Australian Football

Match Report

We finish the weekend's action with a Sunday afternoon in the tree-lined surrounds of the Wigan Oval in Unley for the "Southside Blue" between the Double Blues and the Panthers. Last time these southern clubs met back in Round 7 at Noarlunga, it was a low-scoring affair with the Blues escaping with a two-point win. The Panthers were up by two goals at half-time, but the Blues bagged four goals to one in the third term and would be forced into full defence mode for the final. Sturt weren't able to find the big sticks in the last term, but the two behinds they did score would make the difference in the finish after South scored the only goal of the quarter. Very much an opportunity lost for the Panthers to end Sturt's early season run. Last weekend the Blues managed to evade the grasp of a desperate Westies with their six-point win, while the Panthers were made to rue their 12 missed chances on goal against North. The weather conditions of the past week made for a rotten Unley deck, something that South coach Jarrad Wright wouldn't allow to go un-noticed with his comments later on. Sturt's opening quarter was a strong one, bolting to a four-goal quarter-time lead after bagging 7.1 to 3.1, including a run of five goals in a 13-minute period. Two of those South goals came very late, the gap as much as 35 points at one stage. More skill errors and poor situational awareness from the Panthers allowed the Blues to stretch that deficit out to more than seven straight kicks by the long break, Sturt adding 4.3 to the Panthers' two goals in the second as the home side went into the second half with a 39-point lead. The Blues put on another clinic when play resumed, they continued to punish the visitors horrid decision making and their third term inaccuracy, skipping out to a 10-goal lead by the final change after adding six more majors to South's 2.3. Sturt ran out of goal-kicking puff in the final term and the Panthers did manage to cut that margin down some, but the conditions of the turf would leave South not only with an eventual loss but also some very sore bodies and injuries. They kicked 4.3 to one behind, the final gap reduced to 34 points for the Blues' 10th win of 2023. Tom Lewis was again the bane of South's existence, taking Sturt's best afield votes with 31 disposals as well as six tackles and clearances. The Panthers named Joseph Haines as their standout with 32 disposals and nine marks.