- May 8, 2001
- 5,667
- 818
- AFL Club
- Adelaide
- Other Teams
- CDFC (SANFL), Port Melb (VFL)
Hi Footy fans...
This round of games represented the half-way point of the season and up on top before a ball was kicked in anger were the Blues, seemingly untouchable at the top of the league ladder. Below them looming quite large are the Tigers, which would result in a very tasty looking top-two meeting to finish the first half of the 2023 minor round. Over the past couple of weeks, both sides have had to overcome some stiff opposition, pushed by teams trying to punch above their weight. The Crows are up there as well, in pretty much the same fashion as they were last season at about this time. They are at this time, the likely wildcard of the league come finals time, their clashes with the aforementioned sides were both decided by less than two kicks. Out of the Eagles and the Bulldogs, the 2021 premiers look somewhat the better of the two with a bit more bravery going into attack, something that the Bulldogs have lacked despite their place on the ladder prior to this past weekend. Of course, hanging out on the periphery are the Roosters and the Magpies who have been improving somewhat themselves. The Panthers and the Bloods have their work cut out for them, then there's the current trophy holders who still up to this point hadn't taken points. Well folks... there were some shocks coming. Nine down, nine to go!
Welcome to the Round 9 edition of the SANFL Wrap-Up.
There would be three games scheduled for the Saturday afternoon, the first sends us to league headquarters at Adelaide Oval for a post-midday encounter between the Eagles and the Crows. The Crows were triumphant in their two games against the Eagles last season, with victories ranging from six to eight straight kicks at Oval Avenue. In Round 7, the Eagles went missing in the final term after getting back to within a point of the lead. They managed just two behinds as the Crows kicked away to a 33-point win. Later on in Round 17, it was all pretty even up until half-time with only four points separating the two. The Crows' second half was supreme, booting 10 goals to four on their way to a 40-point win. The Eagles goal-kicking radar was well off, with only four goals from 11 scoring shots. Only the Eagles came into this match on the back of a victory last week, raiding the Magpies' nest for a three-point win, while the Crows went down by just two points against the Tigers in the dying moments at Brighton Road. The Crows opened the match by kicking to a three-goal lead after 15 minutes, but the Eagles would overturn that in 13 minutes with five of their own to be ahead at the first change. Counting the missed chances from both sides -- Adelaide's four to the Eagles' two -- the "home" team were up by 10 points at quarter-time. That gap would be drawn back to seven points going into the long break, the Crows' trio of behinds preventing them from taking the advantage going into the second half. They scored 3.3 to the Eagles' three goals, resulting in a seven-point deficit at half-time. Adelaide were more active with the pill in the third quarter, but their attackers were still missing the mark as they peppered the sticks for a return of 3.7. But the Eagles were starting to get overwhelmed by the constant pressure and they would lose the lead going into the final term, having added 2.2 to their tally and Adelaide would hold a four-point lead at three quarter-time. In the end, Adelaide's overall strength and fitness won out against a tiring young opposition, running out to a 23-point victory after a 4.3 to 1.2 last quarter. Harry Schoenberg was by far Adelaide's best with 33 disposals as well as 10 marks and clearances, while the Eagles named James Rowe as their best on ground with 28 disposals, nine marks and eight tackles.
