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Premiership season 2023 - Round 14 Review

Total Crowd 10,187 (Avg 2,037)

Hi Footy fans...


This past weekend over the border in Victoria, state league football was in the news for all the wrong reasons. In a scenario that many an SA footy-head would dread to happen over here, the true difference between the haves and the have-nots in football was there for all to see as a stand-alone VFL outfit was left devastated in the wake of an AFL-backed onslaught. A 157-point thrashing handed out, the fallen club managing a mere four behinds on their home field. In fact, it was only in the previous week's Melbourne newspapers that this matter was spoken of. I guess you could say that we in the SANFL should be very thankful for what we have with the resources at our disposal keeping them afloat compared to some of the clubs across the border. There are those here that fear such an occurance in our competition and going by one of the results from this past week's action, it is unthinkable that such results could be on the horizon to those died-in-the-wool SANFL supporters. The feeling of a lack of respect from the AFL clubs and by large its supporters -- going by the comments in social media circles -- continues to rile state league fans. This is a fan base which also includes followers of the clubs in the other state leagues who like many in South Australia, are still waiting with bated breath for the boffins in Victoria to get a bonafide national reserves competition running and allow a truly level playing field.

Welcome to the Round 14 edition of the SANFL Wrap-Up.

The first match for the weekend was one of three Saturday afternoon games, down at the Stratarama Stadium in Glenelg for the "Battle of the Sashes" between the Tigers and the Bloods. The Tigers have been on top for the last six outings, the last time was only a few weeks back in Round 10 at Milner Road as Glenelg ran out 37-point victors. The Tigers' second term was the deciding factor, kicking six goals to one to go from nine points up to 40 going into the long break. Inaccuracy by the Tigers in the second half left the door very much open for the Bloods to make a comeback, but despite the litany of opportunities on goal squandered by the Bays and being more efficient in attack, Westies were unable to bridge the gap. Both teams were on the wrong end of the stick last weekend, the Tigers dropping points for only the second time this year to the Crows, while the Bloods went down fighting to Centrals at Richmond. The games today would be somewhat affected by the weather, though there wasn't much rain to speak of it was quite cool and scores were all on the down low. The Bloods would manage the only goal of the opening term, taking a seven-point lead into the quarter-time huddle with the board reading 1.2 to one point. In fact it would take the Tigers almost to the end of the first half to find their opening major, scuffing a pair of chances in the opening minutes of the second term. By the long break, the Bloods would have a 17-point lead after they kicked three goals without a miss. The Tigers were being outworked by a mob that couldn't possibly compare to the Crows last week, but was happening. Cue a massive bake from the Glenelg coach during the half-time caucus in the changerooms. Whatever was said, it eventually had the desired effect. The Bloods would score the first goal of the second half, but it would prove to be their last in the end. Their fans could only watch as slowly, but surely, the home side ate away at their 22-point lead. The Tigers kicked 3.2 in the third to bring the gap back to three points going into the final change. Glenelg finished the job with a 2.3 to two-point end term, another chance lost for the visitors as the Tigers nabbed a 10-point win. Matt Snook was monstrous on the body for the Bays, taking out best afield honours with his 20 disposals and 21 tackles. The Bloods named Kobe Ryan as their best on ground, with 27 disposals, 15 tackles and 11 clearances.

Next up in the wrap for game number two, we're heading up toward the inner northern suburbs and into the Prospect Oval for the very neighbourly war between the Roosters and the Redlegs. North inflicted a nine-goal defeat on the Redlegs in their return bout of last year's Grand Final back in Round 3 at The Parade, kicking seven goals in each half to the premiers' comparably paltry five for the whole game. The Roosters were never headed, wtih a sterling second term and final term allowing them to just run away with the Anzac Trophy and a measure of revenge for their premeirship defeat. Last week the Roosters were made to pay dearly for their inaccuracy against the Magpies, with just six goals from 23 scoring shots and consigning themselves to a 38-point loss. At the same time, Norwood would fall short by just 11 points to the Eagles at Woodville, another big nail in the 'Legs premiership defence. The clouds were more prevalent here than at Brighton Road and did moisten the place up a bit and would make life difficult. It was especially horrid for the Redlegs in the opening term, who couldn't buy a goal and kicked three minor scores to begin with. The Roosters kicked 2.2 to go into the first change with an 11-point lead. The Redlegs did find the sticks in the second term and would actually take the lead at the 11th minute mark. But by the end of the first half they were back behind the ball once more, down by nine points at the long break as the Roosters took advantage of Norwood's ill-timed run of inaccuracy, scoring another 2.2 to 2.4. The eventual disposals tally for the teams would say that the Roosters were more about direct attack with their kick count, while the Redlegs were more reliant on ball movement with a high handball rate. The Roosters would have a turn with the inaccuracy bug when play resumed, but would still be two straight kicks in front when the siren sounded for the final change. They added 1.4 to 1.2, the gap set at 11 points once more at three quarter-time. More missed chances early in the final term by the home side would give Norwood a late sniff as they reeled their closest neighbours back to a one-point deficit with their 2.1 to North's three behinds, but an added time goal and behind put the Redlegs resistance to bed, running out eight point winners and barring a miracle, ending Norwood's flag defence. North would name Harrison Wigg as their best with 26 disposals -- 20 of them kicks -- and eight clearances, while the 'Legs named Matthew Nunn with his 29 disposals, eight clearances and six tackles.

