- May 8, 2001
- 5,734
- 967
- AFL Club
- Adelaide
- Other Teams
- CDFC (SANFL), Port Melb (VFL)
Hi Footy fans...
We have now come to the end of the minor round and next week is the business end of the season with the commencement of the 2025 SANFL Finals Series. While the minor premiership and the Qualifying Final participants decided, the make-up of the Elimination Final was still not locked in. You couldn't have scripted this better, the original South Australian football rivalry in the final round of the year, the winner of which would go on to face the Bulldogs in the sudden death contest the following weekend. Was it to be Norwood or Port Adelaide? There was also one other bit of business to take care of as well. Would the Double Blues take that first step towards immortality and end the home and away season undefeated? Standing in the way would be the Crows, who are also shaping up as a major finals threat. Of course with their senior side winning the AFL minor premiership, the team they put on the park against the defending premiers could be impacted. So what happened in the last week of the regular season? Read on, people.
Welcome to the Round 19 Wrap-Up for SANFL 2025.
The first game sends us to the outer northern suburbs and into the X-Convenience Oval in Elizabeth where the Bulldogs faced the Tigers. Second quarter inaccuracy and a poor third quarter cost the Dogs dearly at Brighton Road in Round 2, the Bays were a little rusty themselves in the final term but emerged five-goal victors. Centrals could have gone into the long break with the lead, but kicked 2.4. Glenelg's four goal to one third term was the game breaker in the end, holding firm in defence to take the win. Centrals' one-point triumph last weekend against Adelaide got some much needed confidence back ahead of their looming Elimination Final, while the Tigers' win against Port wasn't an easy one so there was many probably thinking that the reigning premiers had possibly lost a step. Well that thought was going to be shot down in emphatic fashion. It took just one quarter of football to set the tone for the day and the home fans could already see the writing on the wall. The Bays put seven through the sticks before the Dogs got their one and only, a six-goal lead to the Tigers at quarter-time. Then came a further six unanswered goals in the second quarter, at the half-time break their lead ballooned to 74 points. Centrals fans would be absolutely filthy, a stellar performance against the Crows last week made to look like a flash in the pan. Even more embarrassing for them was that this visiting outfit was without a handful of their major players. Glenelg relaxed it a little for the second half, the Dogs were making their own bad luck as they fell further behind by the final change, to 86 points after the Bays kicked three more majors to Centrals' one in the third. That margin would be the way it finished with each side kicking four goals to end the day. It was only six years ago that the Dogs were towelled on home soil, 61 years since their worst ever defeat at Elizabeth. This would rank their eighth in that horrid list. Luke Partington was Glenelg's best afield with 29 disposals, nine marks, seven clearances and six tackles. Luca Whitelum was Centrals' standout with 24 disposals plus seven tackles and marks on an afternoon with very few highlights.
The second game for the weekend brings takes us to the south side of the city and into the Thomas Farms Oval in Unley for the much anticipated clash between the Double Blues and the Crows. Back in Round 7, the Blues' tenacity won out against a pretty efficient Adelaide outfit, winning by 23 points. The Blues' third quarter lapse allowed the Crows to cut a 27-point half-time lead back to eight points at the final change, but Adelaide's final term let them down. The match would be remembered for a low minor score count, with 11 behinds from 38 scores. The Blues romped to an 17th minor round win last week, destroying Westies by 85 points while the Crows were outlasted at the Ponderosa in a one-point loss to Centrals. A win here in front of a bumper crowd would complete a perfect minor round, but the Crows, probably still stinging after their narrow loss, would run out the final minutes of the opening term. They kicked 5.1 to Sturt's 2.2 to lead by 17 points at quarter-time. The Blues would hit back in the following period, but wasted a pair of chances late to snatch the lead. They would instead by down by three points at the long break, having scored 4.3 to 2.1. Only four years ago the Blues had the chance for a perfect minor round, but were denied at the death. Sturt's third term looked as though they would re-write that wrong as they held Adelaide to 2.2 whilst bagging 5.3 for themselves to go into the final stanza with a 22-point advantage. However, history was about to repeat itself. The visitors kicked the opening two majors, then another three after Sturt's 13th minute goal. A late Blues goal with some time left gave the locals some hope of that historical feat, but time would run out as the Crows won by two points. Lachlan Sholl was Adelaide's best on ground, with 26 disposals, seven marks and four tackles. The Blues named Will Snelling as their best with 27 disposals, 11 tackles and 10 clearances.
