- May 8, 2001
- 5,667
- 818
- AFL Club
- Adelaide
- Other Teams
- CDFC (SANFL), Port Melb (VFL)
Hi Footy fans...
It's that time of year again. It's September and that means finals. Over the next four weeks we watch the rise and fall of the five surviving teams from the home and away season as they battle it out for the title of premier and the ultimate prize in South Australian football... the Thomas Seymour-Hill Trophy. For the opening week, we had the Panthers and the Roosters in a sudden death contest, followed by the Eagles and the Double Blues facing off to see who would take on the minor premiers in the Redlegs next weekend. No doubt there were some from The Parade watching on in the stands of Adelaide Oval, taking notes on their potential opponents over the coming weeks. Let the games begin... this is Finals Football.
Welcome to this first week edition of the SANFL Finals Wrap-Up.
We start things off with the cut-throat Elimination Final, where the Panthers faced the Roosters. The Panthers finished the regular season with plenty of promise after defeating two of the top three sides over as many weeks, their final round upset win against the Redlegs putting them in fourth position above the Roosters who finished the minor round with a four-point win against Port. Their most recent clash in the finals goes all the way back to 2006 in a 1st Semi-Final where the Roosters won by 25 points. In the Elimination Final, the Panthers have played made eight appearances for five wins while the Roosters have played in nine games with seven wins. South's last eliminator was in 2014 when they defeated the Eagles by 20 points, the Roosters last played one in 2013 when they smashed the Bulldogs by 62 points. Their two encounters this season both resulted in South emerging victorious, the first in Round 7 by 27 points and then again in Round 15 by 41 points, so all the evidence seemed indicate that the Panthers were the clear favourites to win and advance to a 1st Semi.
The first quarter seemed to reflect that, although both sides had some problems finding the goals and the Roosters attempting to get overly physical. South would lead by two goals at quarter-time, scoring 3.3 to 1.3. However the Roosters physical approach in the second term started to reap rewards, their pressure on the body and ball was upped a notch and by half-time they would have the lead. They restricted the Panthers to just 1.2 and scored 6.1 for themselves to take a 17-point lead into the change rooms at the long break. South returned to the fray with the adequate response, putting themselves back into the lead by the final change. A few missed shots on goal allowed North to stay within three straight kicks at three quarter-time, the Panthers scoring 5.4 to 1.2 to lead by 13 points. But in the final stanza, the Panthers couldn't keep up that intensity as the Roosters scored six goals without a miss and kept South to just 1.1 to run out 20-point winners, not the finish that the South faithful had in mind, going by their final furlong in the H&A season. The Roosters would name Tanner Smith as their best afield, the Panthers voted Keegan Brooksby as their best.
Next up its the Qualifying Final between the Eagles and the Double Blues. The Eagles finished off the minor round with a 26-point win against the Bulldogs, but were made to work for it a little after a horrid opening term in front of goal. The reigning premiers were humbled by the Tigers in the final round by five points at Gliderol Stadium and were left with lasting scars. In the finals series, there's been a few outings between these sides. While the Eagles were victorious in the 2nd Semi back in 2016, two weeks later they could only watch as that year's flag found its way to Oxford Terrace. The Preliminary Final in 2017 was another disaster story for the Eagles at the hands of the Blues as they went a third year running with a minor premiership but no Thomas Seymour-Hill Trophy. In regards to Qualifying Final encounters, they last went at it in the 2004 season. The Blues had the lead at every change but were kept scoreless in the final quarter as the Eagles booted seven goals to win by 35 points. This year's encounters saw the two sides trade blows on each other's home patch, the Eagles winning by 33 points at Unley in Round 6, then the Blues returning the favour by 23 points at Woodville.