The last of the Saturday games sends us further north to the X-Convenience Oval in Elizabeth for the SANFL's long distance dust-up for the Mayor's Cup game between the Bulldogs and the Panthers. These two teams last met in this year's season opener, the Panthers shook off the first half challenge to run out 26-point winners. The Panthers' first half was underwhelming considering how many scoring shots they had, kicking three goals from 10 scores. They led by just five points at the long break, but that was blown out to 32 by the final change after bagging five goals to one in the third term. If not for a trio of late goals by Centrals, the gap could have been in excess of seven goals. The Doggies bounced back from their defeat at the hands of Adelaide with their first away victory this season against the Bloods last week, while the Panthers came away from Unley with some sore bodies and a loss to Sturt. Centrals started the game with a bang, laying claim to the biggest first quarter score for the day among the three games being played. They kicked 5.3 while the Panthers struggled early for just 1.2, down by 25 points at the first change. But the Panthers would hit back in the second term, cutting that advantage back to a more do-able seven points going into the rooms at half-time, scoring 3.2 to two behinds. The Bulldogs seem to have found a little bit of rhythm, though some minor annoying issues probably still need to be worked on. Never the less, this outfit is an improvement upon recent years where they have finished near the bottom end of the ladder. South on the other hand have been on the verge of finals qualification but since a Preliminary Final finish in 2020, have disappointed. Unfortunately for them, for all their pressing of the Dogs, they wouldn't get within cooee of their goals again. In a reversal of roles from their last encounter, the Dogs put the Panthers on lockdown. When play resumed, they added a further 2.3 to two behinds, taking their lead out to 20 points come three quarter-time. The visitors skewed a further three shots on goal in the last term, the Dogs managing a further 1.2 as they took their seventh victory for the year by 25 points. Harry Grant was named Centrals' best on ground, with 19 disposals, 11 tackles and six clearances. In the South camp, their best was Oliver Davis with 26 disposals, nine marks and six tackles.

Now we've got a couple of Sunday afternoon matches to round out the weekend's action, its now off to the port of Adelaide and into the Alberton Oval where the Magpies clashed with the Double Blues. The last match between these old rivals was back in Round 3 at Oxford Terrace, the Blues coming away with their fifth consecutive victory over the Magpies. A second quarter lull from Port allowed the Blues to go from five points ahead at quarter-time to 34 points, Sturt bagging six goals to one. It was then goal-for-goal as the Blues matches everything the 'Pies had left to run out 38-point winners. From the last five, two of them were at Alberton, their last visit early in 2022 resulted in a hard-fought 13-point win. Both sides were victorious last week, the Magpies taking advantage of a wayward North at home while the Blues won the war of the south at Unley. The scores would be tied up at the quarter-time break, with the board reading 2.2 each. Port started to dominate the late stages of the opening term, but would sandwich their second goal with their two misses. The Blues hit the board quickly in the second term with a major within 30 seconds, but then had some goal-kicking yips for the bulk of the quarter, including three straight behinds in the space of five minutes. The Magpies scored 3.2 to the Blues 2.5, the home side holding a three-point lead at the half-time break. The Blues were moving the ball far better than the Magpies for most of the contest, but as seen in that second quarter, their shooting on goal was letting Port off the hook. Sturt continued to burn cruicial chances in attack during the third term, adding four more behinds to their tally. They should have done more considering how much time they had control of the ball, but would find themselves down by 14 points at three quarter-time thanks to a pair of Port goals late in the term along with three minor scores. It was Port's turn to have some shooting issues in the final term, but despite the Blues finding the goals again, the closest they got was seven points at the 11th minute mark. The Magpies held their nerve, putting a stranglehold on the Blues' attack and scoring 3.6 to 3.1 to run out 19-point victors. Riley Bonner was the standout for Port, with 22 disposals and 10 marks, while the Blues named Tom Lewis as their best with 26 disposals, 13 tackles and six marks.