There were two dead rubber matches to finish off the season, the first of which would take place on the west side at the Hisense Stadium in Richmond where the Bloods and the Panthers met to try and finish the year on a high. It was all the way back in Round 2 that these sides last met, with the Panthers winning by four points down at Noarlunga. However that margin should have been a lot more, the Panthers were up by seven kicks at three quarter-time before the Bloods almost pulled off a heist to end all heists. Unfortunately for the Bloods, last week's heavy defeat to Sturt and the Panthers' win against the Eagles meant the wooden spoon was theirs for a sixth time in seven years. This wasn't going to be a pretty contest, the Panthers owning much of the first 15 minutes but only managing two goals to Westies' one. The Bloods put a bunch of chances wide after this and would be down by four points at quarter-time, the board reading 3.2 to 2.4. The second term was dominated in possession by the Bloods, but they still put several chances wide. On the bright side, their continued assaults and the only goal of the quarter did put them in the lead by the break by five points. South would kick the first goal of the second half but were again back behind the eight ball only minutes later. The Panthers fell behind to a three-kick final change gap, the Bloods had kicked three goals to one in that period to be ahead by 16 points at the siren. The inaccuracy bug fully entrenched itself in the Westies camp in the final term, scoring four behinds before answering South's sixth minute major with one of their own. The visitors then mounted a last-ditch assault from the 15th minute, but from their last four scores they managed only two goals. The Bloods would end their horrid season with one last victory, by a goal. Brady Searle was the standout for West with 24 disposals and 10 tackles, while the Panthers named Finn Emile-Brennan with 23 disposals and 12 marks.
Clash number four to end the Saturday afternoon action takes us to the inner east for the original rivalry and Elimination Final qualifier at the Coopers Stadium in Norwood between the Redlegs and the Magpies. These two sides put on a bit of a masterclass in goal-kicking with no more than four behinds kicked by either, the Redlegs winning by 17 points at Alberton back in Round 12. It was neck-and-neck most of the time with the gap no more than a straight kick at the breaks, the Redlegs going on to own the final term with five goals to Port's three. The Redlegs would leapfrog the 'Pies on the ladder thanks to their win at Prospect and Port's loss to the Tigers last week, but with only percentage separating them this match was a pass through to the sudden-death contest against Centrals next week. The Magpies were in charge early on while the Redlegs struggled to string goals together, finding themselves down by 17 points at the first change with the board reading 6.5 to 3.6. That gap crept out to 28 points going into the long break, Port keeping their old rivals to 2.3 and adding 4.2 to their score in the second term. The Magpies looked as though the berth was going to be theirs, but just two minutes into the second half, the momentum swung and it swung hard. Norwood kicked the first three goals over six minutes, then another three during third term added time. The Magpies were held to one major and all of a sudden they were down by two points at the final change. Eventually the home side would break through into the lead, but it was only after a string of minor scores over 16 minutes. That lone Port goal in the previous period would prove to be their last, ultimately it was a single dagger through the hearts of the visitors -- and a light tower failure at their end -- that finally did it for the Redlegs, winning by 10 points and keeping hold of the Williams-Gallagher Trophy. They now go on to face Centrals in the Elimination Final. Norwood would vote in Finn Heard as their best afield with 32 disposals and a massive 18 clearances, while the Magpies named Jack Watkins as their best with 26 disposals, nine tackles and six clearances.
