- May 8, 2001
- 5,667
- 818
- AFL Club
- Adelaide
- Other Teams
- CDFC (SANFL), Port Melb (VFL)
Hi Footy fans...
Despite over 12000 people turning up at last week's matches, two games were hardly a great way to open the season. However, good things come to those who wait and this past weekend, everyone got what they wanted. Finally, all SA footy-heads were truly involved as we got five games to feast on and we had a couple of belters that were worth getting excited about, which hopefully get some notice and bring even more football lovers through the gates in future. Even better, next weekend is looking like the early season goods with two Friday night matches to kick Round 3 off!
Welcome to the Round 2 edition of the SANFL Wrap-Up.
The first match of the round takes us down south, the lights of Hickinbotham Oval in Noarlunga shone for some Friday Night Football between the Panthers and the Magpies. The Panthers of 2014 enjoyed an astonishing run at the second half of the year. They dropped just three matches from nine -- including a win against Port in Round 15 -- to make a rare appearance in finals, where they eliminated the Eagles and the Blues. Their fairy tale run was brought to an end by the Magpies in the Preliminary Final by 20 points. Much progress had been made during that season, and after South's victory last week this was to be their first real test for 2015. The early stages of the evening would have had many Panther fans thinking they could really take it up to the 'Pies, despite them being down by 11 points at the first change after kicking 2.2 to Port's 4.1. But from there it was the black & white show as the Magpies imposed themselves heavily on the Panthers. With a side boasting 18 Power-listed players, Port taking advantage of several errors during the second term to keep Souths to just one goal while kicking 4.3 for themselves. At the half-time break, the Magpies were out to a 32-point lead. When play resumed, Port's miserly ways continued to keep the Panthers out of the contest. Again they allowed just one goal to the home side, that and the two behinds South managed against Port's 5.3 would see the gap stretch out to 57 points by three quarter-time. The Magpies didn't need to do much to finish off, the final quarter saw them add 3.4 to the Panthers' 2.1 to open their 2015 account with an 11-goal win. Andrew Moore was named best for the Magpies, while South named Joel Cross as their best afield.
Saturday afternoon football is next in the wrap, so its off to the inner-southern suburb of Unley where the re-christened field of Peter Motley Oval hosted the Seven TV clash between the Double Blues and the Tigers. The Blues went into September with so much promise, a third-place finish at the end of the minor round gave them the double chance. Coming into those finals however, was a loss to the Panthers and it seems that could have been the real beginning of their 2014 downfall. The Blues were turfed out of the finals in straight sets, a nine-point loss to eventual premiers Norwood and an embarrassing 68-point defeat by their final round assailants. Last week's fighting loss to the Redlegs no doubt left some bad taste in their mouths, but Glenelg was looking to atone for a second half fade out so both had something to prove. The first term was rather evenly fought with plenty of goals going in. Sturt would take a one-point lead at quarter-time after kicking 4.2 to Glenelg's 4.1. Inaccuracy became a problem in the second term for the Blues, but were still able to stretch out their lead by the end of the half. They would kick 4.5 to the Tigers' 2.1, taking the deficit to 17 points by the break. The Tigers returned to the field with some attitude when play resumed, shades of last week's opening term coming to the fore when they kicked six goals without a miss to Sturt's 3.3 in the third quarter. At the final change the scores were level at 76 points each. But once again the Tigers' would not take full advantage of their opposition's slips, the Blues broke away from the visitors in the final term by kicking 5.4 whilst restricting the Bays to just one goal. Sturt would take a 28-point win, named Zane Kirkwood as their best on ground while the Tigers named Clint Alleway as their best with his six goals.
