Australian Football

Round 17

Premiership season 2008 - Round 17 Review

Total Crowd 10,507 (Avg 2,627)

There were two nice turnouts in the SANFL this past weekend, which was labelled as Starlight Foundation Round in order for all those SA footy-heads to not only support their team, but also to dig deep into their pockets to support those young souls toughing it out on a different battlefield. There was four games on the Saturday afternoon across the city, from the fringes of the city to the outer reaches of metropolitan SA.

So lets see what went on in this Round 17 edition of the SANFL Wrap-Up.

First we head down to the Hickinbotham Oval at Noarlunga for the encounter between the Panthers and the Magpies. Last week, the the Panthers pulled off the upset of the season when they outlasted the Tigers away from home while the Pies were wondering what happened two weeks ago against the Dogs. Their last match against South ended with the Panthers leaving Alberton as three-point winners and it looked like it was going to happen again as the Panthers led by 11 points at quarter-time, 5.2 to Port 3.3. But the black and whites then restricted South to 1.3 while scoring 3.4 for themselves to take a two-point lead at the half-time break. The Panthers began to fall away from here, slowly but gradually. The Magpies lack of intensity in the first half was not evident in the second, in the third quarter they shot through 5.3 to the Panthers 2.2 to extend the gap to 21 points going into the final change. The visitors finished the Panthers off with a 4.4 to 1.1 final term, running out seven goal winners. Port's usual suspect Jeremy Clayton was voted best for the Magpies, while James Boyd was named best afield for South.

Further up the coast at the Challenge Recruitment Oval in Glenelg, the Tigers got ready to host the Redlegs. Both sides were victims of loss last week, Norwood falling short on their home patch by less than a kick, the same deal for Glenelg although that was far more humiliating when its the eighth placed team. The Tigers would have been angry and on the warpath, no more evident than their first quarter where they kept Norwood to two points while scoring 4.2 to lead by 24 points at quarter-time. The Redlegs drew that lead back to three goals by the long break in a 3.2 to 2.2 second term. When play resumed, the Tigers left the visitors in the dust with a six goal to 3.2 third quarter, whatever form the Redlegs found last week against the Bulldogs had deserted them for that quarter of football and they would pay for it. The Tigers up by 34 points at three quarter-time. Despite the visitors last quarter fight-back in which they kicked 5.4, the Tigers added 7.3 to their score to take out a 45 point victory. Todd Grima scored seven goals, but it was Ben Kane who was voted best for Glenelg, while the Redlegs named Matt Thomas as their best afield.

Over at the House Brothers Oval in Unley, the ABC TV Match of the Day was the clash between the Double Blues and the Bulldogs. This was the second week in a row the Bulldogs were in a contest with another top-five team after their narrow escape last week at The Parade, Sturt on the other hand had a far easier two weeks against bottom four sides. The Blues started off in shaky fashion, the scores tied at 12 points a piece as they kicked 1.6 to the Bulldogs two goals without a miss. The Blues found their goal-kicking shoes at the other end as they took over from the Dogs with a three goal to 1.3 second term to be up by nine points at the long break. With Brant Chambers mis-firing early at goal, he would then make sure others would have an easier path with his man-on-man pressure. The third term was more rewarding on the scoreboard for the Double Blues, they landed home 8.4 to 4.1 to set up a 36 point margin at three quarter-time. The Dogs didn’t lie down and give up, but the Blues would do enough to ensure victory at home. The visitors’ inaccuracy robbed them of a third consecutive escape, Sturt’s two goals to Central’s 5.5 saw the Blues home by 13 points. Luke Crane was voted best for the Blues, while the Bulldogs named Paul Thomas as their best on ground.

In the final match of Round 17, the gates of Thebarton Oval were thrown open again to the Eagles as they hosted the Bloods. West Adelaide’s long re-building phase would no doubt frustrate even the hardiest of Bloods supporters, five losses in a row and no end in sight. The Eagles situation is less desperate, but last week, they were only four points away from outright fifth spot and a loss to the team holding that spot -- North Adelaide -- put them further away from that goal. The first half was riddled with inaccuracy on goal, the Bloods were on top at the end of the first term by a single goal after kicking 2.5 to the Eagles’ 1.5. The Eagles hit back in the second term, they scored 4.4 to Westies’ 1.2 for a half-time gap of 14 points. When play resumed, the teams would remain just 14 points apart at three quarter-time after both sides kicked 3.1. But with barely enough fit personnel to see out the game and the bench already used up, the Bloods were too tired to keep pace with the Eagles in the final term. The Eagles finished the game with a 6.3 to 2.4 last quarter to win by 37 points and keep up their top five aspirations. Luke Jarrad was named best for the Eagles, while West Adelaide loyalist David Piasente was named best afield for the red and black.

FINAL SCORES IN ROUND 17 OF THE SANFL

Saturday July 26
Port Adelaide 15.14 (104)
South Adelaide 9.8 (62)
1,798 @ Hickinbotham Oval, Noarlunga

Glenelg 19.7 (121)
Norwood 11.10 (76)
3,842 @ Challenge Recruitment Oval, Glenelg

Sturt 14.10 (94)
Central District 12.9 (81)
3,286 @ House Brothers Oval, Unley

Woodville-West Torrens 14.13 (97)
West Adelaide 8.12 (60)
1,581 @ Thebarton Oval

North Adelaide had the bye.


INJURIES
Port -- Saunders (shoulder)
South -- Prendergast (shoulder)
Central -- J. Gowans (corked thigh), Havelberg (ankle)
W-WT -- Grocke (quad)
West -- Anderson (concussion), Fielke (hamstring), Stanley (knee), Hartlett (shoulder)

REPORTS
W-WT -- Rimington (head high contact)


Next weekend in Round 18...

Saturday August 2
South Adelaide vs. North Adelaide; Hickinbotham Oval
Central District vs. Glenelg; Hamra Homes Oval, Elizabeth - night match

Sunday August 3
Port Adelaide vs. Norwood; Alberton Oval
Sturt vs. Woodville-West Torrens; House Brothers Oval, Unley

West Adelaide have the bye.

So until next weekend... see you at the Footy!

R-17, Ladder