- May 8, 2001
- 5,667
- 818
- AFL Club
- Adelaide
- Other Teams
- CDFC (SANFL), Port Melb (VFL)
Hi Footy fans...
The first week of the 2015 SANFL IGA League Finals Series saw a huge elimination with Norwood being bundled out, the surprise packet of the late season in Central District sinking any chance of a fourth consecutive premiership heading to The Parade. Then we saw the Bloods down the Magpies in an unbelievable turnaround of fortunes in the Qualifying Final, after only a week since their Round 19 meeting where Port emerged with the win, the tables were well and truly turned and sent the 'Pies into sudden death mode with a confident Bulldog outfit on their tails. Waiting in the wings -- pardon the pun -- was the Eagles who took the minor premiership and were rewarded with a berth in the second week of the finals. Game on at the Adelaide Oval!
Welcome to this Week 2 edition of the SANFL Finals Wrap-Up.
The first match is the cut-throat 1st Semi-Final between the Magpies and the Bulldogs. As mentioned above, the Magpies were taken down by the Bloods in the Qualifying Final, just over a week removed from their last minor round clash at Alberton Oval where the home side won. The Dogs on the other hand earlier that day would dump the Redlegs from the premiership race in emphatic fashion, signalling their winning return to finals action with their 44-point victory. But the Magpies have presented a problem to the Bulldogs in 2015, with both matches ending in Port victories at both Alberton and Elizabeth. Back in Round 9, the Magpies flew into the Ponderosa and took an eight-point win, then backed up again at the 'Pies nest in Round 16 by 17 points. Even more worrying, especially for Centrals fans, was that 14 AFL-listed players would be taking to the field. The Bulldogs have played in eight 1st Semi-Finals, for only 50% success with their first appearance coming back in 1971 when they defeated Sturt, ending their storied 1966-1970 premiership run. Their last showing in this match was just two years ago in what was their most recent finals appearance, their 2013 season ended by the Roosters to the tune of 88 points. The Magpies have been in this situation on 13 occasions for eight victories, their last 1st Semi was back in 2001 where they accounted for Norwood by 44 points. They have also taken two flags from this position, the first being in 1959 and the last being back in 1998 where they also faced their old rivals for a massive 76-point win.
The Bulldogs faithful were out in force, in fact this game probably had more people on the terraces than the later fixture! To everybody's surprise, the Dogs got off to a flying start to open the afternoon's proceedings. The Magpies' two goals in the first term would come from John Butcher grubber kicks, but not until over half-way through the quarter. By quarter-time, the Dogs would hold a 21-point lead, goals coming from the likes of Caleb Edmead, Wayne Milera and captain Paul Thomas to score 5.3. The tempo slowed up a bit from that opening stanza, but the gap would be extended by the long break. The Magpies relied too much on long bombs, only breaking through for two majors from three scores through Louis Sharrad and Will Frampton. Milera would bob up again in goal with his duck-and-weave effort, the Dogs would add 3.3 to their tally as Centrals would be out to a 29-point lead at half-time. Now the Bulldogs' 2015 season has been littered with wasteful third quarter efforts and it was about to happen again as the Magpies came back to the field an entirely different mob, their half-time break was spent with coach Garry Hocking probably giving them something to think about... and they responded. Three goals in the third quarter, including ones from Frampton and Butcher bringing it back to a three-goal deficit at three quarter-time, the Dogs couldn't find a major to take seven behinds. One highlight for the Dogs in that term was a chase down by Luke Habel on Kane Mitchell. The final term was a nail-biter, the Magpies just kept on coming with 4.1, Andrew Moore and Anthony Biemans added to the scoresheet. But Kyle Presbury and Milera's goals and a behind and another chase down tackle in the Magpies' goalsquare on Frampton by Matt Prior would see the Dogs through to next week with their five-point victory. The captains were the standouts for the day, Paul Thomas and Steve Summerton named best for their respective sides.