The last match for the weekend sends us back down Port Road as far as Oval Avenue in Woodville, the Eagles taking on the Crows at Maughan Thiem Kia Oval. The Crows have had the wood on the Eagles for the previous three games, including their Round 9 encounter that ended up at the Adelaide Oval. The Crows won by 23 points that day, despite their inaccuracy in front of goal as they kicked 13.17. But the Eagles have been their own worst enemy this season, several times over the last few weeks they have faded out in the final term, whether it be by a raft of missed chances or running out of legs. Though that wasn't the case last week against the Redlegs, emerging victorious by 11 points in one of the few exceptions of 2023. Adelaide on the other hand shocked the competition with a 20-point win against the ladder leaders at Glenelg, Now obviously, I had given away the result earlier in my little opening spiel, the Crows beginning the afternoon's proceedings by romping away to a 38-point quarter-time lead after kicking 7.3 to the Eagles' 1.1. Adelaide would keep the Eagles stranded on that single goal right up to the long break, adding a further 4.2 to four behinds as the deficit reached a flat 10 goals come half-time. No doubt there would be a few Eagles fans cursing the name of their 2011 premiership coach Michael Godden by this time, his charges putting on an absolute clinic with 13 unanswered goals. Another two on top of that tally were added to the Crows' board within four minutes of the resumption of play before the Eagles finally found their sticks again, the home side doing a bit more with what they could get to cut the gap back a little by the final change. It was reduced to 49 points after a 4.1 to 2.2 third quarter. But Adelaide were back on task after the Eagles' last major of the game, after scoring two behinds they would kick four goals to finish the job and run off with a 69-point win. The Eagles' finals chances aren't done and dusted yet, but with a wasteful first half of football, just how much of a threat can they be? Kieran Strachan was Adelaide best with 25 disposals, 13 marks and 27 hit-outs from the ruck. The Eagles voted in James Rowe as their best afield, with 38 disposals, 11 tackles and eight marks.


FINAL SCORES IN ROUND 14 OF THE SANFL...

Saturday July 22
Glenelg 6.8 (44)
West Adelaide 5.4 (34)
1,830 @ Stratarama Stadium, Glenelg

North Adelaide 6.12 (48)
Norwood 5.10 (40)
1,734 @ Prospect Oval

Central District 8.10 (58)
South Adelaide 4.9 (33)
1,162 @ X-Convenience Oval, Elizabeth

Sunday July 23
Port Adelaide 10.13 (73)
Sturt 7.12 (54)
1,717 @ Alberton Oval

Adelaide 17.9 (111)
Woodville-West Torrens 6.6 (42)
3,744 @ Maughan Thiem Kia Oval, Woodville


INJURIES
Glenelg -- Window (ankle), Chandler (hamstring)
North -- Nutting, Gibson (hamstring)
South -- Trevena (concussion)

REPORTS
Glenelg -- McBean, Searle, Lovelock, Snook, Scharenberg, Hosie (melee)
West -- Steele, Johnson, Mulady, Sherlock, Bock, Redfern, Minchella (melee)
Central -- Larkins (rough conduct)
South -- O'Neill (striking), Bedford (kicking)
Port -- Sutcliffe (striking)


LEAGUE LADDER
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Glenelg -- 24pts (12-2-0), 59.9%
Sturt -- 22pts (11-3-0), 51.8%
Adelaide -- 20pts (10-4-0), 61.1%
Port -- 16pts (8-6-0), 50.6%
North -- 14pts (7-7-0), 46.8%
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Central -- 14pts (7-7-0), 46.7%
W-WT -- 10pts (5-9-0), 46.7%
South -- 8pts (4-10-0), 43.8%
West -- 6pts (3-11-0), 46%
Norwood -- 6pts (3-11-0), 43.5%
--------------------------------------------------------


SANDGROPERS WIN COUNTRYSIDERS CLASH
The South Australian country side were given a first half bath by their Western Australian contemporaries, going down by 45 points in their representative clash in Perth on Saturday. The Croweaters, selected from the teams that played out the recent SA Country Championships in Nuriootpa and coached by former Central District premiership player Rick MacGowan, were outdone in the opening half. They were just two goals adrift at quarter-time, but then a five goal to one second term put the gap out to six straight kicks at the long break. SA were able to string a few more together in the third quarter, kicking four goals to reel WA back to within striking distance, but the Sandgropers responded shortly after to lead by almost five goals at the final break. WA kept the Croweaters to a mere 1.1 in the final term, only inaccuracy from the home side prevented a much more painful gap with their return of 3.5. The loss takes the ledger to 3-7 in these games that began back in 2011. Troy Blackwell of Langhorne Creek (Great Sthn. FL/Southern Zone) was named best afield for South Australia and was awarded the Barry Stringer Medal, other contributors included former Sturt player Sam Colquhoun of Tanunda (BLG/Central Zone), last year's Stringer medallist Matt Wilson and forward Rory Taggert, both of Naracoorte (KNT/South East).

WA Country 15.8 (98) def. SA Country 8.5 (53)


Next weekend in Round 15...

Saturday July 29
Sturt vs. Woodville-West Torrens; Wigan Oval, Unley @ 2:10pm
Adelaide vs. Port Adelaide; Adelaide Oval @ 3:30pm

Sunday July 30 @ 2:10pm
South Adelaide vs. West Adelaide; Flinders University Stadium, Noarlunga
Norwood vs. Central District; Coopers Stadium, Norwood
North Adelaide vs. Glenelg; Prospect Oval


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

R-14, Ladder

Team GP PTS %
GLEN 14 24 59.94
STURT 14 22 51.77
ADEL 14 20 61.08
PORT 14 16 50.65
NORTH 14 14 46.76
CENT 14 14 46.68
W-WT 14 10 46.68
SOUTH 14 8 43.79
WEST 14 6 46.01
NORW 14 6 43.48

Footnotes

* Behinds calculated from the 1965 season on.
+ Score at the end of extra time.