In match number three of the weekend, we head to the inner northern suburbs to the Prospect Oval where the Roosters hosted the Crows. There was an air of deja vu around the chook-house this day, this was the fashion that these teams opened their 2014 seasons when they met up in Round 1 last year. There was a share of the spoils for the two sides over the two games played, with the Roosters welcoming the new team in their inaugural clash with a 47-point belting and the Crows returning later in the year to take a four-point win in Round 11. The Crows came into this match with nine extras -- six more than the Magpies -- in a side that included spearhead James Podsiadly. It didn't seem to rattle the Roosters much in the first term, taking advantage of an inaccurate Adelaide who kicked 1.6 to 3.3 to open proceedings. At quarter-time, North were ahead by nine points. But the tables would turn in the Crows' favour in the second term, the inaccuracy bug switching camps as the Roosters kicked 1.4 to Adelaide's five goals without a miss. At the half-time break, the Crows held an 11-point lead. The third quarter would resemble an arm-wrestling match, but the AFL muscle would dwindle a little bit with a couple of injuries during that term, one of which would claim their drawcard forward in J-Pod. Poor shooting on goal was also to become an issue as they kicked 4.6 to 4.1 to extend their lead to 16 points by three quarter-time. The Roosters would then launch their last ditch comeback, taking the lead in the final minutes with their 5.4 to 2.3 closing term and then locking up the ball in their attacking zone to take a three-point win. Rhys O'Keeffe took best player honours for North while the Crows named Scott Thompson as their best afield.
The third Saturday arvo game takes us further north, up to the Playford Alive Oval in Elizabeth where the Bulldogs faced the Redlegs. The Bulldogs of 2014 went down as the first team from the Dog-pound to miss finals football since 1999, losing their final round match to North and other results not falling their way for a seventh-placed finish. Against the Redlegs in 2014, the Dogs made a distinct impression on the 2013 champions after handing them a seven-goal loss. That would be addressed later in the season, the 'Legs downing the Dogs on a sodden Coopers Stadium by 28 points in Round 12. The Ponderosa hasn't held too many fears for the Redlegs, before last season's loss they had won the previous three visits. The first quarter would see the 'Legs get away to a two-goal lead by the first change, kicking 3.1 to 1.1. Better ball use by Norwood was the difference maker during the first half, although the Dogs did manage to stymie some attacks on goal during the second term which allowed the 'Legs to to kick only 2.1 to 1.3. At the long break, the visitors were ahead by 16 points. This was going to be a relatively low scoring affair, many probably expecting the reigning premiers to run rings around the Bulldogs. The home side would reduce the gap back to just within striking distance by the final change, when play resumed they kicked three goals to the Redlegs' 2.2 to bring them back to a two-goal deficit. Unfortunately, the 'Legs would survive the Bulldogs' charge, two goals in the final minutes out of their 4.1 to 2.1 last quarter efforts would see them take the points with a four-goal victory. Ben Jefferies was voted best on ground for Norwood, Centrals would vote Travis Schiller as their standout.
In the final match for the weekend, we head over to the Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval in Woodville for the SANFL's "West Side Story" between the Eagles and the Bloods. The Eagles were the first casualty of the 2014 Finals Series, taken down by the Panthers in the Elimination Final by 20 points. The Bloods were watching from the sidelines after yet another forgettable season where they finished ninth, avoiding the wooden spoon by four points on the league ladder. Against the Eagles last season, the Bloods had no luck, going down by 63 points at Oval Avenue in Round 18 and by 10 points in Round 2. Westies' last victory was in the Qualifying Final of 2013, by seven points in AAMI Stadium's final year. Some optimism has returned to Richmond, Jason Porplyzia making his return to the Bloods after retiring from the AFL and the Crows. The Eagles would start off best, they opened the match with a 3.2 to two goal first quarter to take an eight-point lead at the first change. The Bloods would answer back in the second term to level things up by half-time, kicking 4.3 to 3.1 to make it 39 points each by the break. When the teams returned to action for the second half, the Eagles fans would have believed that after kicking six goals to one and getting out to a five-goal lead in injury time, that they were away. But two late goals to West would burn that theory though, a single behind extra to each side and we had a three-goal gap going into the final stanza. The Bloods would silence the home crowd with a further six unanswered goals plus a miss and withstand a late Eagles fightback of 2.1 to nick a one-goal win. Chris Schmidt led by example and was rewarded with best afield honours, the Eagles would name Luke Jarrad as their best.
