- May 8, 2001
- 5,667
- 818
- AFL Club
- Adelaide
- Other Teams
- CDFC (SANFL), Port Melb (VFL)
Hi Footy fans...
This year will go down in history as one of the most unique seasons of football in memory. Not since the World Wars of the early 20th century has football been so heavily disrupted, when seasons were called off or improvised competitions were initiated like the Patriotic League of the late 1910's or the four-team competition in the early 1940's. For our generation, the disruption came in the form of a virus, one which wiped around a third of the SANFL season. Some might probably say whoever wins this year's premiership will carry an asterisk next to it on the honour roll, but after 14 games of football without byes, I'm not so sure that's the case. I think, all things considered, we here in South Australia did pretty good for ourselves. Now, its time for the sprint to the finish as the 2020 SANFL Finals Series kicked off and the race for the Thomas Seymour-Hill Trophy is on. Four teams, three weeks, who will be left standing? The defending premiers seemingly playing on borrowed time, a club that's been in the wilderness for far too long, another side needing a shot in the arm after years of finals disappointments and a cinderella story in the possible making after attaining the highest of highs to the lowest of lows and now back in the mix this season.
This is Finals Football.
Welcome to the Week 1 edition of the SANFL Finals Wrap-Up.
Of course with finals football, its off to league headquarters at the Adelaide Oval, beginning with the high noon cut-throat 1st Semi-Final between the Panthers and the Tigers. At the end of the minor round the Tigers kept their spot in the four, thanks to the Redlegs dropping their bundle in the last few rounds. But a heavy loss to the Eagles in Round 12 exposed more than a few chinks in the armor of the defending premiers and while the Bulldogs and the Double Blues couldn't nick the results, signs pointed to a weakened Tigers. The Panthers on the other hand, finished the minor round the stronger outfit. They bounced back from their shock defeat at the hands of Sturt with massive wins over the final three rounds including last week against the Roosters. From their meetings this season, the points were shared with the Tigers taking a five-point win in Round 2 at the Oval, followed by South's 41-point hiding in Round 9 at Brighton Road. In finals, remarkably these sides have only ever faced each other on two occasions in their history and like this match, they were both sudden death games. The first was back in 1992 in one of the highest scoring Elimination Finals ever, the Tigers winning by 51 points where 39 goals were kicked. History of course will show that season being a bust for the Tigers, who would go down to the Magpies in that year's decider. Also I need to make a correction from last year's wrap from this same time, I believed that North had the highest score ever recorded in a 1st Semi in 1990 but in fact was two points short. 19 years after that loss, the Panthers got their revenge in the 2011 eliminator with their 31-point victory. They would eventually bundled out that season by the eventual premiers in the Preliminary Final.
Only on 11 occasions have the winners of a 1st Semi-Final gone on to win the flag, but neither team are in that list, with Glenelg's premiership years coming from either 2nd Semi or Preliminary Finals. Its the same for South, but as we all well know its been a damn long time between celebratory drinks, a drought that started after their 1964 triumph and almost ended on only one occasion which was back in 1979 when they lost to Port Adelaide in that year's decider. In the opening stanza, for the first 11 minutes the two sides traded goals with each side kicking two each, but it was South with the ascendancy at the first change. They would lead by two goals at quarter-time, the scoreboard reading 4.2 to 2.2. The Panthers upped the pressure on the Tigers in the second term, but while they did outscore the reigning premiers they wasted several prime opportunities to put the game away early. Their return for the second quarter was 3.6 to the Tigers' 2.1, the blue and whites ahead by 23 points at the long break. The Panthers accuracy improved for the second half and they began to turn the screws on the Tigers. By three quarter-time, the Panthers were away to a 33-point lead after scoring 4.3 as the Tigers struggled to string goals together with their score of 2.5. The Tigers, to their credit, continued to try to battle back. But South's job was already done, their defences holding firm as they booked a Preliminary Final spot next week with their 25-point win, scoring 3.1 to 4.3 in the final term. Malcolm Karpany was the standout performer for the Panthers this day, he finished with 18 disposals, laid four tackles and kicked four goals. Not far behind him was Luke Bogle and Matt Broadbent who each had 21 disposals. Jackson Edwards was named best for the Tigers with his 23 disposals, nine marks and six tackles. Back to the drawing board for the Bays.