Those scars I was talking about earlier? The Blues were the walking wounded for this one, four key players were eliminated from their line-up following their loss to Glenelg. The Eagles weren't fully able to take advantage in the early stages of this scrappy contest, they sprayed several shots on goal for a return of 2.4 while the Blues scored 2.2 for a gap of two points in favour of the Eagles at quarter-time. The Eagles would continue to put shots wide in the second term, but the Blues weren't finding their way into their 50 often enough to trouble their lead. The Eagles would take a 10-point lead into the half-time break after scoring 2.3 to 1.1. The pressure began to tell on the Blues in the third quarter, they would lose yet another key player to injury during this period as the Eagles took their advantage out to four goals come three quarter-time after scoring 3.2 to the Blues' single major. Sturt attempted to launch a comeback in the final quarter but even though the Eagles only managed 1.4, their defence would only let in 2.1 as they booked a 2nd Semi-Final berth on the back of a 21-point win. Suddenly, a three-peat for the reigning champs is in serious jeopardy, they will face the Roosters in the 1st Semi-Final. Paul Stewart was named the Eagles' best afield, the Blues named Matthew Crocker as their best.
FINAL SCORES IN WEEK ONE OF THE SANFL FINALS SERIES...
Sunday September 2
ELIMINATION FINAL
North Adelaide 14.6 (90)
South Adelaide 10.10 (70)
QUALIFYING FINAL
Woodville-West Torrens 8.13 (61)
Sturt 6.4 (40)
8,632 @ Adelaide Oval
INJURIES
W-WT -- Borholm (ankle)
Sturt -- Battersby (shoulder)
OTHER GRADE FINALS
In the U-18 finals at Woodville, the Redlegs showed the Roosters the door in their Elimination Final, the trio of Stephens, Taheny and Tacono combined to outscore North on their own boots to win by 37 points. The 'Legs led by just 10 points at quarter-time, but the Roosters couldn't keep up after that. Norwood's second term proved to be the game breaker, kicking 5.2 to 1.2 and not giving an inch after that. They will face the Panthers next Sunday morning after they went down by seven points in their Qualifying Final against the Eagles. In a see-sawing match, the lead traded hands multiple times but in the final term it was the Eagles' four goals to two that did the job. They have taken the first Grand Final spot, which will be played in the curtain raiser to the Preliminary Final in two weeks time.
The Reserves finals were held at The Parade, with the opening match seeing the Bulldogs through to the second week of finals after they defeated the Bloods by 25 points. The Dogs held the lead at every change but were never ahead by any more than three straight kicks. They finally broke away in the final term, scoring four goals to two to book a 1st Semi-Final spot. They will face the Tigers at Richmond next weekend after they were beaten by 10 points by the Roosters. The Tigers blew a 25-point half-time lead, held to a miserly two behinds in the second term where the Roosters booted 5.4 and then wasted a swag of opportunities in the last term. The Roosters will play minor premiers Norwood which follows the Dogs vs. Tigers match.
Saturday September 1
U-18's @ Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval, Woodville
Elimination Final -- Norwood 17.10 (112) def. North Adelaide 11.9 (75)
Qualifying Final -- Woodville-West Torrens 12.7 (79) def. South Adelaide 11.6 (72)
Reserves @ Coopers Stadium, Norwood
Elimination Final -- Central District 12.14 (86) def. West Adelaide 9.7 (61)
Qualifying Final -- North Adelaide 10.10 (70) def. Glenelg 8.12 (60)
SANFL STATEMENT -- MARGARET VARCOE
The following statement is taken from the SANFL website, by CEO Jake Parkinson.
The SANFL stands with the entire South Australian football community in mourning the tragic loss of Margaret Varcoe.
Like everyone, we are shocked and devastated at the passing of someone who still had so much to give, both on and off the football field.
An unerringly modest personality with silky skills, she went quietly about her football and was enormously respected and admired by teammates and opponents alike. With a smile on her face and kindness in her heart, Maggie brought light to those around her. Our thoughts are with her loving family, devoted partner Josh and friends and we offer our unconditional and heartfelt support to Maggie’s club colleagues at Angle Vale and North Adelaide.
Next weekend in Week 2 of the SANFL Finals...
Saturday September 8 @ City Mazda Stadium, Richmond
Reserves 1st Semi-Final
Glenelg vs. Central District; 11:30am
Reserves 2nd Semi-Final
Norwood vs. North Adelaide; 2:10pm
Sunday September 9 @ Adelaide Oval
U-18's Preliminary Final
South Adelaide vs. Norwood; 9:30am
LEAGUE 1st SEMI-FINAL
Sturt vs. North Adelaide; 12:15pm
LEAGUE 2nd SEMI-FINAL
Norwood vs. Woodville-West Torrens; 3:15pm
So until next weekend... see you at the Footy!