The second games takes us only a few minutes to the western side of the city, into the Hisense Stadium in Richmond where the Bloods would face the Roosters. This match is the first return bout game for the season, the Bloods going down in the opening round clash at Prospect earlier this year. Not even the inaccuracy-riddled goal-shooting from the Roosters could help the Bloods over the line. 29 scoring shots to 18, with the Roosters scoring just 10 goals in front of one of their largest crowds in recent memory, a shade under 2700 people. The Roosters would win by 16 points in the end, since that time they won three from the next seven but are outside the five. The Bloods would have to wait until Round 3 for their first win of the year, then another three weeks after theat for their next against the luckless Redlegs in Port Lincoln so there's no prizes for guessing where they are. The Roosters were kept at arm's length by the Panthers last week, going down by 27 points, while the Bloods were really punching above their weight to lose by a mere four points to the ladder leaders at Unley. North didn't waste too much time getting on the board, goaling within the first 30 seconds of the kick-off. The Bloods put up good resistance however, to only be one point down at the first change, the board reading 3.2 to 3.1. It was a bit of a see-saw in the second term, the gap not exceeding a single straight kick for more than 23 minutes. That changed close to the end of the half, the Bloods making it two straight kicks in their favour after they scored 4.2 to the Roosters' 3.2, taking a 10-point lead into the rooms at the long break. The Bloods had not taken points away from the Roosters for three seasons, losing the previous seven games. That was all to change today, the Bloods producing some of their best football for a while and perhaps better than that against Norwood out in the sticks. They kept the Roosters to just one behind in the third quarter, all while kicking to a five-goal three quarter-time lead with their 3.3. The Roosters still wouldn't find the goals in the final term, but neither would the Bloods, the final term reduced to a slog but the Westies faithful wouldn't care much. The drought would finally be broken, the visitors' two behinds to North's three saw the red & black home by 29 points for their third win of the year. Thomas Morrish was handy for the Bloods in the marks department, taking 11 marks as well as 26 disposals as their best afield. For North, Sam McInerney was their standout with 28 disposals, 15 marks and five tackles.
The last of the Saturday games takes us a from the west to the north-west up Port Road to the Alberton Oval where the Magpies took on the Bulldogs. Port took both games last season, with a 17-point win at Elizabeth in Round 10, then a 23-point victory at Woodville in Round 16. The match at the Ponderosa was quite a battle, a kick separating the two at half-time and the final change. The Magpies out-gunned the Dogs in the final term, kicking three goals to one. Then came the match at Oval Avenue, made necessary due to the early stages of the Alberton Oval redevelopment. Again it took the Magpies until the final stanza to put the Dogs to the sword, kicking five majors to three and extending their winning streak against Centrals to six games. The Bulldogs had a taxing outing against the Redlegs last week, coming away with a victory rather than a possible draw, while the Magpies grasp on the Eagles slipped as they went down by three points at Queen Street. The aforementioned make-over is still in progress, about half of the ground inaccessible and sporting a scoreboard that anyone on the north end would have a hard time seeing. The Magpies started the better of the two, but only after a late pair of goals put them up by as many points at quarter-time with said board reading 5.2 to 3.2. The Magpies inaccuracy on goal in the second term would keep them well within strike of the Dogs going into the shed at the long break, they added 1.5 to 1.1, extending their lead to 15 point by half-time. Port hit the board quickly upon resumption of play, goaling in the first 40 seconds as the Bulldogs upped their workrate a touch. They had a good period from the third minute for around 16 minutes as they drew back to within a kick. The gap would go back out to nine by the three quarter-time siren, all scores counted the visitors scored 3.3 to the Magpies 2.3. But the streak would unfortunately continue for the Dogs, despite their best efforts it was some poor decision making and some baffling errors that handed victory to the home side. A 5.5 to 3.3 final term saw Port home by 23 points. For the second week running, new blood Quinton Narkle was named best for the Magpies, with 33 disposals, 10 marks and six clearances. The Bulldogs would name Harry Grant as their best afield with 36 disposals, eight tackles and seven marks.