Next up it's the 2nd Semi-Final, the Grand Final qualifier. A week off to prepare for the big dance awaited the victor, this year it's the Eagles taking on the Roosters. The Eagles managed to outlast the Roosters in both of their encounters during the home and away season, with a 15-point win at Prospect in Round 4 followed by a 25-point victory at Woodville in Round 11. Both games were low-scoring affairs, with the Eagles maxing out at 69 points in both. North's final terms in those games was the contributing factor, running out of legs while the Eagles kicked away. In finals however, is where the Eagles have fallen flat. Since 2015, they have gone from one disaster to the next. Three minor premierships, two losing grand finals and two straight sets exits. One of those exits came at the hands of the Roosters and it was one of the most bitter pills that any football side would have to swallow. The 2018 Preliminary Final ended up making headlines across the country after a extra man on the field for North had been detected, but due to proper match protocol at the time not being initiated by the Eagles they would be defeated by less than a kick. A tribunal meeting did ensue, but the result was upheld and the Roosters penalised four premiership points ahead of Season 2019. Aside from that, the Roosters have also had the better of the Eagles in two previous finals encounters. Both were sudden death games, a 17-point win in the 2013 1st Semi and an eight-point win from the 2012 Elimination Final. History, as it seems, is not the Eagles' best friend considering recent memory. And while North's time in 2nd Semis hasn't always brought them the ultimate prize like in 2007 or 2012, they did make some history back in 1991 as they went all the way that year for the first post-AFL era premiership.
Thanks to the pandemic and the shortened finals schedule, there was to be no week off for the minor premiership winners from Oval Avenue. But seeing as though weeks off from being first past the post hasn't done the Eagles any favours, a first-week finals dust-up was probably a welcome thing this time around. The Roosters' goal-kicking radar was a bit off to begin with, but they were all over the Eagles from the outset and with the wind at their backs, kicking three of the first four goals. But their inaccuracy kept the Eagles in touch, the scoreboard reading 4.5 to 3.1 with North up by 10 points. The shoe was on the other foot in the second quarter, the Eagles wasting five shots in succession and would still be behind the eight-ball at the half-time siren. A late pair of goals by the Roosters put them back in front by a kick at the long break, they altogether scored 3.1 to the Eagles 3.5. That string of wasted opportunities would come back to haunt the Eagles when play resumed, as the weather began to deteriorate and the rain started falling. In these conditions, it was the smaller brigade of the Roosters that were making their mark. North would adapt better to the wet and owned the third quarter, keeping the Eagles to a single behind and adding 3.4 to their score. North would go into the final change with a 27-point lead. Last quarters from the Roosters against the Eagles this season have seen them fall on their sword, however this time around the North defence would stand up against the eventual Eagles last-ditch run. They were held to 1.1, but the Eagles' score of 3.1 wasn't enough to deny the red and whites the first Grand Final berth. The Roosters stamped their ticket and week off with a 15-point win, while the Eagles will need to face a confident South Adelaide outfit next week. William Combe scored three goals, had 19 disposals and laid four tackles in his best on ground performance for North, while Jack Hayes was the Eagles standout with 21 disposals, six marks and four tackles.
FINAL SCORES IN WEEK ONE OF THE SANFL FINALS...
Sunday October 4
1st SEMI-FINAL
South Adelaide 14.12 (96)
Glenelg 10.11 (71)
2nd SEMI-FINAL
North Adelaide 11.11 (77)
Woodville-West Torrens 9.8 (62)
5,409 @ Adelaide Oval
INJURIES
North -- Smith (ankle), Young (concussion)
W-WT -- Mansell (head knock)
REPORTS
None known at time of post.
RESERVES FINALS -- Shocks galore at the Ponderosa
The Reserves finals were held at the X-Convenience Oval in Elizabeth on Saturday, starting off with the 1st Semi-Final which saw the Roosters only just outlast the Double Blues by a goal. After a spirited opening term which saw North up by five points at the first change, an inaccurate second term and third term by the Roosters almost came back to haunt them in the final term when the Blues held them to just one behind. Sturt chipped and chipped at the Roosters little by little to reel back the five-kick deficit, but the Roosters came out on top from the mad scramble. North had five individual goal scorers, with Dakota Nixon among three Roosters to kick two goals each and named best afield with 20 disposals and seven tackles. They will face the Bulldogs next week, who shockingly went down to the Eagles in their 2nd Semi-Final. Only a week ago, the minor premiers spanked the Eagles by seven goals. But as they say, a week is a long time in football as the Eagles went from 13 points up at half-time to 40 points by the final change. A last term charge by the Bulldogs would come up well short, the Eagles taking their place in the Reserves Grand Final in two weeks with their 22-point win. Sam Lowson kicked four goals, but it was Jackson Lee with his 21 disposals and five tackles that saw him named best for the Eagles.