It's that time of year again. It's September and that means finals. Over the next four weeks we watch the rise and fall of the five surviving teams from the home and away season as they battle it out for the title of premier and the ultimate prize in South Australian football... the Thomas Seymour-Hill Trophy. For the opening week, we had the Panthers and the Roosters in a sudden death contest, followed by the Eagles and the Double Blues facing off to see who would take on the minor premiers in the Redlegs next weekend. No doubt there were some from The Parade watching on in the stands of Adelaide Oval, taking notes on their potential opponents over the coming weeks. Let the games begin... this is Finals Football.
Welcome to this first week edition of the SANFL Finals Wrap-Up.
We start things off with the cut-throat Elimination Final, where the Panthers faced the Roosters. The Panthers finished the regular season with plenty of promise after defeating two of the top three sides over as many weeks, their final round upset win against the Redlegs putting them in fourth position above the Roosters who finished the minor round with a four-point win against Port. Their most recent clash in the finals goes all the way back to 2006 in a 1st Semi-Final where the Roosters won by 25 points. In the Elimination Final, the Panthers have played made eight appearances for five wins while the Roosters have played in nine games with seven wins. South's last eliminator was in 2014 when they defeated the Eagles by 20 points, the Roosters last played one in 2013 when they smashed the Bulldogs by 62 points. Their two encounters this season both resulted in South emerging victorious, the first in Round 7 by 27 points and then again in Round 15 by 41 points, so all the evidence seemed indicate that the Panthers were the clear favourites to win and advance to a 1st Semi.
The first quarter seemed to reflect that, although both sides had some problems finding the goals and the Roosters attempting to get overly physical. South would lead by two goals at quarter-time, scoring 3.3 to 1.3. However the Roosters physical approach in the second term started to reap rewards, their pressure on the body and ball was upped a notch and by half-time they would have the lead. They restricted the Panthers to just 1.2 and scored 6.1 for themselves to take a 17-point lead into the change rooms at the long break. South returned to the fray with the adequate response, putting themselves back into the lead by the final change. A few missed shots on goal allowed North to stay within three straight kicks at three quarter-time, the Panthers scoring 5.4 to 1.2 to lead by 13 points. But in the final stanza, the Panthers couldn't keep up that intensity as the Roosters scored six goals without a miss and kept South to just 1.1 to run out 20-point winners, not the finish that the South faithful had in mind, going by their final furlong in the H&A season. The Roosters would name Tanner Smith as their best afield, the Panthers voted Keegan Brooksby as their best.
Next up its the Qualifying Final between the Eagles and the Double Blues. The Eagles finished off the minor round with a 26-point win against the Bulldogs, but were made to work for it a little after a horrid opening term in front of goal. The reigning premiers were humbled by the Tigers in the final round by five points at Gliderol Stadium and were left with lasting scars. In the finals series, there's been a few outings between these sides. While the Eagles were victorious in the 2nd Semi back in 2016, two weeks later they could only watch as that year's flag found its way to Oxford Terrace. The Preliminary Final in 2017 was another disaster story for the Eagles at the hands of the Blues as they went a third year running with a minor premiership but no Thomas Seymour-Hill Trophy. In regards to Qualifying Final encounters, they last went at it in the 2004 season. The Blues had the lead at every change but were kept scoreless in the final quarter as the Eagles booted seven goals to win by 35 points. This year's encounters saw the two sides trade blows on each other's home patch, the Eagles winning by 33 points at Unley in Round 6, then the Blues returning the favour by 23 points at Woodville.
Those scars I was talking about earlier? The Blues were the walking wounded for this one, four key players were eliminated from their line-up following their loss to Glenelg. The Eagles weren't fully able to take advantage in the early stages of this scrappy contest, they sprayed several shots on goal for a return of 2.4 while the Blues scored 2.2 for a gap of two points in favour of the Eagles at quarter-time. The Eagles would continue to put shots wide in the second term, but the Blues weren't finding their way into their 50 often enough to trouble their lead. The Eagles would take a 10-point lead into the half-time break after scoring 2.3 to 1.1. The pressure began to tell on the Blues in the third quarter, they would lose yet another key player to injury during this period as the Eagles took their advantage out to four goals come three quarter-time after scoring 3.2 to the Blues' single major. Sturt attempted to launch a comeback in the final quarter but even though the Eagles only managed 1.4, their defence would only let in 2.1 as they booked a 2nd Semi-Final berth on the back of a 21-point win. Suddenly, a three-peat for the reigning champs is in serious jeopardy, they will face the Roosters in the 1st Semi-Final. Paul Stewart was named the Eagles' best afield, the Blues named Matthew Crocker as their best.