The football action now shifts to the public holiday Monday afternoon and we're off to the deep south of Adelaide's metro area to find the Panthers squaring off against the Redlegs at Flinders University Stadium in Noarlunga. Both games from last season were low-scoring, one-kick finishes which had the away side emerging victorious, starting with the Panthers' six-point triumph at The Parade in Round 6 and the Redlegs' three-point win at Noarlunga in Round 15. Norwood were three goals ahead at half-time at home, before the Panthers held them goal-less in the second term then finished the job in the final stanza. The Panthers were unable to deny them next time, despite being slightly more efficient in goal it was the Redlegs with the desperation and quick hands in defence that allowed them to escape South's grasp that time around. The Panthers had all the confidence on their side after their 27-point win at Prospect, whereas the defending premiers still had a fat zero in their win column after being unable to salvage a draw against the Bulldogs. I'm going to spoil this one right now folks... the Panthers' faithful probably thought this was going to be a bit of a cake-walk even with a few missing key players, how wrong they would be. Things didn't get going right away in front of the sticks, both sides would start with each kicking 1.1 in the opening term to have the scores tied at seven points each come quarter-time. Then the Redlegs finally found what has been missing for almost 270 days. They kept the Panthers to just one minor score in the second term, more shocking was that South had the wind at their backs during this period. Against said breeze, Norwood scored three goals without a blemish to go into the half-time break with a 17-point advantage. When the match resumed, so did the Norwood onslaught. South still couldn't find the big sticks in the third term, managing a pair of behinds while the Redlegs rammed throught 6.6 to blow the gap out to 57 points by three quarter-time. Remarkably, the Panthers finally did find their goal-kicking shoes for the final quarter and would reel the gap back to just two goals part-way into time on with their score of 7.3. But that is as close as they would get, a couple of late Norwood goals denying what could have been a massive comeback. One last South behind brought the deficit back to 23 points, the Redlegs finally putting a win on the board. Matt Ling was Norwood's best afield, with 17 kicks from his 25 disposals, while the Panthers voted in Mitch O'Neill as their best with his 27 disposals, nine tackles and eight clearances.
The final match for the weekend sends us over to the seaside city of Glenelg and to the Stratarama Stadium for the top of the table stoush between the Tigers and the Double Blues. This was the only other return clash for the year thus far, back in the opening round of this season it was the Blues with a 31-point win that kick-started their undefeated run up to this point. Perhaps lingering memories of the Elimination Final defeat last year was what spurred them on, Sturt restricting the Bays to two behinds in the second term as they added three goals and never looked back too much, not allowing the Tigers much room at Unley. Since that match, the Tigers haven't dropped any further points, even managing to evade the grip of the Crows' talons with their two-point victory last week. The Blues' unbeaten run has been challenged over the last four rounds, especially the last two weeks with narrow victories over South and Westies. With more than 7000 fans fronting up, this was the much anticipated battle many SA footy-heads have been waiting for... or so we thought. We now come to yet another spoiler alert... the Blues of the last eight rounds didn't turn up today and the Tigers had set up an ambush. The Tigers went absolutely bonzo, running out to a 44-point lead deep into time-on with their tally of 7.4 to the Blues' three behinds. Sturt did find a goal before the first change, reducing the gap to 37 points. The pain wasn't over by a long shot though, the Tigers continuing to rip the Blues defence to ribbons and adding a further 7.1 to 2.3 and taking their already big lead out to 65 points by the long break. No doubt by this time, the Sturt faithful would have been wondering what happened to their mob. The Tigers were just undeniable and at this point of the year, Sturt's claims to the flag looked like they were just thrown out the window. And it still wasn't over on the scoreboard, with yet another seven goal quarter of football for the Tigers in the third term. In addition to five minor scores and keeping the visitors to just one goal of their own, the gap was now out to 106 points at three quarter-time. Job done, message sent, the Tigers relaxed it in the final term. A single point was chipped off that lead in the end with a 2.2 to 2.3 last quarter as Glenelg romped away to a 105-point victory. Matthew Allen was the absolute king of Tiger-land this day, with 26 disposals, 12 marks and booting six goals. The Blues named James Battersby as their best, with 29 disposals, nine clearances and five tackles.
FINAL SCORES IN ROUND 9 OF THE SANFL...
Saturday June 10
Adelaide 13.17 (95)
Woodville-West Torrens 11.6 (72)
5,444 @ Adelaide Oval
West Adelaide 10.8 (68)
North Adelaide 5.9 (39)
1,353 @ Hisense Stadium, Richmond
Port Adelaide 13.14 (92)
Central District 10.9 (69)
1,738 @ Alberton Oval
Monday June 12
Norwood 12.7 (79)
South Adelaide 8.8 (56)
1,550 @ Flinders University Stadium, Noarlunga
Glenelg 23.12 (150)
Sturt 6.9 (45)
7,285 @ Stratarama Stadium, Glenelg
INJURIES
Sturt -- Page (concussion)
REPORTS
None known at time of post.