1st SEMI-FINAL -- North Adelaide 8.12 (60) def. Sturt 7.12 (54)
2nd SEMI-FINAL -- Woodville-West Torrens 12.11 (83) def. Central District 9.7 (61)
U-18 FINALS -- Controversy at Thebarton with latest extra man incident
The Eagles won their 1st Semi-Final against the Panthers by 11 points at Thebarton Oval, but at the time of this blog going online, the SANFL is probably convening a tribunal over a second 19th man incident in three years. Going by reports, further action may not even be necessary because whoever the Eagles' extra man was, he was not involved in any passage of play or anywhere near the ball and when discovered was ordered off the field by the lead umpire. The gap between the two at the breaks was never more than two straight kicks, although the lead changed hands a few times in the third quarter. The Eagles maintained their composure to secure the victory, Nick Mitzithras their best afield with 22 disposals, seven marks and three tackles. So unless the league rule otherwise, they should be playing next week against Sturt who went down to the Redlegs in their 2nd Semi-Final. Yet another shocking outing for a minor premiership winning side across the board, the Double Blues having a hell of a time in front of goal as they scored four goals from 11 scores in the first half. The 'Legs took seven goals from 13 scores and then broke the game apart in the third term to take an eight-goal lead by the final change on their way to a 52-point victory and the first berth in the Torrens Uni Cup Grand Final. Finn Heard scored five goals, but it was Henry Nelligan that was their standout with 25 disposals, five marks and four tackles.
1st SEMI-FINAL -- Woodville-West Torrens 16.7 (103) def. South Adelaide 14.8 (92)
2nd SEMI-FINAL -- Norwood 16.14 (110) def. Sturt 8.10 (58)
So here's what's coming next weekend!
Saturday October 10
U-18 TORRENS UNI CUP PRELIMINARY FINAL
Sturt vs. Woodville-West Torrens; Thebarton Oval @ 11:30am
Sunday October 11 @ Adelaide Oval
RESERVES PRELIMINARY FINAL
Central District vs. North Adelaide @ 12:15pm
LEAGUE PRELIMINARY FINAL
Woodville-West Torrens vs. South Adelaide @ 3:15pm
So until next weekend... see you at the Footy!
This year will go down in history as one of the most unique seasons of football in memory. Not since the World Wars of the early 20th century has football been so heavily disrupted, when seasons were called off or improvised competitions were initiated like the Patriotic League of the late 1910's or the four-team competition in the early 1940's. For our generation, the disruption came in the form of a virus, one which wiped around a third of the SANFL season. Some might probably say whoever wins this year's premiership will carry an asterisk next to it on the honour roll, but after 14 games of football without byes, I'm not so sure that's the case. I think, all things considered, we here in South Australia did pretty good for ourselves. Now, its time for the sprint to the finish as the 2020 SANFL Finals Series kicked off and the race for the Thomas Seymour-Hill Trophy is on. Four teams, three weeks, who will be left standing? The defending premiers seemingly playing on borrowed time, a club that's been in the wilderness for far too long, another side needing a shot in the arm after years of finals disappointments and a cinderella story in the possible making after attaining the highest of highs to the lowest of lows and now back in the mix this season.
This is Finals Football.
Welcome to the Week 1 edition of the SANFL Finals Wrap-Up.
Of course with finals football, its off to league headquarters at the Adelaide Oval, beginning with the high noon cut-throat 1st Semi-Final between the Panthers and the Tigers. At the end of the minor round the Tigers kept their spot in the four, thanks to the Redlegs dropping their bundle in the last few rounds. But a heavy loss to the Eagles in Round 12 exposed more than a few chinks in the armor of the defending premiers and while the Bulldogs and the Double Blues couldn't nick the results, signs pointed to a weakened Tigers. The Panthers on the other hand, finished the minor round the stronger outfit. They bounced back from their shock defeat at the hands of Sturt with massive wins over the final three rounds including last week against the Roosters. From their meetings this season, the points were shared with the Tigers taking a five-point win in Round 2 at the Oval, followed by South's 41-point hiding in Round 9 at Brighton Road. In finals, remarkably these sides have only ever faced each other on two occasions in their history and like this match, they were both sudden death games. The first was back in 1992 in one of the highest scoring Elimination Finals ever, the Tigers winning by 51 points where 39 goals were kicked. History of course will show that season being a bust for the Tigers, who would go down to the Magpies in that year's decider. Also I need to make a correction from last year's wrap from this same time, I believed that North had the highest score ever recorded in a 1st Semi in 1990 but in fact was two points short. 19 years after that loss, the Panthers got their revenge in the 2011 eliminator with their 31-point victory. They would eventually bundled out that season by the eventual premiers in the Preliminary Final.
