Australian Football

Round 16

Premiership season 2022 - Round 16 Review

Total Crowd 7,391 (Avg 1,848)

Hi Footy fans...

Things are getting hectic now as we enter the homeward run towards the business end of the season. We are only five weeks from the 2022 SANFL Finals Series and the top five clubs are still far from assured of staying in those positions. At the conclusion of last week's games, the top three clubs -- Adelaide, North and Glenelg -- all sat on 20 points each and the two below them -- Norwood and Sturt -- only one win away on 18 points each. Then there's the reigning premiers who, prior to this week's action, sit in sixth with a very realistic chance of being able to defend their crown into late August. A mathematical chance in seventh is South Adelaide, who must win the remaining games of the season to stand any chance at all of gracing Adelaide Oval in just over a month's time. For some of these top five clubs, their run home consists of games against opposition who won't be a part of the major round and therefore, have absolutely nothing to lose and plenty of pride to gain. There will be some time for all the teams to refresh ahead of Round 17 with a general bye programmed for next weekend, then it's just three rounds of home and away football to go.

Welcome to the Round 16 edition of the SANFL Wrap-Up.

The first match for the weekend takes us to the eastern side of the city and to the Coopers Stadium in Norwood where the Redlegs faced the table-topping Crows. Back in Round 8, the Redlegs just barely escaped the Crows grasp at The Parade in a match where the gap at the breaks never exceeded two straight kicks. Adelaide kicked into the lead deep into time-on in the final term, but one last shot on goal from the 'Legs snatched victory from the jaws of defeat by five points. The Redlegs have been on a hot streak as of late, their last loss was back in Round 9 to the Roosters. Fast forward to now, not only did they exact revenge for that game but haven't dropped points since Round 11. Last week they defeated South at Noarlunga in a nail-biter by three points, while the Crows took top spot with a 27-point win over North in Whyalla. That win against North should have put them in good stead coming into this clash, but amazingly, by quarter-time the Crows wouldn't even register a score. Norwood kept them to zero points, but could have done better with their shooting as they kicked to a 16-point lead with their 2.4. In fact, those four behinds all came before the two majors late in the term. Adelaide took until the fifth minute of the second term to get their first goal, while the Redlegs continued to pepper their sticks with shots for a return of 3.7 to 3.2, stretching their lead to 21 points come half-time. While their goal-kicking left much to be desired, the Redlegs were just all over the Crows in the other aspects. They laid 20 more tackles, took as many more marks and over 30 more kicks. Only because of the inaccuracy were the Crows able to stay in the hunt. The inaccuracy bug paid a late visit into the Adelaide camp as they attempted to draw the gap back, but could only knock a point off the deficit posted at the long break. Three missed chances by the Crows among their tally of 2.4 to Norwood's 2.3 would reduce the home side's lead to 20 points going into the final change. The visitors threatened to overwhelm the Redlegs in the final term, but their shooting continued to let them down, scoring 2.5 to 1.3 as Norwood finished off two-goal victors. There were a few great contributors for the 'Legs, but for body pressure alone it was Jed Spence with 23 disposals and eight tackles. Adelaide named Jackson Hately as their standout with 33 disposals, eight clearances and six tackles.

Next up we're going over to the opposite side of town, nestled in the inner west is the Hisense Stadium in Richmond where the Bloods and the Tigers faced off. Much like the game above, the Tigers only just managed to stave off a massive upset in their last encounter with Westies. It was Round 9 at Brighton Road when the Bays won the battle by just five points. After leading by 27 points at quarter-time, the Bloods sent a scare through their camp by half-time, reeling the gap back to 11 points. That gap was maintained by the final change, but as hard as the Bloods tried, the final term was a lousy time to get a visit from the inaccuracy bug. The Bloods finally put an end to a long and frustrating losing streak last week, winning by 27 points against the Magpies at Richmond, while the Tigers won by 25 points over the Eagles at the den. No doubt with a long overdue dose of confidence, the Bloods took advantage of a wayward first term by the Tigers, scoring 2.1 to 1.3 to lead by four points at the first change. However the Tigers overturned that effort in the second term, scoring 4.1 to 1.2 to go into the rooms at half-time with a 13-point lead. While a lot of the stats did favour the Tigers, the body pressure stats were on the side of the last-placed Bloods with 10 more tackles to their name. Glenelg could also have done more from their clearances, with 13 more than the Bloods in that category. The third term was an all-out struggle as the two sides traded scores. The Tigers were not at their best in front of goal in this period though, the Bloods able to draw the third-placed outfit back to just two straight kicks going into the final stanza. Westies kicked 3.3 to 2.4, the gap back down to just eight points. Six minutes into the final quarter, the Bloods were within a single kick of the lead after bringing the Bays back to a two-point gap. But despite their best efforts and reeling them back again late in the term, the Tigers would escape with the victory. Glenelg scored 2.4 to 2.3 to win by nine points. Corey Lyons was named Glenelg's best, with 30 disposals and nine clearances, while the Bloods voted in Joel Stevens as their best with 26 disposals, six marks and five clearances.