FINAL SCORES IN ROUND 2 OF THE SANFL...
Friday April 10
Port Adelaide 16.11 (107)
South Adelaide 6.5 (41)
1,683 @ Hickinbotham Oval, Noarlunga
Saturday April 11
Sturt 16.14 (110)
Glenelg 13.4 (82)
2,717 @ Peter Motley Oval, Unley
North Adelaide 13.12 (90)
Adelaide 12.15 (87)
2,465 @ Prospect Oval
Norwood 11.5 (71)
Central District 7.5 (47)
2,655 @ Playford Alive Oval, Elizabeth
West Adelaide 15.5 (95)
Woodville-West Torrens 14.5 (89)
1,985 @ Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval, Woodville
INJURIES
Sturt -- Evans (shoulder)
Adelaide -- Podsiadly (hip), Dear (shoulder)
REPORTS
Adelaide -- Podsiadly (striking)
Glenelg -- Alleway (intentional tripping)
LEAGUE LADDER
----------------------------------------
Norwood -- 4pts (2-0-0), 58.1%
Port -- 2pts (1-0-0), 72.3%
West -- 2pts (1-0-0), 51.6%
Sturt -- 2pts (1-0-0), 51.3%
North -- 2pts (1-0-0), 50.9%
----------------------------------------
South -- 2pts (1-1-0), 42.9%
Adelaide -- 0pts (0-1-0), 49.2%
W-WT -- 0pts (0-1-0), 48.4%
Glenelg -- 0pts (0-1-0), 43.4%
Central -- 0pts (0-1-0), 39.8%
----------------------------------------
Next weekend in Round 3...
Friday April 17 @ 7:10pm
Glenelg vs. Central District; Gliderol Stadium, Glenelg
West Adelaide vs. Adelaide; City Mazda Stadium, Richmond
Saturday April 18 @ 12:10pm
North Adelaide vs. Port Adelaide; Prospect Oval
Sunday April 19 @ 2:10pm
Woodville-West Torrens vs. Norwood; Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval, Woodville
South Adelaide vs. Sturt; Hickinbotham Oval, Noarlunga
So until next time... see you at the Footy!
Despite over 12000 people turning up at last week's matches, two games were hardly a great way to open the season. However, good things come to those who wait and this past weekend, everyone got what they wanted. Finally, all SA footy-heads were truly involved as we got five games to feast on and we had a couple of belters that were worth getting excited about, which hopefully get some notice and bring even more football lovers through the gates in future. Even better, next weekend is looking like the early season goods with two Friday night matches to kick Round 3 off!
Welcome to the Round 2 edition of the SANFL Wrap-Up.
The first match of the round takes us down south, the lights of Hickinbotham Oval in Noarlunga shone for some Friday Night Football between the Panthers and the Magpies. The Panthers of 2014 enjoyed an astonishing run at the second half of the year. They dropped just three matches from nine -- including a win against Port in Round 15 -- to make a rare appearance in finals, where they eliminated the Eagles and the Blues. Their fairy tale run was brought to an end by the Magpies in the Preliminary Final by 20 points. Much progress had been made during that season, and after South's victory last week this was to be their first real test for 2015. The early stages of the evening would have had many Panther fans thinking they could really take it up to the 'Pies, despite them being down by 11 points at the first change after kicking 2.2 to Port's 4.1. But from there it was the black & white show as the Magpies imposed themselves heavily on the Panthers. With a side boasting 18 Power-listed players, Port taking advantage of several errors during the second term to keep Souths to just one goal while kicking 4.3 for themselves. At the half-time break, the Magpies were out to a 32-point lead. When play resumed, Port's miserly ways continued to keep the Panthers out of the contest. Again they allowed just one goal to the home side, that and the two behinds South managed against Port's 5.3 would see the gap stretch out to 57 points by three quarter-time. The Magpies didn't need to do much to finish off, the final quarter saw them add 3.4 to the Panthers' 2.1 to open their 2015 account with an 11-goal win. Andrew Moore was named best for the Magpies, while South named Joel Cross as their best afield.