The 2nd Semi-Final was next up, the Eagles coming off their hard-earned week off to face the Bloods. The Eagles took out all the minor premierships, swept the pools to also win the Stanley H. Lewis Trophy, their U-18's and Reserves are in their respective Grand Finals so now it was down to the League side to do the same. Westies helped send the Magpies on their way out last week, but while they were able to get the better of the Eagles earlier this season with their one-goal win at Woodville in Round 2, their return bout in Round 12 at Richmond was a 15-point loss. The Eagles would go in more fancied, having only dropped two games to the Bloods' five. In these matches, the Eagles have contested eight to Westies' 12. The Eagles' last appearance was in 2006, where they went down to the Bulldogs but then reversed the result in a big way two weeks later to win the flag. During the 2000's, they had appeared in four 2nd Semi's, half of their overall tally. The Bloods' were in the 2013 match, beaten soundly by the Redlegs by 56 points. It was a case of deja vu, seeing as the same thing happened in 2012 in one of the lowest scoring 2nd Semi-Finals in recent memory, the Bloods losing that match by 44 points. Their overall winning record out of their 12 is four. But this would be the first time these teams had ever met in this type of final. Before the 1991 merger, the four premiership years of West Torrens never had the Bloods in their way and Woodville had never made it into this match.
The crowd had largely dispersed by this time with the rowdy Bulldogs army gone, the terraces looking a bit less populated. But whoever stayed behind at least for the first term were greeted with a fierce opening term, the Eagles drew first blood thanks to Angus Rowntree, but his day would end not too long after the Bloods kicked their first through Will Snelling. His knee injury would find him taken off the ground on a stretcher. James Boyd and Andrew Ainger added themselves to the goals list, altogether the Eagles managed 4.1 to the Bloods' 3.1, a goal the difference at the first change. The Eagles would turn it up a bit in the second term, Boyd again finding the big sticks along with Michael Wundke's double among the Eagles' 3.3, the Bloods needed Jason Porplyzia's late major to keep the margin blowing out but it was their only goal of the term from two scores. At half-time, the Eagles were ahead by 20 points. The Eagles got straight into it when play resumed with Ainger's goal within seconds of the restart of play, but 3.6 in the "premiership quarter" is not one they wouldn't be looking to fondly on. The Bloods provided one for the highlights reel in this term, Aaron Anderson sinking one from deep in the south-west pocket among Westies' 2.2. The margin was extended to 30 points when it probably should have been more and put to bed right there. The Bloods made one last run at the Eagles in the final quarter, keeping them to just 1.3, but the inaccuracy bug found its way into the West Adelaide camp and they a horrid kicked 3.7. The Eagles would book their Grand Final spot, winning by 14 points. Andrew Ainger was named best for the Eagles, the Bloods voting in Aaron Anderson as their standout.
FINAL SCORES IN WEEK 2 OF THE 2015 SANFL FINALS...
Sunday September 13
1st SEMI-FINAL
Central District 10.14 (74)
Port Adelaide 11.3 (69)
2nd SEMI-FINAL
Woodville-West Torrens 11.13 (79)
West Adelaide 9.11 (65)
9,247 @ Adelaide Oval
INJURIES
W-WT -- Rowntree (knee), Poole (knee)
West -- Fielke (concussion), Hill (concussion)
OTHER FINALS -- Eagles into Reserves decider, U-18 team to face 'Legs
At City Mazda Stadium in Richmond, after being down at every change, the Roosters overturned a 20-point three quarter-time deficit into a nine-point win in the Reserves 1st Semi-Final on Saturday morning. Despite their inaccuracy keeping the Tigers in the game, the Roosters kept their opponents to just 1.2 in the final term and kick 5.7 for themselves to secure a Preliminary Final berth, Sam DeLeonardis named best for North. They will now face the Magpies, who went down to the Eagles by 40 points in the 2nd Semi-Final. Amazingly, the undefeated Eagles were down by six goals at quarter-time. But they would rise to the early challenge to strangle the Magpies' goal supply, restricting them to a further two goals over the second and third terms. Behind by five points at the final change, the Eagles put the foot down, kicking seven goals to win by 40 points. Thomas Whittlesea was named the Eagles' best. In the Macca's Cup, the Redlegs won the right to face the Eagles in the Grand Final after disposing of North Adelaide by six goals in the twilight U-18's Preliminary Final. The 'Legs went on the all-out attack in the second and third terms, holding the Roosters to just four goals whilst kicking 13 in the middle quarters. Mitchell Carter bagged six, but best on ground votes went to Harry Cross.
