Australian Football

Match Report

At Hickinbotham Oval in Noarlunga, the Panthers took on the Redlegs on Saturday night. The Redlegs have dealt out a fair amount of punishment to the Panthers over the last few years, with 11 of the last 13 games going the way of Norwood. It should be noted, though, that those two blemishes came at the worst times for the 'Legs as they were both at The Parade. The last time these two met, the eventual premiers hammered the Panthers by 63 points at Norwood mid-season, while the last game at Noarlunga was a 25-point win. But the fortunes of both teams seem to have been flipped around for this encounter, with the Redlegs taking only their second victory last week while the Panthers have made the competition sit up and take notice.

To begin the night's proceedings, the Panthers would kick 3.2 to the Redlegs' 2.2 to lead by a goal at quarter-time. There was a fourth goal for the blue & whites, but it was disallowed due to a striking incident before the goal could be counted. But the second quarter was all South, they kept the 'Legs to a miserly three behinds and scored 4.1 for themselves to stretch their advantage to 28 points by the half-time break. The Panthers tempo seemed to slow down a little bit as the Redlegs outscored the home side 3.2 to 2.4, some inaccuracy finding its way into the South attack there in that third term. But the Panthers weren't going to be denied on this night, even if some more inaccurate shots got on the board. The Panthers finished off the night by kicking 4.6 to the visitors' 2.2 to take a 40-point victory and to put their tally at 5-1 for season 2014.

Joel Cross was named best for South, while Norwood voted in Kane Murphy as their standout.