LEAGUE LADDER
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Glenelg -- 16pts (8-1-0), 60.8%
Sturt -- 16pts (8-1-0), 52.3%
Adelaide -- 12pts (6-3-0), 60.1%
W-WT -- 8pts (4-5-0), 50.4%
Central -- 8pts (4-5-0), 48.3%
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Port -- 8pts (4-5-0), 47.5%
North -- 8pts (4-5-0), 46.2%
West -- 6pts (3-6-0), 47%
South -- 6pts (3-6-0), 44.5%
Norwood -- 2pts (1-8-0), 40.9%
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VIC METRO PILES ON THE PAIN FOR CROWEATERS
The South Australian U-18 side has gone down again, this time in horror fashion to the old enemy in Victoria Metro at Thebarton Oval on Sunday afternoon. The Croweaters were competitive early, only adrift by eight points at quarter-time. But they would kick just one further goal for two quarters of football as the Vics added five more in the second term, followed by another five in the third term as their lead blew out to 12 straight kicks going into the final change. South Australia did find two more goals in the final term as did Metro as they went on to go down by 68 points. This follows a poor showing against the Allies last week, who to show that their win against SA was no fluke, would hammer the Sandgropers in the follow-up game afterwards by almost 15 goals. This points toward a possible change in the guard in regards to youth development through the AFL Talent Pathway Program in the north-eastern states and the Apple Isle. One thing is for sure, with a fresh Victoria Country side coming into their stoush in Melbourne this coming Sunday and a finishing trip to Perth to finish off, SA has their work cut out for them to salvage some pride.
Victoria Metro 15.16 (106) def. South Australia 5.8 (38)
WOMENS DIVISION -- Tigers rising star takes out B&F, Bulldogs pull off premiership heist
The Bulldogs have taken out their inaugural SANFL-W premiership trophy with a last-gasp three-point win over the Panthers in the 2023 Grand Final at Prospect Oval. The blue & whites were all over the Dogs in the early goings, keeping them to just one behind whilst scoring 1.3 of their own to lead by eight points at the first change. By the time the Bulldogs hit the goals column on the scoreboard, the Panthers already had another two and looked the goods to take the flag with a 14-point half-time lead. The Bulldogs, who went down to the Panthers in their 2nd Semi-Final but then hammered Norwood the following week, weren't finished yet. Despite being down two key players due to injury, came out with fire in their eyes in the second half. Though inaccuracy was an issue, slowly but surely the gap was shrinking. South kicked just one behind for the term, the Bulldogs kicked five of their own before finally sinking their second major prior to three quarter-time to trail by four points at the final change. 90 seconds into the last term, South scored their fourth goal and seemed back in business. The Dogs closed back again to three points at the 17th minute and the 3200-strong crowd was holding its collective breath. Then came the final twist as the Panthers gave away a free kick within scoring distance, then a moment of madness turned a chance into a certainty as the Bulldogs goaled at the death to snatch triumph from the jaws of defeat. The 25 metre penalty that resulted in the Dogs' winning goal will be a source of much controversy. The best on ground award would go to Centrals captain Shelby Smith, daughter of former club captain Greg Smith, who notched up 20 disposals, a whopping 17 tackles and seven clearances. Also in Women's Division matters, Glenelg youngster and 2021 premiership player Piper Window had a night out at the League's B&F awards night last week, winning not just the medal but also the Powerade Breakthrough Star and Kia Coaches' Awards. The 17-year old grand-daughter of Bulldogs legend Gary Window polled max votes in five rounds, finishing up with 19 votes ahead of nearest rival Zoe Venning of West Adelaide on 17 votes.
SANFL WOMEN'S GRAND FINAL
Central District 4.7 (31) def. South Adelaide 4.4 (28)
Next in Round 10... it's a split round!
Saturday June 17 @ 2:10pm
Central District vs. Woodville-West Torrens; X-Convenience Oval, Elizabeth
Sunday June 18 @ 2:10pm
Norwood vs. Port Adelaide; Coopers Stadium, Norwood
Sturt vs. North Adelaide; Wigan Oval, Unley
Saturday June 24 @ 2:10pm
West Adelaide vs. Glenelg; Hisense Stadium, Richmond
South Adelaide vs. Adelaide; Flinders University Stadium, Noarlunga
So until a fortnight from now... see you at the Footy!
