Australian Football

Match Report

The third game for the round finds us heading up the Port Road to the Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval in Woodville where the Eagles hosted the Panthers. It was back in Round 8 that the Eagles won a tight tussle at Noarlunga, winning by 14 points despite a final term rally by the Panthers and their own problems finding the big sticks. Both clubs played the second week of the split round and while the Eagles put the Crows to the sword at Oval Avenue, the Panthers went down to the Double Blues at home by 13 points. 

The opening quarter was a shootout with both sides kicking four goals each. South would lead by a point at the first change with their three behinds to the Eagles' two. The Eagles' second term was nothing short of horrid, they were kept scoreless while the Panthers kicked 4.2 to lead by 26 points at the long break. That was their worst quarter of football since being kept to a point in the first term against Port in Round 2, which is funny because that game was an absolute stinker. The Panthers would have to weather the storm from here onwards, the Eagles reeling back the deficit to a couple of kicks by the final change. Their shooting was not crash-hot, otherwise it would have been the home side ahead by a couple of kicks. The Eagles scored 4.5 to 2.2 to trail by 11 points at three quarter-time. Now it was an arm-wrestle, with South on the cusp of sealing their spot in September. There were some long breaks between scores, but in the end it was the Panthers that held firm against the Eagles' attacks. The home side's three goals would not be enough in the end, the Panthers adding 2.1 to put the game out of their reach. The visitors were victorious by a single goal in probably one of their most memorable wins of the year. 

Matthew Rose was named best for South, while James Boyd was best for the Eagles.