absolutely dominating the Crows to the tune of 61 points. Adelaide had no answers for the onslaught, held to just 6.5 by the rampant Blues who kicked 15.12. The last few weeks have seen a change in fortunes for the Crows though, having won six of their last seven games, most of them by at least six goals. Last week they hammered the Magpies by 77 points in the curtain raiser to the AFL Showdown, while the Blues continued their winning ways against the Bloods. Their place on the ladder was pretty much assured, though the minor premiership would be out of reach with Norwood winning their game, said triumph would open the door for the Crows to usurp the Eagles' fifth spot. Sturt's accuracy wasn't going to be at its best today, burning several chances both early and late. They kicked 2.6 to Adelaide's 2.2, a lead of just four points at quarter-time. It was the Crows' turn to feel the bite of the inaccuracy bug in the second quarter, though the Blues were still having a dog of a day themselves. The Blues did manage to stretch their advantage to 19 points going into the rooms at half-time, scoring 3.4 to the Crows' nine behinds. The big sticks would be hard to come by from here, both teams continuing to burn chance after chance, especially by the Blues. Not having two of their prime forwards out of the game certainly didn't help. Adelaide managed to bring them back to an eight-point gap deep into the third term, having scored 2.2 to Sturt's three behinds. The Blues' lone goal early into time on helped steady the ship, a further three minor scores put their lead back out to 17 points going into the final stanza. The Blues' ground to a halt in front of the big sticks just 13 minutes into the last term after scoring 1.2 to one goal, from there the visitors were able to make more penetrating runs into their attacking zone. But the inaccuracy bug had by this time dropped into the Crows camp, five shots for five behinds. Their finals aspirations went up in smoke, the home side winning by 14 points. James Battersby is probably a favourite for the Blues' B&F medal, notching up 24 disposals along with six marks and tackles. Adelaide named Will Hamill as their best with 25 disposals and five marks.
FINAL SCORES IN ROUND 19 OF THE SANFL...
Saturday August 24
Glenelg 21.22 (148)
South Adelaide 3.12 (30)
2,787 @ Stratarama Stadium, Glenelg
Central District 15.14 (104)
Port Adelaide 5.6 (36)
2,508 @ X-Convenience Oval, Elizabeth
Norwood 19.8 (122)
Woodville-West Torrens 6.11 (47)
2,267 @ Maughan Thiem Kia Oval, Woodville
North Adelaide 17.7 (109)
West Adelaide 13.14 (92)
1,925 @ Prospect Oval
Sturt 7.18 (60)
Adelaide 5.16 (46)
4,147 @ Thomas Farms Oval, Unley
INJURIES
Glenelg -- McGree, Stockman (ankle), Stevens (foot)
Central -- Grant (broken jaw/concussion)
Norwood -- Walker (knee)
W-WT -- Hann (concussion)
Sturt -- Carey (calf), Spain (hamstring)
REPORTS
North -- Wissman (umpire contact)
West -- Ryan (umpire contact), Stevens (rough conduct x 2), Frost (striking)
Sturt -- Grivell (striking)
Adelaide -- McHenry (striking), Himmelberg (striking x 2)
LEAGUE LADDER -- Final standings
---------------------------------------------------------
Norwood -- 30pts (15-3-0), 61.1%
Sturt -- 30pts (15-3-0), 59.9%
Central -- 24pts (12-6-0), 52.5%
Glenelg -- 22pts (11-7-0), 54.6%
W-WT -- 16pts (8-10-0), 51.8%
---------------------------------------------------------
Adelaide -- 16pts (8-10-0), 49.5%
North -- 16pts (8-10-0), 48.2%
West -- 10pts (5-13-0), 43.6%
South -- 8pts (4-14-0), 40.9%
Port -- 8pts (4-14-0), 40.3%
---------------------------------------------------------
EARLY REWARDS -- Redlegs get first week off, Blues win Lewis Trophy
As you already have read or knew, Norwood will sit out the first week of finals as minor premiers with a record of 15 wins, scoring 1491 points over the season and having the second best record for scores against with 948. The second-placed Blues had the best overall defence having leaked 896 points and took out their fourth Stanley H. Lewis Trophy for performances across the board. Sturt's seniors, reserves and U-18's all reaching finals, their U-16's and Women's division just missing out on their respective play-offs. Glenelg and Centrals were second and third respectively. We also know who has won two individual awards, starting with the Player of the Year award which went to Sturt's Will Snelling. He returned to SANFL football from Essendon where he played 64 games since 2019, though instead of going back to the Bloods he would instead land at Oxford Terrace. He would poll 28 votes, followed by Norwood's Harry Boyd on 23 votes and then Rooster Campbell Combe on 19. Speaking of North Adelaide, the Ken Farmer Medal would go to Mitch Harvey, finishing on 45 goals of which three came in the final round. He beat out Bulldog Aiden Grace, who ended the minor round with 42 goals, as well as the Tigers' Liam McBean who finished with 38. Harvey is only the third Roosters forward to win the award, joining Daniel Hargraves (2002) and John Roberts (1987).
CROWEATER GIRLS FINISH NATIONAL SERIES WITH WIN
The South Australians finished the 2024 AFL-W National Championships on a high this past Saturday, ending on a 2-1 record after defeating Western Australia at Thebarton Oval. The visitors were ahead at the first change in a tight opening term, a point separating the two with the board reading 3.3 to 3.2. The Sandgropers wouldn't find the big sticks again until the final quarter, South Australia's second quarter seeing them kick to a half-time lead of 21 points after scoring 4.1 to three minor scores. WA added two behinds though two goals would have been far more handy after keeping the Croweaters to a single major as the margin crept out to 25 points going into the final break. The visitors finally found goals again, but their four goals wouldn't stack up against SA's 3.2 as the home side ended their campaign with a 21-point win. The eventual champions would be Victoria Metro who usurped the crown from the Croweaters a couple of weeks ago. Best afield on the day was Mikaylah Antony with 14 disposals and nine marks, Eloise Mackereth kicked four goals and the overall series MVP for SA would end up being Esther Schirmer of South Adelaide.
South Australia 11.5 (71) def. Western Australia 7.8 (50)
So now its down to business folks... here's the Week One schedule of finals for all grades.
Saturday August 31
RESERVES ELIMINATION FINAL
South Adelaide vs. Woodville-West Torrens @ 11:30am
Flinders University Stadium, Noarlunga
U-16 1st SEMI-FINAL
North Adelaide vs. Central District @ 11am
U-18 2nd SEMI-FINAL
Glenelg vs. Central District @ 1:20pm
Stratarama Stadium, Glenelg
U-18 1st SEMI-FINAL
Sturt vs. Woodville-West Torrens @ 10am
U-16 2nd SEMI-FINAL
Sturt vs. South Adelaide @ 12:30pm
RESERVES QUALIFYING FINAL
Sturt vs. Glenelg @ 2:50pm
Thomas Farms Oval, Unley
Sunday September 1
LEAGUE ELIMINATION FINAL
Glenelg vs. Woodville-West Torrens @ 12:15pm
LEAGUE QUALIFYING FINAL
Sturt vs. Central District @ 3:15pm
Adelaide Oval
So until next weekend... see you at the Footy!