This round of games represented the half-way point of the season and up on top before a ball was kicked in anger were the Blues, seemingly untouchable at the top of the league ladder. Below them looming quite large are the Tigers, which would result in a very tasty looking top-two meeting to finish the first half of the 2023 minor round. Over the past couple of weeks, both sides have had to overcome some stiff opposition, pushed by teams trying to punch above their weight. The Crows are up there as well, in pretty much the same fashion as they were last season at about this time. They are at this time, the likely wildcard of the league come finals time, their clashes with the aforementioned sides were both decided by less than two kicks. Out of the Eagles and the Bulldogs, the 2021 premiers look somewhat the better of the two with a bit more bravery going into attack, something that the Bulldogs have lacked despite their place on the ladder prior to this past weekend. Of course, hanging out on the periphery are the Roosters and the Magpies who have been improving somewhat themselves. The Panthers and the Bloods have their work cut out for them, then there's the current trophy holders who still up to this point hadn't taken points. Well folks... there were some shocks coming. Nine down, nine to go!
Welcome to the Round 9 edition of the SANFL Wrap-Up.
There would be three games scheduled for the Saturday afternoon, the first sends us to league headquarters at Adelaide Oval for a post-midday encounter between the Eagles and the Crows. The Crows were triumphant in their two games against the Eagles last season, with victories ranging from six to eight straight kicks at Oval Avenue. In Round 7, the Eagles went missing in the final term after getting back to within a point of the lead. They managed just two behinds as the Crows kicked away to a 33-point win. Later on in Round 17, it was all pretty even up until half-time with only four points separating the two. The Crows' second half was supreme, booting 10 goals to four on their way to a 40-point win. The Eagles goal-kicking radar was well off, with only four goals from 11 scoring shots. Only the Eagles came into this match on the back of a victory last week, raiding the Magpies' nest for a three-point win, while the Crows went down by just two points against the Tigers in the dying moments at Brighton Road. The Crows opened the match by kicking to a three-goal lead after 15 minutes, but the Eagles would overturn that in 13 minutes with five of their own to be ahead at the first change. Counting the missed chances from both sides -- Adelaide's four to the Eagles' two -- the "home" team were up by 10 points at quarter-time. That gap would be drawn back to seven points going into the long break, the Crows' trio of behinds preventing them from taking the advantage going into the second half. They scored 3.3 to the Eagles' three goals, resulting in a seven-point deficit at half-time. Adelaide were more active with the pill in the third quarter, but their attackers were still missing the mark as they peppered the sticks for a return of 3.7. But the Eagles were starting to get overwhelmed by the constant pressure and they would lose the lead going into the final term, having added 2.2 to their tally and Adelaide would hold a four-point lead at three quarter-time. In the end, Adelaide's overall strength and fitness won out against a tiring young opposition, running out to a 23-point victory after a 4.3 to 1.2 last quarter. Harry Schoenberg was by far Adelaide's best with 33 disposals as well as 10 marks and clearances, while the Eagles named James Rowe as their best on ground with 28 disposals, nine marks and eight tackles.
