Australian Football

Match Report

The holiday Friday afternoon provided a perfect day for football, as evidenced by the healthy 5000+ turnout at Gliderol Stadium down at Glenelg where the Tigers faced the Panthers in the SANFL's Clash of the Cats on Seven TV. The Panthers enjoyed a rise up the premiership ladder, a rare thing for the South Adelaide faithful and something hopefully for them to look forward to in 2015 after contesting a Preliminary Final. On the other hand, the Tigers had yet another forgettable year after claiming yet another wooden spoon and then came the pre-season headaches off the field which saw former Port Adelaide player Matt Lokan installed as new head coach.

The Tigers would start off best in a goal-fest first quarter, the two jungle beasts exchanging blows on the board with the home side scoring 6.3 to 4.2. At quarter-time, the Tigers held a 13-point lead. The second term would see the two sides scrap and claw for little reward, but the Tigers managed to extend their lead to 19 points by the half-time break after kicking 2.1 to 1.1. When the match resumed for the second half, the Panthers went on a blitz as they gradually reeled the Tigers back in and overtook them by three quarter-time. They kicked 6.5 to the Tigers' 2.1 to take a nine-point lead going into the final term. Inaccuracy threatened to derail the Panthers' run, but the Tigers' two goals would not stop the visitors running out 20-point winners after they kicked 3.5 in the last quarter.

Brent MacLeod was named best afield for South, while the Bays named Sam Lonergan as their best on ground.