Saturday afternoon football is next in the wrap, so its off to the inner-southern suburb of Unley where the re-christened field of Peter Motley Oval hosted the Seven TV clash between the Double Blues and the Tigers. The Blues went into September with so much promise, a third-place finish at the end of the minor round gave them the double chance. Coming into those finals however, was a loss to the Panthers and it seems that could have been the real beginning of their 2014 downfall. The Blues were turfed out of the finals in straight sets, a nine-point loss to eventual premiers Norwood and an embarrassing 68-point defeat by their final round assailants. Last week's fighting loss to the Redlegs no doubt left some bad taste in their mouths, but Glenelg was looking to atone for a second half fade out so both had something to prove. The first term was rather evenly fought with plenty of goals going in. Sturt would take a one-point lead at quarter-time after kicking 4.2 to Glenelg's 4.1. Inaccuracy became a problem in the second term for the Blues, but were still able to stretch out their lead by the end of the half. They would kick 4.5 to the Tigers' 2.1, taking the deficit to 17 points by the break. The Tigers returned to the field with some attitude when play resumed, shades of last week's opening term coming to the fore when they kicked six goals without a miss to Sturt's 3.3 in the third quarter. At the final change the scores were level at 76 points each. But once again the Tigers' would not take full advantage of their opposition's slips, the Blues broke away from the visitors in the final term by kicking 5.4 whilst restricting the Bays to just one goal. Sturt would take a 28-point win, named Zane Kirkwood as their best on ground while the Tigers named Clint Alleway as their best with his six goals.
In match number three of the weekend, we head to the inner northern suburbs to the Prospect Oval where the Roosters hosted the Crows. There was an air of deja vu around the chook-house this day, this was the fashion that these teams opened their 2014 seasons when they met up in Round 1 last year. There was a share of the spoils for the two sides over the two games played, with the Roosters welcoming the new team in their inaugural clash with a 47-point belting and the Crows returning later in the year to take a four-point win in Round 11. The Crows came into this match with nine extras -- six more than the Magpies -- in a side that included spearhead James Podsiadly. It didn't seem to rattle the Roosters much in the first term, taking advantage of an inaccurate Adelaide who kicked 1.6 to 3.3 to open proceedings. At quarter-time, North were ahead by nine points. But the tables would turn in the Crows' favour in the second term, the inaccuracy bug switching camps as the Roosters kicked 1.4 to Adelaide's five goals without a miss. At the half-time break, the Crows held an 11-point lead. The third quarter would resemble an arm-wrestling match, but the AFL muscle would dwindle a little bit with a couple of injuries during that term, one of which would claim their drawcard forward in J-Pod. Poor shooting on goal was also to become an issue as they kicked 4.6 to 4.1 to extend their lead to 16 points by three quarter-time. The Roosters would then launch their last ditch comeback, taking the lead in the final minutes with their 5.4 to 2.3 closing term and then locking up the ball in their attacking zone to take a three-point win. Rhys O'Keeffe took best player honours for North while the Crows named Scott Thompson as their best afield.
The third Saturday arvo game takes us further north, up to the Playford Alive Oval in Elizabeth where the Bulldogs faced the Redlegs. The Bulldogs of 2014 went down as the first team from the Dog-pound to miss finals football since 1999, losing their final round match to North and other results not falling their way for a seventh-placed finish. Against the Redlegs in 2014, the Dogs made a distinct impression on the 2013 champions after handing them a seven-goal loss. That would be addressed later in the season, the 'Legs downing the Dogs on a sodden Coopers Stadium by 28 points in Round 12. The Ponderosa hasn't held too many fears for the Redlegs, before last season's loss they had won the previous three visits. The first quarter would see the 'Legs get away to a two-goal lead by the first change, kicking 3.1 to 1.1. Better ball use by Norwood was the difference maker during the first half, although the Dogs did manage to stymie some attacks on goal during the second term which allowed the 'Legs to to kick only 2.1 to 1.3. At the long break, the visitors were ahead by 16 points. This was going to be a relatively low scoring affair, many probably expecting the reigning premiers to run rings around the Bulldogs. The home side would reduce the gap back to just within striking distance by the final change, when play resumed they kicked three goals to the Redlegs' 2.2 to bring them back to a two-goal deficit. Unfortunately, the 'Legs would survive the Bulldogs' charge, two goals in the final minutes out of their 4.1 to 2.1 last quarter efforts would see them take the points with a four-goal victory. Ben Jefferies was voted best on ground for Norwood, Centrals would vote Travis Schiller as their standout.