The last match for the home and away season and the other dead rubber game would take place on Sunday afternoon at the Maughan Thiem Kia Oval in Woodville, the Eagles taking on the Roosters. It was a nine-point half-time gap between the two at Prospect back in Round 8, before the Roosters booted seven unanswered third term goals to break the game apart and run out 34-point winners. It was only a five goal to two final term that spared them a worse result. Capitulation has been the story of the second half of the Eagles' season, injuries to key personnel would see them hammered time and time again resulting in their slow but gradual drop from fifth to seventh. The Panthers would add salt into their wounds last week, while the equally luckless Roosters went down to the Redlegs at home. Of course this was a last hurrah for both sides, the first quarter a tale of two halves. The Eagles had more of the attack early, but a conversion of 1.2 to one behind would give way to North scoring the last two goals and a behind to lead by a kick at quarter-time. The Eagles' second term was much better score-wise, getting off to the perfect start with the first three goals. They were among their eventual 5.2 to North's 2.1, overtaking the visitors going into the long break by seven points. The Roosters looked like they were going to go out of '25 with a bang when play resumed, but their peppering of their sticks returned 5.5 to the Eagles' two goals. The door was still well open with the deficit only 16 points in favour of the visitors. But that scoring run must have taken it out of the Roosters, the Eagles opening the final term with the only three goals to take the lead by the 15th minute. The Roosters could have stolen back it at any time, however the Eagles' two behinds to one during time-on would see them home by three points. Max Litster was the Eagles' best with 26 disposals and 13 marks, while the Roosters named Hughen Wissman as their best on ground with 21 disposals, nine tackles and seven marks.
FINAL SCORES -- Round 19
Saturday August 23
Glenelg 20.8 (128)
Central District 6.6 (42)
1,790 @ X-Convenience Oval, Elizabeth
Adelaide 14.5 (89)
Sturt 13.9 (87)
5,595 @ Thomas Farms Oval, Unley
West Adelaide 7.14 (56)
South Adelaide 7.8 (50)
1,284 @ Hisense Stadium, Richmond
Norwood 12.15 (87)
Port Adelaide 11.11 (77)
3,387 @ Coopers Stadium, Norwood
Sunday August 24
Woodville-West Torrens 10.6 (66)
North Adelaide 9.9 (63)
1,509 @ Maughan Thiem Kia Oval, Woodville
REPORTS
Central -- Reed (striking)
Adelaide -- Murray (rough conduct)
West -- Corbett (striking)
North -- Hilder (kneeing)
Norwood -- Heard (rough conduct)
Port -- Williams (rough conduct)
2025 FINAL STANDINGS
-------------------------------------------------------
Sturt -- 34pts (17-1-0), 63.9%
Glenelg -- 30pts (15-3-0), 60.3%
Adelaide -- 28pts (14-4-0), 58%
Central -- 22pts (11-7-0), 51.5%
Norwood -- 16pts (8-10-0), 52.7%
-------------------------------------------------------
Port -- 14pts (7-11-0), 47.1%
W-WT -- 12pts (7-11-0), 42%
South -- 8pts (4-14-0), 44.2%
North -- 8pts (4-14-0), 42%
West -- 6pts (3-15-0) 36.8%
--------------------------------------------------------
So that is the regular season done and dusted, its now the business end of the year and here's how it all pans out this coming weekend for each division.
U-16 TORRENS UNI CUP
Friday August 29 @ 6:30pm
2nd Semi-Final -- Central District vs. West Adelaide; X-Convenience Oval, Elizabeth
Saturday August 30 @ 10:30am
1st Semi-Final -- North Adelaide vs. South Adelaide; Prospect Oval
U-18 TORRENS UNI CUP
Saturday August 30 @ Thomas Farms Oval, Unley
2nd Semi-Final -- Sturt vs. West Adelaide @ 11am
1st Semi-Final -- Central District vs. Woodville-West Torrens @ 1:30pm
RESERVES
Saturday August 30 @ Magain Stadium, Noarlunga
Qualifying Final -- South Adelaide vs. North Adelaide @ 10:30am
Elimination Final -- Woodville-West Torrens vs. Sturt @ 1:10pm
LEAGUE
Sunday August 31 @ Adelaide Oval
Elimination Final -- Central District vs. Norwood @ 12:15pm
Qualifying Final -- Glenelg vs. Adelaide @ 3:15pm
So until next weekend... see you at the Footy!