The second games takes us only a few minutes to the western side of the city, into the Hisense Stadium in Richmond where the Bloods would face the Roosters. This match is the first return bout game for the season, the Bloods going down in the opening round clash at Prospect earlier this year. Not even the inaccuracy-riddled goal-shooting from the Roosters could help the Bloods over the line. 29 scoring shots to 18, with the Roosters scoring just 10 goals in front of one of their largest crowds in recent memory, a shade under 2700 people. The Roosters would win by 16 points in the end, since that time they won three from the next seven but are outside the five. The Bloods would have to wait until Round 3 for their first win of the year, then another three weeks after theat for their next against the luckless Redlegs in Port Lincoln so there's no prizes for guessing where they are. The Roosters were kept at arm's length by the Panthers last week, going down by 27 points, while the Bloods were really punching above their weight to lose by a mere four points to the ladder leaders at Unley. North didn't waste too much time getting on the board, goaling within the first 30 seconds of the kick-off. The Bloods put up good resistance however, to only be one point down at the first change, the board reading 3.2 to 3.1. It was a bit of a see-saw in the second term, the gap not exceeding a single straight kick for more than 23 minutes. That changed close to the end of the half, the Bloods making it two straight kicks in their favour after they scored 4.2 to the Roosters' 3.2, taking a 10-point lead into the rooms at the long break. The Bloods had not taken points away from the Roosters for three seasons, losing the previous seven games. That was all to change today, the Bloods producing some of their best football for a while and perhaps better than that against Norwood out in the sticks. They kept the Roosters to just one behind in the third quarter, all while kicking to a five-goal three quarter-time lead with their 3.3. The Roosters still wouldn't find the goals in the final term, but neither would the Bloods, the final term reduced to a slog but the Westies faithful wouldn't care much. The drought would finally be broken, the visitors' two behinds to North's three saw the red & black home by 29 points for their third win of the year. Thomas Morrish was handy for the Bloods in the marks department, taking 11 marks as well as 26 disposals as their best afield. For North, Sam McInerney was their standout with 28 disposals, 15 marks and five tackles.
The last of the Saturday games takes us a from the west to the north-west up Port Road to the Alberton Oval where the Magpies took on the Bulldogs. Port took both games last season, with a 17-point win at Elizabeth in Round 10, then a 23-point victory at Woodville in Round 16. The match at the Ponderosa was quite a battle, a kick separating the two at half-time and the final change. The Magpies out-gunned the Dogs in the final term, kicking three goals to one. Then came the match at Oval Avenue, made necessary due to the early stages of the Alberton Oval redevelopment. Again it took the Magpies until the final stanza to put the Dogs to the sword, kicking five majors to three and extending their winning streak against Centrals to six games. The Bulldogs had a taxing outing against the Redlegs last week, coming away with a victory rather than a possible draw, while the Magpies grasp on the Eagles slipped as they went down by three points at Queen Street. The aforementioned make-over is still in progress, about half of the ground inaccessible and sporting a scoreboard that anyone on the north end would have a hard time seeing. The Magpies started the better of the two, but only after a late pair of goals put them up by as many points at quarter-time with said board reading 5.2 to 3.2. The Magpies inaccuracy on goal in the second term would keep them well within strike of the Dogs going into the shed at the long break, they added 1.5 to 1.1, extending their lead to 15 point by half-time. Port hit the board quickly upon resumption of play, goaling in the first 40 seconds as the Bulldogs upped their workrate a touch. They had a good period from the third minute for around 16 minutes as they drew back to within a kick. The gap would go back out to nine by the three quarter-time siren, all scores counted the visitors scored 3.3 to the Magpies 2.3. But the streak would unfortunately continue for the Dogs, despite their best efforts it was some poor decision making and some baffling errors that handed victory to the home side. A 5.5 to 3.3 final term saw Port home by 23 points. For the second week running, new blood Quinton Narkle was named best for the Magpies, with 33 disposals, 10 marks and six clearances. The Bulldogs would name Harry Grant as their best afield with 36 disposals, eight tackles and seven marks.
The football action now shifts to the public holiday Monday afternoon and we're off to the deep south of Adelaide's metro area to find the Panthers squaring off against the Redlegs at Flinders University Stadium in Noarlunga. Both games from last season were low-scoring, one-kick finishes which had the away side emerging victorious, starting with the Panthers' six-point triumph at The Parade in Round 6 and the Redlegs' three-point win at Noarlunga in Round 15. Norwood were three goals ahead at half-time at home, before the Panthers held them goal-less in the second term then finished the job in the final stanza. The Panthers were unable to deny them next time, despite being slightly more efficient in goal it was the Redlegs with the desperation and quick hands in defence that allowed them to escape South's grasp that time around. The Panthers had all the confidence on their side after their 27-point win at Prospect, whereas the defending premiers still had a fat zero in their win column after being unable to salvage a draw against the Bulldogs. I'm going to spoil this one right now folks... the Panthers' faithful probably thought this was going to be a bit of a cake-walk even with a few missing key players, how wrong they would be. Things didn't get going right away in front of the sticks, both sides would start with each kicking 1.1 in the opening term to have the scores tied at seven points each come quarter-time. Then the Redlegs finally found what has been missing for almost 270 days. They kept the Panthers to just one minor score in the second term, more shocking was that South had the wind at their backs during this period. Against said breeze, Norwood scored three goals without a blemish to go into the half-time break with a 17-point advantage. When the match resumed, so did the Norwood onslaught. South still couldn't find the big sticks in the third term, managing a pair of behinds while the Redlegs rammed throught 6.6 to blow the gap out to 57 points by three quarter-time. Remarkably, the Panthers finally did find their goal-kicking shoes for the final quarter and would reel the gap back to just two goals part-way into time on with their score of 7.3. But that is as close as they would get, a couple of late Norwood goals denying what could have been a massive comeback. One last South behind brought the deficit back to 23 points, the Redlegs finally putting a win on the board. Matt Ling was Norwood's best afield, with 17 kicks from his 25 disposals, while the Panthers voted in Mitch O'Neill as their best with his 27 disposals, nine tackles and eight clearances.