RESERVES 1st SEMI-FINAL -- North Adelaide 14.12 (96) def. Glenelg 12.15 (87)
RESERVES 2nd SEMI-FINAL -- Woodville-West Torrens 15.9 (99) def. Port Adelaide 9.5 (59)
U-18's PRELIMINARY FINAL -- Norwood 16.7 (103) def. North Adelaide 10.7 (67)
A SECOND MEDAL FOR CROSS
Polling a total of 25 votes, South Adelaide's Joel Cross has taken out the 2015 Magarey Medal, four votes ahead of Eagle Angus Rowntree and five ahead of Bulldogs' captain Paul Thomas. This is his second league best and fairest honour after sharing the 2012 medal with Brad Symes. He is the seventh Panther to take the prize, putting himself alongside South greats such as Mark Naley, Jim Deane and Dan Moriarty. Also presented on the night was the Powerade Star Search Award, the Bulldogs taking it for a fifth time in succession with Chris Jansen winning this year's award after being lured to Elizabeth from the Belconnen Magpies in the NEAFL.
SA FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME
The South Australian Football Hall of Fame saw five inductees for 2015, with four former players including a Magpie legend, a Norwood and Adelaide premiership hero, a former Crow and legend of bush footy, a multiple time Sturt B&F winner as well as a long-serving administrator of the game in SA. Check out the accolades below...
TIM GINEVER
Played: 314 SANFL games (302 goals) with Port Adelaide, 1983-1997. Represented SA once.
Coached: Port Adelaide (SANFL), 2006-9; Port Adelaide (AFL) as assistant, 1998 and 2005.
Served: Port Adelaide Magpies football committee, 2000-2003; board, 2003-4.
Honours: Port Adelaide SANFL premiership, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995 and 1996; Port Adelaide SANFL best-and-fairest, 1994 and 1997; Port Adelaide Hall of Fame, 1998.
BRETT JAMES
Played: 234 SANFL games (73 goals) with Norwood, 1990-93, 1997-98 and 2000-2006; 42 AFL games (26 goals) with Collingwood, 1994-96 and 76 AFL games (26 goals) with Adelaide, 1997-2000. Represented SA three times.
Honours: Adelaide AFL premiership team, 1997 and ‘98; Norwood SANFL premiership team, 1997; Norwood captain, 2002-2006; State captain, 2001-2002; Norwood best-and-fairest, 2002, 2003 and 2005; Norwood Hall of Fame.
Country Football: Playing coach at Hills Football League club Kersbrook 2007-current; 2008, 09, 2012 premierships.
RODNEY MAYNARD
Played: 157 SANFL games (159 goals) with Norwood, 1984-1990, 1993 and 1995 ; 81 AFL games (24 goals) with Adelaide. Represented SA three times.
Honours: Norwood best-and-fairest, 1989; leading goalkicker, 1988. Adelaide first Team of the Decade.
Country Football: Six Mail Medals in Mallee Football League and six senior premierships at Lameroo. Represented SA Country. Coach of Lameroo and umpire in MFL.
JOHN PAYNTER
Played: 70 SANFL games (82 goals) with Glenelg, 1980-82; 246 games (249 goals) with Sturt, 1983-1992. Represented SA six times.
Honours: Sturt best-and-fairest, 1983, 1986, 1989, 1991; Sturt and SANFL life member.
LEIGH WHICKER AM
Played: 43 SANFL games (18 goals) with Sturt, 1963-66.
Served: Sturt as secretary-general manager, 1969-1971; SANFL as catering manager, 1974-81; functions manager, 1981-82; stadium manager, 1983-84; general manager, 1984-2014; SA Football Commission, 1990-2014.
Honours: SANFL life membership, 1996; AFL life membership, 2004; Sturt Hall of Fame, 2006.
Next week's finals schedule...
Saturday September 19
RESERVES PRELIMINARY FINAL
Port Adelaide vs. North Adelaide; City Mazda Stadium, Richmond @ 11:25am
Sunday September 20 @ Adelaide Oval
U-18 MACCA'S CUP GRAND FINAL
Woodville-West Torrens vs. Norwood @ 11:25am
LEAGUE PRELIMINARY FINAL
West Adelaide vs. Central District @ 2:10pm
So until next weekend... see you at the Footy!