FINAL SCORES IN WEEK ONE OF THE SANFL FINALS SERIES...
Sunday September 2
ELIMINATION FINAL
North Adelaide 14.6 (90)
South Adelaide 10.10 (70)
QUALIFYING FINAL
Woodville-West Torrens 8.13 (61)
Sturt 6.4 (40)
8,632 @ Adelaide Oval
INJURIES
W-WT -- Borholm (ankle)
Sturt -- Battersby (shoulder)
OTHER GRADE FINALS
In the U-18 finals at Woodville, the Redlegs showed the Roosters the door in their Elimination Final, the trio of Stephens, Taheny and Tacono combined to outscore North on their own boots to win by 37 points. The 'Legs led by just 10 points at quarter-time, but the Roosters couldn't keep up after that. Norwood's second term proved to be the game breaker, kicking 5.2 to 1.2 and not giving an inch after that. They will face the Panthers next Sunday morning after they went down by seven points in their Qualifying Final against the Eagles. In a see-sawing match, the lead traded hands multiple times but in the final term it was the Eagles' four goals to two that did the job. They have taken the first Grand Final spot, which will be played in the curtain raiser to the Preliminary Final in two weeks time.
The Reserves finals were held at The Parade, with the opening match seeing the Bulldogs through to the second week of finals after they defeated the Bloods by 25 points. The Dogs held the lead at every change but were never ahead by any more than three straight kicks. They finally broke away in the final term, scoring four goals to two to book a 1st Semi-Final spot. They will face the Tigers at Richmond next weekend after they were beaten by 10 points by the Roosters. The Tigers blew a 25-point half-time lead, held to a miserly two behinds in the second term where the Roosters booted 5.4 and then wasted a swag of opportunities in the last term. The Roosters will play minor premiers Norwood which follows the Dogs vs. Tigers match.
Saturday September 1
U-18's @ Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval, Woodville
Elimination Final -- Norwood 17.10 (112) def. North Adelaide 11.9 (75)
Qualifying Final -- Woodville-West Torrens 12.7 (79) def. South Adelaide 11.6 (72)
Reserves @ Coopers Stadium, Norwood
Elimination Final -- Central District 12.14 (86) def. West Adelaide 9.7 (61)
Qualifying Final -- North Adelaide 10.10 (70) def. Glenelg 8.12 (60)
SANFL STATEMENT -- MARGARET VARCOE
The following statement is taken from the SANFL website, by CEO Jake Parkinson.
The SANFL stands with the entire South Australian football community in mourning the tragic loss of Margaret Varcoe.
Like everyone, we are shocked and devastated at the passing of someone who still had so much to give, both on and off the football field.
An unerringly modest personality with silky skills, she went quietly about her football and was enormously respected and admired by teammates and opponents alike. With a smile on her face and kindness in her heart, Maggie brought light to those around her. Our thoughts are with her loving family, devoted partner Josh and friends and we offer our unconditional and heartfelt support to Maggie’s club colleagues at Angle Vale and North Adelaide.
Next weekend in Week 2 of the SANFL Finals...
Saturday September 8 @ City Mazda Stadium, Richmond
Reserves 1st Semi-Final
Glenelg vs. Central District; 11:30am
Reserves 2nd Semi-Final
Norwood vs. North Adelaide; 2:10pm
Sunday September 9 @ Adelaide Oval
U-18's Preliminary Final
South Adelaide vs. Norwood; 9:30am
LEAGUE 1st SEMI-FINAL
Sturt vs. North Adelaide; 12:15pm
LEAGUE 2nd SEMI-FINAL
Norwood vs. Woodville-West Torrens; 3:15pm
So until next weekend... see you at the Footy!
