Australian Football

Match Report

Now for the fourth game of the round and we're heading to the inner southern suburbs, the Peter Motley Oval in Unley the setting for the clash between the Double Blues and the Magpies. The Blues haven't been able to take points against the Magpies from their last three encounters, their last match was a close one at Alberton back in Round 6 as Port outlasted the Blues to the deficit of eight points. In that match, the Magpies' kicked 25 scoring shots to 12, with their eventual tally reading 10.15 to 11.1. Sturt came into this one off a week's break following their three-goal loss to the Eagles at Woodville, while the 'Pies handed the Eagles their first loss since Round 2. That win alone would have made most SA footy-heads believe that the Blues would be a pushover for the Magpies. Well were they in for a shock.

It was competitve early, Sturt taking a one-goal lead at quarter-time after scoring 2.2 to Port's 1.2. The Blues then held the Magpies off the scoresheet in the second term and added 4.4 to their score to extend their advantage to 34 points by the long break. Port would get back on the scorecard in the third quarter, but wouldn't make much ground on the Blues. Even with several Power-listed players, the Blues were keeping them outside of striking distance, only two points would be chipped off the half-time deficit after Port scored 2.3 to 2.1 as Sturt held a 32-point lead at the final change. The Magpies would eventually find themselves on the tail end of the top five by afternoon's end, the Blues finally taking a victory after six consecutive weeks on the wrong end of the stick. The home side won by 27 points, Port's final term of 3.1 not enough against Sturt's 2.2.

Ironically, the Blues named former Magpie Zane Kirkwood as their best afield, Port voting in Kane Mitchell as their standout.