The first week of the 2015 SANFL IGA League Finals Series saw a huge elimination with Norwood being bundled out, the surprise packet of the late season in Central District sinking any chance of a fourth consecutive premiership heading to The Parade. Then we saw the Bloods down the Magpies in an unbelievable turnaround of fortunes in the Qualifying Final, after only a week since their Round 19 meeting where Port emerged with the win, the tables were well and truly turned and sent the 'Pies into sudden death mode with a confident Bulldog outfit on their tails. Waiting in the wings -- pardon the pun -- was the Eagles who took the minor premiership and were rewarded with a berth in the second week of the finals. Game on at the Adelaide Oval!
Welcome to this Week 2 edition of the SANFL Finals Wrap-Up.
The first match is the cut-throat 1st Semi-Final between the Magpies and the Bulldogs. As mentioned above, the Magpies were taken down by the Bloods in the Qualifying Final, just over a week removed from their last minor round clash at Alberton Oval where the home side won. The Dogs on the other hand earlier that day would dump the Redlegs from the premiership race in emphatic fashion, signalling their winning return to finals action with their 44-point victory. But the Magpies have presented a problem to the Bulldogs in 2015, with both matches ending in Port victories at both Alberton and Elizabeth. Back in Round 9, the Magpies flew into the Ponderosa and took an eight-point win, then backed up again at the 'Pies nest in Round 16 by 17 points. Even more worrying, especially for Centrals fans, was that 14 AFL-listed players would be taking to the field. The Bulldogs have played in eight 1st Semi-Finals, for only 50% success with their first appearance coming back in 1971 when they defeated Sturt, ending their storied 1966-1970 premiership run. Their last showing in this match was just two years ago in what was their most recent finals appearance, their 2013 season ended by the Roosters to the tune of 88 points. The Magpies have been in this situation on 13 occasions for eight victories, their last 1st Semi was back in 2001 where they accounted for Norwood by 44 points. They have also taken two flags from this position, the first being in 1959 and the last being back in 1998 where they also faced their old rivals for a massive 76-point win.
The Bulldogs faithful were out in force, in fact this game probably had more people on the terraces than the later fixture! To everybody's surprise, the Dogs got off to a flying start to open the afternoon's proceedings. The Magpies' two goals in the first term would come from John Butcher grubber kicks, but not until over half-way through the quarter. By quarter-time, the Dogs would hold a 21-point lead, goals coming from the likes of Caleb Edmead, Wayne Milera and captain Paul Thomas to score 5.3. The tempo slowed up a bit from that opening stanza, but the gap would be extended by the long break. The Magpies relied too much on long bombs, only breaking through for two majors from three scores through Louis Sharrad and Will Frampton. Milera would bob up again in goal with his duck-and-weave effort, the Dogs would add 3.3 to their tally as Centrals would be out to a 29-point lead at half-time. Now the Bulldogs' 2015 season has been littered with wasteful third quarter efforts and it was about to happen again as the Magpies came back to the field an entirely different mob, their half-time break was spent with coach Garry Hocking probably giving them something to think about... and they responded. Three goals in the third quarter, including ones from Frampton and Butcher bringing it back to a three-goal deficit at three quarter-time, the Dogs couldn't find a major to take seven behinds. One highlight for the Dogs in that term was a chase down by Luke Habel on Kane Mitchell. The final term was a nail-biter, the Magpies just kept on coming with 4.1, Andrew Moore and Anthony Biemans added to the scoresheet. But Kyle Presbury and Milera's goals and a behind and another chase down tackle in the Magpies' goalsquare on Frampton by Matt Prior would see the Dogs through to next week with their five-point victory. The captains were the standouts for the day, Paul Thomas and Steve Summerton named best for their respective sides.