The final match for the weekend sends us over to the seaside city of Glenelg and to the Stratarama Stadium for the top of the table stoush between the Tigers and the Double Blues. This was the only other return clash for the year thus far, back in the opening round of this season it was the Blues with a 31-point win that kick-started their undefeated run up to this point. Perhaps lingering memories of the Elimination Final defeat last year was what spurred them on, Sturt restricting the Bays to two behinds in the second term as they added three goals and never looked back too much, not allowing the Tigers much room at Unley. Since that match, the Tigers haven't dropped any further points, even managing to evade the grip of the Crows' talons with their two-point victory last week. The Blues' unbeaten run has been challenged over the last four rounds, especially the last two weeks with narrow victories over South and Westies. With more than 7000 fans fronting up, this was the much anticipated battle many SA footy-heads have been waiting for... or so we thought. We now come to yet another spoiler alert... the Blues of the last eight rounds didn't turn up today and the Tigers had set up an ambush. The Tigers went absolutely bonzo, running out to a 44-point lead deep into time-on with their tally of 7.4 to the Blues' three behinds. Sturt did find a goal before the first change, reducing the gap to 37 points. The pain wasn't over by a long shot though, the Tigers continuing to rip the Blues defence to ribbons and adding a further 7.1 to 2.3 and taking their already big lead out to 65 points by the long break. No doubt by this time, the Sturt faithful would have been wondering what happened to their mob. The Tigers were just undeniable and at this point of the year, Sturt's claims to the flag looked like they were just thrown out the window. And it still wasn't over on the scoreboard, with yet another seven goal quarter of football for the Tigers in the third term. In addition to five minor scores and keeping the visitors to just one goal of their own, the gap was now out to 106 points at three quarter-time. Job done, message sent, the Tigers relaxed it in the final term. A single point was chipped off that lead in the end with a 2.2 to 2.3 last quarter as Glenelg romped away to a 105-point victory. Matthew Allen was the absolute king of Tiger-land this day, with 26 disposals, 12 marks and booting six goals. The Blues named James Battersby as their best, with 29 disposals, nine clearances and five tackles.
FINAL SCORES IN ROUND 9 OF THE SANFL...
Saturday June 10
Adelaide 13.17 (95)
Woodville-West Torrens 11.6 (72)
5,444 @ Adelaide Oval
West Adelaide 10.8 (68)
North Adelaide 5.9 (39)
1,353 @ Hisense Stadium, Richmond
Port Adelaide 13.14 (92)
Central District 10.9 (69)
1,738 @ Alberton Oval
Monday June 12
Norwood 12.7 (79)
South Adelaide 8.8 (56)
1,550 @ Flinders University Stadium, Noarlunga
Glenelg 23.12 (150)
Sturt 6.9 (45)
7,285 @ Stratarama Stadium, Glenelg
INJURIES
Sturt -- Page (concussion)
REPORTS
None known at time of post.