Only on 11 occasions have the winners of a 1st Semi-Final gone on to win the flag, but neither team are in that list, with Glenelg's premiership years coming from either 2nd Semi or Preliminary Finals. Its the same for South, but as we all well know its been a damn long time between celebratory drinks, a drought that started after their 1964 triumph and almost ended on only one occasion which was back in 1979 when they lost to Port Adelaide in that year's decider. In the opening stanza, for the first 11 minutes the two sides traded goals with each side kicking two each, but it was South with the ascendancy at the first change. They would lead by two goals at quarter-time, the scoreboard reading 4.2 to 2.2. The Panthers upped the pressure on the Tigers in the second term, but while they did outscore the reigning premiers they wasted several prime opportunities to put the game away early. Their return for the second quarter was 3.6 to the Tigers' 2.1, the blue and whites ahead by 23 points at the long break. The Panthers accuracy improved for the second half and they began to turn the screws on the Tigers. By three quarter-time, the Panthers were away to a 33-point lead after scoring 4.3 as the Tigers struggled to string goals together with their score of 2.5. The Tigers, to their credit, continued to try to battle back. But South's job was already done, their defences holding firm as they booked a Preliminary Final spot next week with their 25-point win, scoring 3.1 to 4.3 in the final term. Malcolm Karpany was the standout performer for the Panthers this day, he finished with 18 disposals, laid four tackles and kicked four goals. Not far behind him was Luke Bogle and Matt Broadbent who each had 21 disposals. Jackson Edwards was named best for the Tigers with his 23 disposals, nine marks and six tackles. Back to the drawing board for the Bays.
Next up it's the 2nd Semi-Final, the Grand Final qualifier. A week off to prepare for the big dance awaited the victor, this year it's the Eagles taking on the Roosters. The Eagles managed to outlast the Roosters in both of their encounters during the home and away season, with a 15-point win at Prospect in Round 4 followed by a 25-point victory at Woodville in Round 11. Both games were low-scoring affairs, with the Eagles maxing out at 69 points in both. North's final terms in those games was the contributing factor, running out of legs while the Eagles kicked away. In finals however, is where the Eagles have fallen flat. Since 2015, they have gone from one disaster to the next. Three minor premierships, two losing grand finals and two straight sets exits. One of those exits came at the hands of the Roosters and it was one of the most bitter pills that any football side would have to swallow. The 2018 Preliminary Final ended up making headlines across the country after a extra man on the field for North had been detected, but due to proper match protocol at the time not being initiated by the Eagles they would be defeated by less than a kick. A tribunal meeting did ensue, but the result was upheld and the Roosters penalised four premiership points ahead of Season 2019. Aside from that, the Roosters have also had the better of the Eagles in two previous finals encounters. Both were sudden death games, a 17-point win in the 2013 1st Semi and an eight-point win from the 2012 Elimination Final. History, as it seems, is not the Eagles' best friend considering recent memory. And while North's time in 2nd Semis hasn't always brought them the ultimate prize like in 2007 or 2012, they did make some history back in 1991 as they went all the way that year for the first post-AFL era premiership.
Thanks to the pandemic and the shortened finals schedule, there was to be no week off for the minor premiership winners from Oval Avenue. But seeing as though weeks off from being first past the post hasn't done the Eagles any favours, a first-week finals dust-up was probably a welcome thing this time around. The Roosters' goal-kicking radar was a bit off to begin with, but they were all over the Eagles from the outset and with the wind at their backs, kicking three of the first four goals. But their inaccuracy kept the Eagles in touch, the scoreboard reading 4.5 to 3.1 with North up by 10 points. The shoe was on the other foot in the second quarter, the Eagles wasting five shots in succession and would still be behind the eight-ball at the half-time siren. A late pair of goals by the Roosters put them back in front by a kick at the long break, they altogether scored 3.1 to the Eagles 3.5. That string of wasted opportunities would come back to haunt the Eagles when play resumed, as the weather began to deteriorate and the rain started falling. In these conditions, it was the smaller brigade of the Roosters that were making their mark. North would adapt better to the wet and owned the third quarter, keeping the Eagles to a single behind and adding 3.4 to their score. North would go into the final change with a 27-point lead. Last quarters from the Roosters against the Eagles this season have seen them fall on their sword, however this time around the North defence would stand up against the eventual Eagles last-ditch run. They were held to 1.1, but the Eagles' score of 3.1 wasn't enough to deny the red and whites the first Grand Final berth. The Roosters stamped their ticket and week off with a 15-point win, while the Eagles will need to face a confident South Adelaide outfit next week. William Combe scored three goals, had 19 disposals and laid four tackles in his best on ground performance for North, while Jack Hayes was the Eagles standout with 21 disposals, six marks and four tackles.