The 2nd Semi-Final was next up, the Eagles coming off their hard-earned week off to face the Bloods. The Eagles took out all the minor premierships, swept the pools to also win the Stanley H. Lewis Trophy, their U-18's and Reserves are in their respective Grand Finals so now it was down to the League side to do the same. Westies helped send the Magpies on their way out last week, but while they were able to get the better of the Eagles earlier this season with their one-goal win at Woodville in Round 2, their return bout in Round 12 at Richmond was a 15-point loss. The Eagles would go in more fancied, having only dropped two games to the Bloods' five. In these matches, the Eagles have contested eight to Westies' 12. The Eagles' last appearance was in 2006, where they went down to the Bulldogs but then reversed the result in a big way two weeks later to win the flag. During the 2000's, they had appeared in four 2nd Semi's, half of their overall tally. The Bloods' were in the 2013 match, beaten soundly by the Redlegs by 56 points. It was a case of deja vu, seeing as the same thing happened in 2012 in one of the lowest scoring 2nd Semi-Finals in recent memory, the Bloods losing that match by 44 points. Their overall winning record out of their 12 is four. But this would be the first time these teams had ever met in this type of final. Before the 1991 merger, the four premiership years of West Torrens never had the Bloods in their way and Woodville had never made it into this match.
The crowd had largely dispersed by this time with the rowdy Bulldogs army gone, the terraces looking a bit less populated. But whoever stayed behind at least for the first term were greeted with a fierce opening term, the Eagles drew first blood thanks to Angus Rowntree, but his day would end not too long after the Bloods kicked their first through Will Snelling. His knee injury would find him taken off the ground on a stretcher. James Boyd and Andrew Ainger added themselves to the goals list, altogether the Eagles managed 4.1 to the Bloods' 3.1, a goal the difference at the first change. The Eagles would turn it up a bit in the second term, Boyd again finding the big sticks along with Michael Wundke's double among the Eagles' 3.3, the Bloods needed Jason Porplyzia's late major to keep the margin blowing out but it was their only goal of the term from two scores. At half-time, the Eagles were ahead by 20 points. The Eagles got straight into it when play resumed with Ainger's goal within seconds of the restart of play, but 3.6 in the "premiership quarter" is not one they wouldn't be looking to fondly on. The Bloods provided one for the highlights reel in this term, Aaron Anderson sinking one from deep in the south-west pocket among Westies' 2.2. The margin was extended to 30 points when it probably should have been more and put to bed right there. The Bloods made one last run at the Eagles in the final quarter, keeping them to just 1.3, but the inaccuracy bug found its way into the West Adelaide camp and they a horrid kicked 3.7. The Eagles would book their Grand Final spot, winning by 14 points. Andrew Ainger was named best for the Eagles, the Bloods voting in Aaron Anderson as their standout.
FINAL SCORES IN WEEK 2 OF THE 2015 SANFL FINALS...
Sunday September 13
1st SEMI-FINAL
Central District 10.14 (74)
Port Adelaide 11.3 (69)
2nd SEMI-FINAL
Woodville-West Torrens 11.13 (79)
West Adelaide 9.11 (65)
9,247 @ Adelaide Oval
INJURIES
W-WT -- Rowntree (knee), Poole (knee)
West -- Fielke (concussion), Hill (concussion)
OTHER FINALS -- Eagles into Reserves decider, U-18 team to face 'Legs
At City Mazda Stadium in Richmond, after being down at every change, the Roosters overturned a 20-point three quarter-time deficit into a nine-point win in the Reserves 1st Semi-Final on Saturday morning. Despite their inaccuracy keeping the Tigers in the game, the Roosters kept their opponents to just 1.2 in the final term and kick 5.7 for themselves to secure a Preliminary Final berth, Sam DeLeonardis named best for North. They will now face the Magpies, who went down to the Eagles by 40 points in the 2nd Semi-Final. Amazingly, the undefeated Eagles were down by six goals at quarter-time. But they would rise to the early challenge to strangle the Magpies' goal supply, restricting them to a further two goals over the second and third terms. Behind by five points at the final change, the Eagles put the foot down, kicking seven goals to win by 40 points. Thomas Whittlesea was named the Eagles' best. In the Macca's Cup, the Redlegs won the right to face the Eagles in the Grand Final after disposing of North Adelaide by six goals in the twilight U-18's Preliminary Final. The 'Legs went on the all-out attack in the second and third terms, holding the Roosters to just four goals whilst kicking 13 in the middle quarters. Mitchell Carter bagged six, but best on ground votes went to Harry Cross.