We have now come to the end of the minor round and next week is the business end of the season with the commencement of the 2025 SANFL Finals Series. While the minor premiership and the Qualifying Final participants decided, the make-up of the Elimination Final was still not locked in. You couldn't have scripted this better, the original South Australian football rivalry in the final round of the year, the winner of which would go on to face the Bulldogs in the sudden death contest the following weekend. Was it to be Norwood or Port Adelaide? There was also one other bit of business to take care of as well. Would the Double Blues take that first step towards immortality and end the home and away season undefeated? Standing in the way would be the Crows, who are also shaping up as a major finals threat. Of course with their senior side winning the AFL minor premiership, the team they put on the park against the defending premiers could be impacted. So what happened in the last week of the regular season? Read on, people.
Welcome to the Round 19 Wrap-Up for SANFL 2025.
The first game sends us to the outer northern suburbs and into the X-Convenience Oval in Elizabeth where the Bulldogs faced the Tigers. Second quarter inaccuracy and a poor third quarter cost the Dogs dearly at Brighton Road in Round 2, the Bays were a little rusty themselves in the final term but emerged five-goal victors. Centrals could have gone into the long break with the lead, but kicked 2.4. Glenelg's four goal to one third term was the game breaker in the end, holding firm in defence to take the win. Centrals' one-point triumph last weekend against Adelaide got some much needed confidence back ahead of their looming Elimination Final, while the Tigers' win against Port wasn't an easy one so there was many probably thinking that the reigning premiers had possibly lost a step. Well that thought was going to be shot down in emphatic fashion. It took just one quarter of football to set the tone for the day and the home fans could already see the writing on the wall. The Bays put seven through the sticks before the Dogs got their one and only, a six-goal lead to the Tigers at quarter-time. Then came a further six unanswered goals in the second quarter, at the half-time break their lead ballooned to 74 points. Centrals fans would be absolutely filthy, a stellar performance against the Crows last week made to look like a flash in the pan. Even more embarrassing for them was that this visiting outfit was without a handful of their major players. Glenelg relaxed it a little for the second half, the Dogs were making their own bad luck as they fell further behind by the final change, to 86 points after the Bays kicked three more majors to Centrals' one in the third. That margin would be the way it finished with each side kicking four goals to end the day. It was only six years ago that the Dogs were towelled on home soil, 61 years since their worst ever defeat at Elizabeth. This would rank their eighth in that horrid list. Luke Partington was Glenelg's best afield with 29 disposals, nine marks, seven clearances and six tackles. Luca Whitelum was Centrals' standout with 24 disposals plus seven tackles and marks on an afternoon with very few highlights.
The second game for the weekend brings takes us to the south side of the city and into the Thomas Farms Oval in Unley for the much anticipated clash between the Double Blues and the Crows. Back in Round 7, the Blues' tenacity won out against a pretty efficient Adelaide outfit, winning by 23 points. The Blues' third quarter lapse allowed the Crows to cut a 27-point half-time lead back to eight points at the final change, but Adelaide's final term let them down. The match would be remembered for a low minor score count, with 11 behinds from 38 scores. The Blues romped to an 17th minor round win last week, destroying Westies by 85 points while the Crows were outlasted at the Ponderosa in a one-point loss to Centrals. A win here in front of a bumper crowd would complete a perfect minor round, but the Crows, probably still stinging after their narrow loss, would run out the final minutes of the opening term. They kicked 5.1 to Sturt's 2.2 to lead by 17 points at quarter-time. The Blues would hit back in the following period, but wasted a pair of chances late to snatch the lead. They would instead by down by three points at the long break, having scored 4.3 to 2.1. Only four years ago the Blues had the chance for a perfect minor round, but were denied at the death. Sturt's third term looked as though they would re-write that wrong as they held Adelaide to 2.2 whilst bagging 5.3 for themselves to go into the final stanza with a 22-point advantage. However, history was about to repeat itself. The visitors kicked the opening two majors, then another three after Sturt's 13th minute goal. A late Blues goal with some time left gave the locals some hope of that historical feat, but time would run out as the Crows won by two points. Lachlan Sholl was Adelaide's best on ground, with 26 disposals, seven marks and four tackles. The Blues named Will Snelling as their best with 27 disposals, 11 tackles and 10 clearances.