The games around the city fringes continued in the south side of Adelaide, we now go to the Wigan Oval in Unley for the clash of our southern suburbs clubs in the Double Blues and the Panthers. The Blues won by three goals down at Noarlunga back in Round 3, but probably should have won by a lot more. By half-time, the Blues had kicked to a 37-point lead, South's inaccuracy had them on 10 scores but only one goal. South redeemed themselves somewhat in the second half and had they managed a perfect percentage on goal they may have stolen it, kicking 8.4 to 5.3. Last weekend only the Blues managed to take points, defeating the Bulldogs by four points at Goodman Road, while the Panthers went down by three points to the Redlegs at Noarlunga. Now the last time these sides played each other at Oxford Terrace, the Blues won by 11 points in a low-scoring affair in mid-2021. This match was going to be take a similar tone, with the teams about to engage in yet another Unley arm-wrestling contest. There was no impact from the weather, just an all-out struggle on a sun-lit afternoon. The opening quarter was a tale of two halves, in the first 10 minutes the Panthers kicked 1.1, the Blues then kicking two goals over the next five. Both sides held their lines over the ensuing minutes as Sturt would hold a five-point lead come quarter-time. Things got a little more lively in the second term for the Blues, they kicked 3.2 while the Panthers managed just 1.3 as the home side went into the sheds at half-time with a 16-point lead. With their fifth-placing very much far from assured, the last thing the Unley faithful wanted was for the Blues to have a lapse in intensity, but that is what they got in the third term. The Panthers held the Blues to just two behinds, scoring 2.2 themselves to reduce the home side's lead to four points going into the final stanza. South broke through early in the last quarter, kicking two goals in four minutes. Sturt responded quickly but two crucial missed chances in the following five minutes would end up proving costly. The visitors scored 4.1 to 2.3 to win by a goal in the end, reducing the ladder gap between themselves and the fifth-placed outfit -- for now -- by just two games. Joseph Haines was South's best with 24 disposals and six marks, while the Blues named Casey Voss as their best afield with 33 disposals and 13 marks.

The last of the Saturday matches would find us heading up Port Road as far as Woodville, the Magpies taking on the Bulldogs under the lights of the Maughan Thiem Kia Oval. Back in Round 10 at Elizabeth, the Magpies managed to prevail against a pesky Bulldogs outfit by 17 points. After a goal-less third term, the Magpies were leading by just one straight kick. But with better aerial ability, they got away from the Doggies in the last quarter, kicking three goals to one for one of their three victories up to this point. Last weekend, the Magpies were made to look quite average as the Bloods brought their own winless run to an end at Richmond, while the Bulldogs were unlucky in the final stanza against Sturt at home and went down by four points. Going on that result against Westies and the Dogs' challenge to the Blues would have seen the visitors in as favourites. With a side stacked with AFL talent, the Magpies took a while to settle and to begin with, both sides scored a paltry 1.3 each to tie the scores at quarter-time. The 'Pies started to gel in the second term, even getting out to as much as 19 points up late in the second quarter. That lead was reduced back to just two kicks going into the long break, Port scoring altogether 4.2 to the Bulldogs' 2.2 to lead by 12 points come half-time. The Dogs came into this clash as they did in a game at Noarlunga this year, without their senior coach Paul Thomas who was again obeying quarantine protocols. Port's group of talls were making life hard for them as well, their rucks dominating the centre hitouts. The third quarter was almost a repeat of the opening term, both sides only finding the big sticks once each. The Dogs fluffed two prime chances to bring the gap down to at the very least one straight shot, the Magpies scoring one behind themselves as the margin was down to 11 points at three quarter-time. Port saved their best for last, booting five goals to one to take their lead to a six-kick gap deep into added time to put their advantage beyond the Bulldogs' reach. A pair of late goals to the Dogs made the final margin 23 points, however the Dogs stay in eighth above Port on percentage. Sam Mayes was named Port's best afield, with 29 disposals, eight clearances and six tackles. Centrals named Jarrod Schiller as their best on ground with 19 disposals, 10 tackles and six clearances.