FINAL SCORES IN WEEK ONE OF THE SANFL FINALS...
Sunday October 4
1st SEMI-FINAL
South Adelaide 14.12 (96)
Glenelg 10.11 (71)
2nd SEMI-FINAL
North Adelaide 11.11 (77)
Woodville-West Torrens 9.8 (62)
5,409 @ Adelaide Oval
INJURIES
North -- Smith (ankle), Young (concussion)
W-WT -- Mansell (head knock)
REPORTS
None known at time of post.
RESERVES FINALS -- Shocks galore at the Ponderosa
The Reserves finals were held at the X-Convenience Oval in Elizabeth on Saturday, starting off with the 1st Semi-Final which saw the Roosters only just outlast the Double Blues by a goal. After a spirited opening term which saw North up by five points at the first change, an inaccurate second term and third term by the Roosters almost came back to haunt them in the final term when the Blues held them to just one behind. Sturt chipped and chipped at the Roosters little by little to reel back the five-kick deficit, but the Roosters came out on top from the mad scramble. North had five individual goal scorers, with Dakota Nixon among three Roosters to kick two goals each and named best afield with 20 disposals and seven tackles. They will face the Bulldogs next week, who shockingly went down to the Eagles in their 2nd Semi-Final. Only a week ago, the minor premiers spanked the Eagles by seven goals. But as they say, a week is a long time in football as the Eagles went from 13 points up at half-time to 40 points by the final change. A last term charge by the Bulldogs would come up well short, the Eagles taking their place in the Reserves Grand Final in two weeks with their 22-point win. Sam Lowson kicked four goals, but it was Jackson Lee with his 21 disposals and five tackles that saw him named best for the Eagles.
1st SEMI-FINAL -- North Adelaide 8.12 (60) def. Sturt 7.12 (54)
2nd SEMI-FINAL -- Woodville-West Torrens 12.11 (83) def. Central District 9.7 (61)
U-18 FINALS -- Controversy at Thebarton with latest extra man incident
The Eagles won their 1st Semi-Final against the Panthers by 11 points at Thebarton Oval, but at the time of this blog going online, the SANFL is probably convening a tribunal over a second 19th man incident in three years. Going by reports, further action may not even be necessary because whoever the Eagles' extra man was, he was not involved in any passage of play or anywhere near the ball and when discovered was ordered off the field by the lead umpire. The gap between the two at the breaks was never more than two straight kicks, although the lead changed hands a few times in the third quarter. The Eagles maintained their composure to secure the victory, Nick Mitzithras their best afield with 22 disposals, seven marks and three tackles. So unless the league rule otherwise, they should be playing next week against Sturt who went down to the Redlegs in their 2nd Semi-Final. Yet another shocking outing for a minor premiership winning side across the board, the Double Blues having a hell of a time in front of goal as they scored four goals from 11 scores in the first half. The 'Legs took seven goals from 13 scores and then broke the game apart in the third term to take an eight-goal lead by the final change on their way to a 52-point victory and the first berth in the Torrens Uni Cup Grand Final. Finn Heard scored five goals, but it was Henry Nelligan that was their standout with 25 disposals, five marks and four tackles.
1st SEMI-FINAL -- Woodville-West Torrens 16.7 (103) def. South Adelaide 14.8 (92)
2nd SEMI-FINAL -- Norwood 16.14 (110) def. Sturt 8.10 (58)
So here's what's coming next weekend!
Saturday October 10
U-18 TORRENS UNI CUP PRELIMINARY FINAL
Sturt vs. Woodville-West Torrens; Thebarton Oval @ 11:30am
Sunday October 11 @ Adelaide Oval
RESERVES PRELIMINARY FINAL
Central District vs. North Adelaide @ 12:15pm
LEAGUE PRELIMINARY FINAL
Woodville-West Torrens vs. South Adelaide @ 3:15pm
So until next weekend... see you at the Footy!