There were two dead rubber matches to finish off the season, the first of which would take place on the west side at the Hisense Stadium in Richmond where the Bloods and the Panthers met to try and finish the year on a high. It was all the way back in Round 2 that these sides last met, with the Panthers winning by four points down at Noarlunga. However that margin should have been a lot more, the Panthers were up by seven kicks at three quarter-time before the Bloods almost pulled off a heist to end all heists. Unfortunately for the Bloods, last week's heavy defeat to Sturt and the Panthers' win against the Eagles meant the wooden spoon was theirs for a sixth time in seven years. This wasn't going to be a pretty contest, the Panthers owning much of the first 15 minutes but only managing two goals to Westies' one. The Bloods put a bunch of chances wide after this and would be down by four points at quarter-time, the board reading 3.2 to 2.4. The second term was dominated in possession by the Bloods, but they still put several chances wide. On the bright side, their continued assaults and the only goal of the quarter did put them in the lead by the break by five points. South would kick the first goal of the second half but were again back behind the eight ball only minutes later. The Panthers fell behind to a three-kick final change gap, the Bloods had kicked three goals to one in that period to be ahead by 16 points at the siren. The inaccuracy bug fully entrenched itself in the Westies camp in the final term, scoring four behinds before answering South's sixth minute major with one of their own. The visitors then mounted a last-ditch assault from the 15th minute, but from their last four scores they managed only two goals. The Bloods would end their horrid season with one last victory, by a goal. Brady Searle was the standout for West with 24 disposals and 10 tackles, while the Panthers named Finn Emile-Brennan with 23 disposals and 12 marks.
Clash number four to end the Saturday afternoon action takes us to the inner east for the original rivalry and Elimination Final qualifier at the Coopers Stadium in Norwood between the Redlegs and the Magpies. These two sides put on a bit of a masterclass in goal-kicking with no more than four behinds kicked by either, the Redlegs winning by 17 points at Alberton back in Round 12. It was neck-and-neck most of the time with the gap no more than a straight kick at the breaks, the Redlegs going on to own the final term with five goals to Port's three. The Redlegs would leapfrog the 'Pies on the ladder thanks to their win at Prospect and Port's loss to the Tigers last week, but with only percentage separating them this match was a pass through to the sudden-death contest against Centrals next week. The Magpies were in charge early on while the Redlegs struggled to string goals together, finding themselves down by 17 points at the first change with the board reading 6.5 to 3.6. That gap crept out to 28 points going into the long break, Port keeping their old rivals to 2.3 and adding 4.2 to their score in the second term. The Magpies looked as though the berth was going to be theirs, but just two minutes into the second half, the momentum swung and it swung hard. Norwood kicked the first three goals over six minutes, then another three during third term added time. The Magpies were held to one major and all of a sudden they were down by two points at the final change. Eventually the home side would break through into the lead, but it was only after a string of minor scores over 16 minutes. That lone Port goal in the previous period would prove to be their last, ultimately it was a single dagger through the hearts of the visitors -- and a light tower failure at their end -- that finally did it for the Redlegs, winning by 10 points and keeping hold of the Williams-Gallagher Trophy. They now go on to face Centrals in the Elimination Final. Norwood would vote in Finn Heard as their best afield with 32 disposals and a massive 18 clearances, while the Magpies named Jack Watkins as their best with 26 disposals, nine tackles and six clearances.