The last match for the weekend takes us to the north side of town and into the Prospect Oval, where the feathers would fly once more between the Roosters and the Eagles. North emerged victorious by 22 points in their last encounter back in the season opener at Oval Avenue, the reigning premiers going from eight points down at half time to almost five goals down at the following break. The Roosters slotted six goals without a miss and kept the Eagles to 2.3 in the third quarter, then the home side had a case of the wobbles in front of goal which snuffed out their chance of a comeback. The Roosters have had a rotten fortnight, consecutive losses to Norwood and then the Crows last week in Whyalla saw them lose top spot. The Eagles' loss to the Tigers saw them sink to sixth on the ladder, putting their premiership defence in jeopardy. The Eagles began on the right note, kicking the first major within a minute of the kick-off. But by quarter-time it was the Roosters in front, they scored 4.3 to 3.1 to lead by eight points at the first change. Then the Roosters turned on some style in the second quarter, breaking away to a 25-point half-time lead after bagging 6.1 to the Eagles' 3.2. Those efforts came at a cost for the second half, the Roosters having to do without a pair of key players due to injuries sustained in the first half. But with the backs doing their job and holding the Eagles' key forwards influence to a minimum, North still dictated the terms. The Roosters had an answer for all the challenges, unlike their past two games to which they needed to produce a response required from a top-three side. Their accuracy was a bit off in the third quarter, but would still further extend their advantage by the final change. They added a further 3.5 to the visitors' 2.1, the deficit out to 35 points at three quarter-time. At afternoon's end, North would re-take their place atop the league ladder. They still skewed several shots, but it didn't matter because the job was done in empatic fashion. The Roosters scored another 3.5 to 1.4 to run out eight goal victors, keeping the Eagles just outside the five and allowing Sturt fans to relax for a couple weeks more. Campbell Combe was named North's best, he racked up 32 disposals, laid 12 tackles and made eight clearances. For the Eagles, they named Sam Rowland as their standout with 25 disposals, eight clearances and six tackles.


FINAL SCORES IN ROUND 16 OF THE SANFL...

Saturday July 23
Norwood 8.17 (65)
Adelaide 7.11 (53)
1,838 @ Coopers Stadium, Norwood

Glenelg 9.12 (66)
West Adelaide 8.9 (57)
1,552 @ Hisense Stadium, Richmond

South Adelaide 8.7 (55)
Sturt 7.7 (49)
2,106 @ Wigan Oval, Unley

Port Adelaide 11.8 (74)
Central District 7.9 (51)
Maughan Thiem Kia Oval, Woodville -- crowd number unknown

Sunday July 24
North Adelaide 16.14 (110)
Woodville-West Torrens 9.8 (62)
1,895 @ Prospect Oval


INJURIES
North -- Grubb (knee), LeBois (hamstring)
W-WT -- Sinor (hand)

REPORTS
West -- Gay (tripping)
Central -- Presbury (rough conduct)
W-WT -- Sinor (rough conduct)


LEAGUE LADDER
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North -- 22pts (11-4-0) 57.8%
Glenelg -- 22pts (11-4-0), 53%
Adelaide -- 20pts (10-5-0), 57.3%
Norwood -- 20pts (10-5-0), 54%
Sturt -- 18pts (9-6-0), 51.8%
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W-WT -- 16pts (8-7-0), 50.7%
South -- 14pts (7-8-0), 49.1%
Central -- 8pts (4-11-0), 43.7%
Port -- 8pts (4-11-0), 41.2%
West -- 2pts (1-14-0), 40.5%
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CROWEATERS OUT-PACED BY SANDGROPERS IN FINAL OUTING
The AFL NAB U-18 National Championships have concluded for 2022, with South Australia going down to Western Australia on Sunday at Pentanet Stadium out in Joondalup. The South Australians opened the goal-scoring quickly, nabbing the opener in the first minute. But when the small forwards of WA got to work, by quarter-time it was the home side ahead by seven points with the board reading 4.2 to 3.1. The Sandgropers could have been much further in front if not for a run of inaccuracy in the second term, but their 3.4 to 2.2 allowed them to stretch it out to 15 points at the long break. The Croweaters had their own trials in front of goal in the third term, but drew the deficit back to just two straight kicks before three quarter-time with their score of 3.3 to WA's 2.1. That was as close as the Croweaters got though, the Sandgropers pulling away for a 20-point victory after outscoring SA 6.3 to 4.2. South Australia would finish with just one win from the series, as did Western Australia. Ashton Moir was named best afield, with four goals and eight marks. For the series overall, the SA MVP was Adam D'Aloia. Call it a measure of serendipity, the remaining game for the tournament will decide the champion, with the two Victorian sides of Metro and Country clashing in Melbourne in late September.

Western Australia 15.10 (100) def. South Australia 12.8 (80)


Next up in Round 17...

Saturday August 6
Central District vs. Norwood; X-Convenience Oval, Elizabeth @ 1:35pm
West Adelaide vs. South Adelaide; Hisense Stadium, Richmond @ 2:10pm
Glenelg vs. North Adelaide; ACH Group Stadium, Glenelg @ 2:10pm
Sturt vs. Port Adelaide; Wigan Oval, Unley @ 2:10pm

Sunday August 7 @ 2:30pm
Woodville-West Torrens vs. Adelaide; Maughan Thiem Kia Oval, Woodville

So until a fortnight's time... see you at the Footy!

R-16, Ladder