RESERVES 1st SEMI-FINAL -- North Adelaide 14.12 (96) def. Glenelg 12.15 (87)
RESERVES 2nd SEMI-FINAL -- Woodville-West Torrens 15.9 (99) def. Port Adelaide 9.5 (59)
U-18's PRELIMINARY FINAL -- Norwood 16.7 (103) def. North Adelaide 10.7 (67)
A SECOND MEDAL FOR CROSS
Polling a total of 25 votes, South Adelaide's Joel Cross has taken out the 2015 Magarey Medal, four votes ahead of Eagle Angus Rowntree and five ahead of Bulldogs' captain Paul Thomas. This is his second league best and fairest honour after sharing the 2012 medal with Brad Symes. He is the seventh Panther to take the prize, putting himself alongside South greats such as Mark Naley, Jim Deane and Dan Moriarty. Also presented on the night was the Powerade Star Search Award, the Bulldogs taking it for a fifth time in succession with Chris Jansen winning this year's award after being lured to Elizabeth from the Belconnen Magpies in the NEAFL.
SA FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME
The South Australian Football Hall of Fame saw five inductees for 2015, with four former players including a Magpie legend, a Norwood and Adelaide premiership hero, a former Crow and legend of bush footy, a multiple time Sturt B&F winner as well as a long-serving administrator of the game in SA. Check out the accolades below...
TIM GINEVER
Played: 314 SANFL games (302 goals) with Port Adelaide, 1983-1997. Represented SA once.
Coached: Port Adelaide (SANFL), 2006-9; Port Adelaide (AFL) as assistant, 1998 and 2005.
Served: Port Adelaide Magpies football committee, 2000-2003; board, 2003-4.
Honours: Port Adelaide SANFL premiership, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995 and 1996; Port Adelaide SANFL best-and-fairest, 1994 and 1997; Port Adelaide Hall of Fame, 1998.
BRETT JAMES
Played: 234 SANFL games (73 goals) with Norwood, 1990-93, 1997-98 and 2000-2006; 42 AFL games (26 goals) with Collingwood, 1994-96 and 76 AFL games (26 goals) with Adelaide, 1997-2000. Represented SA three times.
Honours: Adelaide AFL premiership team, 1997 and ‘98; Norwood SANFL premiership team, 1997; Norwood captain, 2002-2006; State captain, 2001-2002; Norwood best-and-fairest, 2002, 2003 and 2005; Norwood Hall of Fame.
Country Football: Playing coach at Hills Football League club Kersbrook 2007-current; 2008, 09, 2012 premierships.
RODNEY MAYNARD
Played: 157 SANFL games (159 goals) with Norwood, 1984-1990, 1993 and 1995 ; 81 AFL games (24 goals) with Adelaide. Represented SA three times.
Honours: Norwood best-and-fairest, 1989; leading goalkicker, 1988. Adelaide first Team of the Decade.
Country Football: Six Mail Medals in Mallee Football League and six senior premierships at Lameroo. Represented SA Country. Coach of Lameroo and umpire in MFL.
JOHN PAYNTER
Played: 70 SANFL games (82 goals) with Glenelg, 1980-82; 246 games (249 goals) with Sturt, 1983-1992. Represented SA six times.
Honours: Sturt best-and-fairest, 1983, 1986, 1989, 1991; Sturt and SANFL life member.
LEIGH WHICKER AM
Played: 43 SANFL games (18 goals) with Sturt, 1963-66.
Served: Sturt as secretary-general manager, 1969-1971; SANFL as catering manager, 1974-81; functions manager, 1981-82; stadium manager, 1983-84; general manager, 1984-2014; SA Football Commission, 1990-2014.
Honours: SANFL life membership, 1996; AFL life membership, 2004; Sturt Hall of Fame, 2006.
Next week's finals schedule...
Saturday September 19
RESERVES PRELIMINARY FINAL
Port Adelaide vs. North Adelaide; City Mazda Stadium, Richmond @ 11:25am
Sunday September 20 @ Adelaide Oval
U-18 MACCA'S CUP GRAND FINAL
Woodville-West Torrens vs. Norwood @ 11:25am
LEAGUE PRELIMINARY FINAL
West Adelaide vs. Central District @ 2:10pm
So until next weekend... see you at the Footy!