In the final match for the weekend, we head over to the Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval in Woodville for the SANFL's "West Side Story" between the Eagles and the Bloods. The Eagles were the first casualty of the 2014 Finals Series, taken down by the Panthers in the Elimination Final by 20 points. The Bloods were watching from the sidelines after yet another forgettable season where they finished ninth, avoiding the wooden spoon by four points on the league ladder. Against the Eagles last season, the Bloods had no luck, going down by 63 points at Oval Avenue in Round 18 and by 10 points in Round 2. Westies' last victory was in the Qualifying Final of 2013, by seven points in AAMI Stadium's final year. Some optimism has returned to Richmond, Jason Porplyzia making his return to the Bloods after retiring from the AFL and the Crows. The Eagles would start off best, they opened the match with a 3.2 to two goal first quarter to take an eight-point lead at the first change. The Bloods would answer back in the second term to level things up by half-time, kicking 4.3 to 3.1 to make it 39 points each by the break. When the teams returned to action for the second half, the Eagles fans would have believed that after kicking six goals to one and getting out to a five-goal lead in injury time, that they were away. But two late goals to West would burn that theory though, a single behind extra to each side and we had a three-goal gap going into the final stanza. The Bloods would silence the home crowd with a further six unanswered goals plus a miss and withstand a late Eagles fightback of 2.1 to nick a one-goal win. Chris Schmidt led by example and was rewarded with best afield honours, the Eagles would name Luke Jarrad as their best.
FINAL SCORES IN ROUND 2 OF THE SANFL...
Friday April 10
Port Adelaide 16.11 (107)
South Adelaide 6.5 (41)
1,683 @ Hickinbotham Oval, Noarlunga
Saturday April 11
Sturt 16.14 (110)
Glenelg 13.4 (82)
2,717 @ Peter Motley Oval, Unley
North Adelaide 13.12 (90)
Adelaide 12.15 (87)
2,465 @ Prospect Oval
Norwood 11.5 (71)
Central District 7.5 (47)
2,655 @ Playford Alive Oval, Elizabeth
West Adelaide 15.5 (95)
Woodville-West Torrens 14.5 (89)
1,985 @ Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval, Woodville
INJURIES
Sturt -- Evans (shoulder)
Adelaide -- Podsiadly (hip), Dear (shoulder)
REPORTS
Adelaide -- Podsiadly (striking)
Glenelg -- Alleway (intentional tripping)
LEAGUE LADDER
----------------------------------------
Norwood -- 4pts (2-0-0), 58.1%
Port -- 2pts (1-0-0), 72.3%
West -- 2pts (1-0-0), 51.6%
Sturt -- 2pts (1-0-0), 51.3%
North -- 2pts (1-0-0), 50.9%
----------------------------------------
South -- 2pts (1-1-0), 42.9%
Adelaide -- 0pts (0-1-0), 49.2%
W-WT -- 0pts (0-1-0), 48.4%
Glenelg -- 0pts (0-1-0), 43.4%
Central -- 0pts (0-1-0), 39.8%
----------------------------------------
Next weekend in Round 3...
Friday April 17 @ 7:10pm
Glenelg vs. Central District; Gliderol Stadium, Glenelg
West Adelaide vs. Adelaide; City Mazda Stadium, Richmond
Saturday April 18 @ 12:10pm
North Adelaide vs. Port Adelaide; Prospect Oval
Sunday April 19 @ 2:10pm
Woodville-West Torrens vs. Norwood; Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval, Woodville
South Adelaide vs. Sturt; Hickinbotham Oval, Noarlunga
So until next time... see you at the Footy!
