SANFL 2013 -- Round 23 Wrap-Up

Remove this Banner Ad

raboyle

Norm Smith Medallist
May 8, 2001
5,661
803
X Convenience Oval, Elizabeth
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
CDFC (SANFL), Port Melb (VFL)
Hi Footy fans...

So now the business end of the football season begins as we cut loose four clubs, with the other five gearing up for the 2013 SANFL Finals Series. Unfortunately for one club and its die-hard supporters, this was their last season ever in a move that no-one in their wildest dreams would have thought would happen. Next year, the Magpies will be the team that will keep the Power-listed players at match-fit status, under their own governance instead of being at the tender mercy of the other SANFL clubs that host them. This, in effect, means the end of the Magpies and the disappearance of their hardcore supporter base, a move that many other SA footy-heads are lamenting as they say it will cheapen the league and lose that little something that keeps SANFL footy interesting. And will the Power supporters be seen locally? Does the Thomas Seymour-Hill Trophy mean anything to them or their players anymore? Many die-hard SANFL fans say no on both counts.

Welcome to the Round 23 edition of the SANFL Wrap-Up.

In keeping with the aforementioned comments, the first match of the weekend takes us to the Gliderol Stadium in Glenelg as the Tigers faced the Magpies. When you look at the last 12 outings between these two, you'll see the five-match winning streak the Tigers took from early 2009 up to Round 17 in 2010. After that, the two clubs traded blows for the next four games before the Pies strung a few together themselves, completing a hat-trick of wins in Round 17 this season with a narrow victory at Alberton. The true Magpie faithful turned out in force, their cheersquad assembling for the final time with no intention of supporting whatever turns up at Alberton next year. The two sides' opening term was loaded with inaccuracy, the Magpies taking a four-point lead at quarter-time after kicking 3.4 to 2.6 to start the match. The Tigers would hit back in the following term, kicking 5.3 to the Magpies' poor 1.3 as the home side took a 20-point lead into the half-time break. Desperate to go out with a resounding bang, the Magpies dug deep for their faithful in the second half, kicking 4.2 to the Tigers' 2.1 to reduce the gap to just seven points going into the final term. The black & whites would go out with that bang, a captain's goal ensuring victory as the Magpies booted 6.3 to the Tigers' 2.4 in the final quarter to win by 16 points. Zane Kirkwood was named best for the Magpies, while the Tigers named Chris Curran as their best. The Port supporters were a picture of heartbreak after the game, an unfortunate loss for the competition as they have sworn never to support a Power reserves team. The Tigers finished 2013 with the wooden spoon, while Port finished sixth.

The rest of the football action turns to Sunday afternoon, the first match sees us head to the eastern suburbs of Norwood where the Redlegs faced the Roosters at Coopers Stadium. The last 11 games between these clubs sees this year's minor premiers in front by one, the previous two clashes resulting in Rooster victories at Prospect in mid-2012 and early this season. That most recent red & white win was by 21 points, one of three defeats thus far the Redlegs copped in the 2013 minor round. The Redlegs had some serious goal-kicking yips in the early goings, but still held a 10-point lead at quarter-time after kicking 2.7 to 1.3. The inaccuracy bug wouldn't leave yet, but the gap would be extended a little bit by the long break. Despite the Roosters kicking ahead early in the second term, the Redlegs restored their authority as they added 3.4 to 2.3 to be up by 17 points at half-time. The third term would end up being the game-breaker for the Redlegs as they kept the Roosters scoreless for the entire quarter and kick 5.5 to take the deficit out to 52 points. North would end up going into the finals on the back of five successive losses, the Redlegs would add a further four goals without a miss in the final term while the Roosters finished with 4.1 to end the afternoon with a 51-point loss. Matthew Thomas would be named best afield for the Redlegs, while the Roosters named Jay Shannon as their standout. This loss would see the Roosters locked into an Elimination Final, who they faced at this point wasn't entirely set in stone.

Game number three for the weekend finds us heading across to the leafy suburb of Unley, the Double Blues preparing for a Bulldogs assault at Envestra Park. The previous 11 games between these two sees the Bulldogs hold seven victories to the Blues' four, but the Oxford Terrace venue has been a bit of a problem for them for a while. One win from the last eight visits has the Dogs on an "Unley Hoodoo" and the Blues wanted to leave season 2013 on a high by continuing the embarrassment. The on-and-off Bulldogs looked average early on, the Blues' pressure on the ball told straight away as they kicked off to a four-goal lead at quarter-time after booting 7.4 to 3.4. The Doggies reduced that gap a little bit by the long break, they kicked 4.4 to 3.3 in the second quarter to bring the advantage down to 17 points at half-time with a goal on the siren. A Bulldogs comeback looked to have been thwarted at the final change, the Double Blues would extend the deficit again to 22 points after they added a further 3.2 to the visitors' 2.3 in the third quarter, but Centrals weren't going to take this on the eve of the finals. The Sturt faithful would leave Unley stunned and disappointed as the Bulldogs went bonzo in the final quarter, they slammed through 10.3 to a comparably lousy 2.4 to bury the Unley monkey with a 25-point win. Brayden O'Hara was the most mobile cog in the Bulldog outfit and was named best, while the Blues voted for Matthew Jaensch as their best. The Blues finished seventh for the season, at the beginning of the day the Bulldogs could have finished third if other results swung their way.