The last match for the home and away season and the other dead rubber game would take place on Sunday afternoon at the Maughan Thiem Kia Oval in Woodville, the Eagles taking on the Roosters. It was a nine-point half-time gap between the two at Prospect back in Round 8, before the Roosters booted seven unanswered third term goals to break the game apart and run out 34-point winners. It was only a five goal to two final term that spared them a worse result. Capitulation has been the story of the second half of the Eagles' season, injuries to key personnel would see them hammered time and time again resulting in their slow but gradual drop from fifth to seventh. The Panthers would add salt into their wounds last week, while the equally luckless Roosters went down to the Redlegs at home. Of course this was a last hurrah for both sides, the first quarter a tale of two halves. The Eagles had more of the attack early, but a conversion of 1.2 to one behind would give way to North scoring the last two goals and a behind to lead by a kick at quarter-time. The Eagles' second term was much better score-wise, getting off to the perfect start with the first three goals. They were among their eventual 5.2 to North's 2.1, overtaking the visitors going into the long break by seven points. The Roosters looked like they were going to go out of '25 with a bang when play resumed, but their peppering of their sticks returned 5.5 to the Eagles' two goals. The door was still well open with the deficit only 16 points in favour of the visitors. But that scoring run must have taken it out of the Roosters, the Eagles opening the final term with the only three goals to take the lead by the 15th minute. The Roosters could have stolen back it at any time, however the Eagles' two behinds to one during time-on would see them home by three points. Max Litster was the Eagles' best with 26 disposals and 13 marks, while the Roosters named Hughen Wissman as their best on ground with 21 disposals, nine tackles and seven marks.
FINAL SCORES -- Round 19
Saturday August 23
Glenelg 20.8 (128)
Central District 6.6 (42)
1,790 @ X-Convenience Oval, Elizabeth
Adelaide 14.5 (89)
Sturt 13.9 (87)
5,595 @ Thomas Farms Oval, Unley
West Adelaide 7.14 (56)
South Adelaide 7.8 (50)
1,284 @ Hisense Stadium, Richmond
Norwood 12.15 (87)
Port Adelaide 11.11 (77)
3,387 @ Coopers Stadium, Norwood
Sunday August 24
Woodville-West Torrens 10.6 (66)
North Adelaide 9.9 (63)
1,509 @ Maughan Thiem Kia Oval, Woodville
REPORTS
Central -- Reed (striking)
Adelaide -- Murray (rough conduct)
West -- Corbett (striking)
North -- Hilder (kneeing)
Norwood -- Heard (rough conduct)
Port -- Williams (rough conduct)
2025 FINAL STANDINGS
-------------------------------------------------------
Sturt -- 34pts (17-1-0), 63.9%
Glenelg -- 30pts (15-3-0), 60.3%
Adelaide -- 28pts (14-4-0), 58%
Central -- 22pts (11-7-0), 51.5%
Norwood -- 16pts (8-10-0), 52.7%
-------------------------------------------------------
Port -- 14pts (7-11-0), 47.1%
W-WT -- 12pts (7-11-0), 42%
South -- 8pts (4-14-0), 44.2%
North -- 8pts (4-14-0), 42%
West -- 6pts (3-15-0) 36.8%
--------------------------------------------------------
So that is the regular season done and dusted, its now the business end of the year and here's how it all pans out this coming weekend for each division.
U-16 TORRENS UNI CUP
Friday August 29 @ 6:30pm
2nd Semi-Final -- Central District vs. West Adelaide; X-Convenience Oval, Elizabeth
Saturday August 30 @ 10:30am
1st Semi-Final -- North Adelaide vs. South Adelaide; Prospect Oval
U-18 TORRENS UNI CUP
Saturday August 30 @ Thomas Farms Oval, Unley
2nd Semi-Final -- Sturt vs. West Adelaide @ 11am
1st Semi-Final -- Central District vs. Woodville-West Torrens @ 1:30pm
RESERVES
Saturday August 30 @ Magain Stadium, Noarlunga
Qualifying Final -- South Adelaide vs. North Adelaide @ 10:30am
Elimination Final -- Woodville-West Torrens vs. Sturt @ 1:10pm
LEAGUE
Sunday August 31 @ Adelaide Oval
Elimination Final -- Central District vs. Norwood @ 12:15pm
Qualifying Final -- Glenelg vs. Adelaide @ 3:15pm
So until next weekend... see you at the Footy!