LEAGUE LADDER
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Glenelg -- 16pts (8-1-0), 60.8%
Sturt -- 16pts (8-1-0), 52.3%
Adelaide -- 12pts (6-3-0), 60.1%
W-WT -- 8pts (4-5-0), 50.4%
Central -- 8pts (4-5-0), 48.3%
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Port -- 8pts (4-5-0), 47.5%
North -- 8pts (4-5-0), 46.2%
West -- 6pts (3-6-0), 47%
South -- 6pts (3-6-0), 44.5%
Norwood -- 2pts (1-8-0), 40.9%
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VIC METRO PILES ON THE PAIN FOR CROWEATERS
The South Australian U-18 side has gone down again, this time in horror fashion to the old enemy in Victoria Metro at Thebarton Oval on Sunday afternoon. The Croweaters were competitive early, only adrift by eight points at quarter-time. But they would kick just one further goal for two quarters of football as the Vics added five more in the second term, followed by another five in the third term as their lead blew out to 12 straight kicks going into the final change. South Australia did find two more goals in the final term as did Metro as they went on to go down by 68 points. This follows a poor showing against the Allies last week, who to show that their win against SA was no fluke, would hammer the Sandgropers in the follow-up game afterwards by almost 15 goals. This points toward a possible change in the guard in regards to youth development through the AFL Talent Pathway Program in the north-eastern states and the Apple Isle. One thing is for sure, with a fresh Victoria Country side coming into their stoush in Melbourne this coming Sunday and a finishing trip to Perth to finish off, SA has their work cut out for them to salvage some pride.
Victoria Metro 15.16 (106) def. South Australia 5.8 (38)
WOMENS DIVISION -- Tigers rising star takes out B&F, Bulldogs pull off premiership heist
The Bulldogs have taken out their inaugural SANFL-W premiership trophy with a last-gasp three-point win over the Panthers in the 2023 Grand Final at Prospect Oval. The blue & whites were all over the Dogs in the early goings, keeping them to just one behind whilst scoring 1.3 of their own to lead by eight points at the first change. By the time the Bulldogs hit the goals column on the scoreboard, the Panthers already had another two and looked the goods to take the flag with a 14-point half-time lead. The Bulldogs, who went down to the Panthers in their 2nd Semi-Final but then hammered Norwood the following week, weren't finished yet. Despite being down two key players due to injury, came out with fire in their eyes in the second half. Though inaccuracy was an issue, slowly but surely the gap was shrinking. South kicked just one behind for the term, the Bulldogs kicked five of their own before finally sinking their second major prior to three quarter-time to trail by four points at the final change. 90 seconds into the last term, South scored their fourth goal and seemed back in business. The Dogs closed back again to three points at the 17th minute and the 3200-strong crowd was holding its collective breath. Then came the final twist as the Panthers gave away a free kick within scoring distance, then a moment of madness turned a chance into a certainty as the Bulldogs goaled at the death to snatch triumph from the jaws of defeat. The 25 metre penalty that resulted in the Dogs' winning goal will be a source of much controversy. The best on ground award would go to Centrals captain Shelby Smith, daughter of former club captain Greg Smith, who notched up 20 disposals, a whopping 17 tackles and seven clearances. Also in Women's Division matters, Glenelg youngster and 2021 premiership player Piper Window had a night out at the League's B&F awards night last week, winning not just the medal but also the Powerade Breakthrough Star and Kia Coaches' Awards. The 17-year old grand-daughter of Bulldogs legend Gary Window polled max votes in five rounds, finishing up with 19 votes ahead of nearest rival Zoe Venning of West Adelaide on 17 votes.
SANFL WOMEN'S GRAND FINAL
Central District 4.7 (31) def. South Adelaide 4.4 (28)
Next in Round 10... it's a split round!
Saturday June 17 @ 2:10pm
Central District vs. Woodville-West Torrens; X-Convenience Oval, Elizabeth
Sunday June 18 @ 2:10pm
Norwood vs. Port Adelaide; Coopers Stadium, Norwood
Sturt vs. North Adelaide; Wigan Oval, Unley
Saturday June 24 @ 2:10pm
West Adelaide vs. Glenelg; Hisense Stadium, Richmond
South Adelaide vs. Adelaide; Flinders University Stadium, Noarlunga
So until a fortnight from now... see you at the Footy!