Which brings us to the final contest for the weekend, we head to the western side of the city to the City Mazda Stadium in Richmond where the Bloods faced the Eagles, the ABC gearing up for finals early by televising this game. Despite having six wins from the last 11 games, the Bloods took the points in the previous two games during this season, both in embarrassing fashion for the Eagles with 51 and 72-point losses at Richmond and Woodville respectively. But this time around, the Bloods were a mere shadow of its normal self with several key players rested from duty and the Eagles were ready to swoop. They started proceedings by kicking 5.4 to 2.1 in the opening term, taking a lead of 21 points into the first change. That gap would be extended to 29 points by half-time, after the Eagles added an extra 5.3 to Westies' 4.1 before the long break. When play resumed, the Eagles moved upon the tactically-depleted Bloods, blasting through 8.1 to a lowly 2.1 from the home side. At the three quarter-time siren, the visitors were away to a 65-point lead and into the double-chance spot. A further 4.3 to 3.3 in the final term would take that gap out to 71 points, elevating the Eagles to second spot on the league table. Also, thanks to superior percentage on the Bloods' part, put the qualifying final spot out of reach of the Bulldogs. The Eagles would vote in Paul Stewart as their standout, while the Bloods named Shane Birss as their best afield. These sides will now face each other again this weekend.

FINAL SCORES IN ROUND 23 OF THE SANFL

Saturday September 7
Port Adelaide 14.12 (96)
Glenelg 11.14 (80)
2,723 @ Gliderol Stadium, Glenelg

Sunday September 8
Norwood 14.16 (100)
North Adelaide 7.7 (49)
4,480 @ Coopers Stadium, Norwood

Central District 19.14 (128)
Sturt 15.13 (103)
2,086 @ Envestra Park, Unley

Woodville-West Torrens 22.11 (143)
West Adelaide 11.6 (72)
City Mazda Stadium, Richmond -- crowd number unknown

South Adelaide had the bye.

INJURIES
Norwood -- Davis (ankle), Donohue (calf)
Central -- Symes (concussion)

REPORTS
None known at time of post


LEAGUE LADDER
Final standings at end of Minor Round
-------------------------------------
Norwood -- 34pts (17-3-0), 62.5%
W-WT -- 26pts (13-7-0), 54.6%
West -- 24pts (12-8-0), 56.3%
Central -- 24pts (12-8-0), 53.4%
North -- 22pts (11-9-0), 54.4%
-------------------------------------
Port -- 16pts (8-12-0), 45.6%
Sturt -- 14pts (7-13-0), 45.8%
South -- 12pts (6-12-0), 38.7%
Glenelg -- 8pts (4-16-0), 41.1%
-------------------------------------

REDLEGS TAKE MINOR PREMIERSHIP BUT MISS OUT ON LEWIS TROPHY
The Norwood FC managed to win the minor premiership with a four-game buffer, but it was Woodville-West Torrens that nicked the Stanley H. Lewis Trophy with rather solid performances across the board, the Eagles either first or second in the three levels of competition. Michael Wundke took out this season's Ken Farmer Medal, finishing the year with 52 majors which was four ahead of nearest rival Andrew Ainger of W-WT.


So now its finals time folks... here's how week one shapes up for all grades!

Saturday September 14
ELIMINATION FINALS -- City Mazda Stadium, Richmond
RESERVES -- Sturt vs. Glenelg @ 2:10pm
U-18's -- Port Adelaide vs. Sturt @ 4:55pm

QUALIFYING FINALS -- Alberton Oval
RESERVES -- North Adelaide vs. Central District @ 11:25am
U-18's -- Woodville-West Torrens vs. Norwood @ 2:10pm

Sunday September 15 @ AAMI Stadium
ELIMINATION FINAL
Central District vs. North Adelaide @ 12:10pm

QUALIFYING FINAL
Woodville-West Torrens vs. West Adelaide @ 3:10pm

Norwood sit out week one.

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

Remove this Banner Ad

Back