- Joined
- May 8, 2001
- Posts
- 5,747
- Reaction score
- 996
- Location
- X Convenience Oval, Elizabeth
- AFL Club
- Adelaide
- Other Teams
- CDFC (SANFL), Port Melb (VFL)
Hi Footy fans...
We're now at the business end of the season and while five teams get preparations going early for 2026, the other five will ultimately join them one after the other over the coming weeks as they fight for the ultimate prize in South Australian football, the Thomas Seymour-Hill Trophy. Yes indeedy, its time for the 2025 SANFL Finals Series. The Double Blues are in the box seat and are the raging favourites to take out ol' Tommy and they'll have been watching the Qualifying Final very closely, especially after their last round loss. The Crows put a spanner in the Blues' works last week, but against a Tigers outfit that ran rampant out at the Ponderosa they may have had their hands full. The Bulldogs were given a pre-finals reality check last weekend by the reigning premiers, would some returning faces help them in their cause against a Redlegs side that held the Magpies to one goal and bagged seven snags in the second half? For the next few weeks, the dominoes fall one at a time... who will be the first? Fasten your seat belts, my fellow SA footy-heads. It's time now for LAST TEAM STANDING!
This is Finals Football.
Welcome to the Week 1 Wrap-Up for SANFL Finals 2025.
Adelaide Oval welcomes us SA footy-heads with open arms -- or gates -- as we begin the finals festivities with the Elimination Final, where the Bulldogs took on the Redlegs. The Bulldogs took out both games during the minor round, the first coming under the lights of The Parade in Round 7 by 11 points, then again at Elizabeth by 19 points in Round 13. As far as meetings in finals go, these two have previously met in 14 finals matches, starting with the Dogs winning a 1st Semi-Final in 1972 right up to last year's 2nd Semi-Final where the Redlegs emerged victorious. Three of their meetings were in Elimination Finals, the first was a Norwood win in 1993 by 21 points, then the Bulldogs winning the other two by eight kicks in both 2015 and 2017 editions. The Redlegs have the best record in the eliminator with 13 wins from 19 appearances,
they were the also the club that made winning the flag from an Elimination Final seem a lot less than a pipe dream. Its still spoken of very fondly by the Norwood faithful, the famous 1984 side that picked itself up from a 4-7 win-loss record mid-season to finish fifth, then proceed to sweep aside all before them to clinch the title against their old enemy from Port Adelaide. It was a feat never done before and would go un-matched for over 30 years until finally, the Roosters of 2018 would do it themselves, ironically against the Redlegs.
The Bulldogs' record in the Elimination Final is not nearly as good with three wins from eight games. Those victories came in the last 10 seasons, most recently against the Magpies two years ago and a couple in the mid-2010's which were against Norwood. The Bulldogs as of late have been far from convincing as compared to their first half of the regular season, winning two of their last four. Last week's capitulation against Glenelg was not the finish they would have wanted ahead of a cut-throat final, while the Redlegs just scraped over the line over the last three weeks, culminating in a 10-point win against the Magpies in a winner-take-all last round contest. A few returning players for the Dogs looked to hold them in good stead in the opening stanza, holding the Redlegs to a mere two behinds while kicking three unanswered goals to take a 16-point lead into quarter-time. But it would soon become apparent that the Riverbank end was the predominant scoring end as the 'Legs hit back in the second term, only keeping the Bulldogs well in touch going into the long break after putting a swag of chances wide or into the posts. They did manage to restrict the Dogs to just 1.1, their 4.5 at the south end would put Norwood ahead by a goal at half-time. Cracks began to show for the Dogs when play resumed, they would have a turn with the inaccuracy bug in the third term and they were giving away more than a share of turnovers. Norwood didn't make full use at the time, scoring just 1.1 while the Dogs managed 3.4 to return to the lead going into the final term by nine points. More soft turnovers and poor decision making by Centrals would prove to be their undoing in the finish, the Redlegs went up another gear to book their spot next week, their six goals to the Dogs' single major saw them home by 18 points. Nik Rokahr was the Redlegs' best on ground with 27 disposals, 10 tackles, seven marks and five clearances. For the outgoing Bulldogs, it was Harry Grant with 20 disposals, 10 tackles, seven clearances and six marks.
That now brings us to the Qualifying Final, this time around it would be the defending champions in the Tigers taking on the Crows. These sides traded wins against each other at Brighton Road during the regular season, the Crows winning by four points in an almighty battle in Round 3, then the Tigers by 28 points in a 30-goal shootout in Round 13. They have faced each other in finals before, though this was the first time they've met in the first week of finals. The two times that they have met both ended in Glenelg victories, the 2019 Preliminary Final and the 2023 2nd Semi-Final. Both games were won on the back on big third quarters and then matching anything the Crows had to throw at them in the finish. Adelaide have played in three qualifiers, their first was a loss to the Magpies in 2019, then wins against Norwood and Sturt in 2022 and 2023 respectively. The Tigers have appeared in 12 of these games since the introduction of the final five format in 1973, their first coming in 1975 in a winning effort against Sturt. Unfortunately, out of their seven Qualifying Final wins, only on two occasions have the Tigers managed to go on to win the premiership, which was their back-to-back years of 1985 and 1986. Adelaide have played in three qualifiers, with two wins from appearances in 2022 against eventual premier Norwood and 2023 against Sturt. Of course the best record goes to Port Adelaide, with 12 wins from 17 since the final five format was introduced.
The Tigers finished the minor round in dominating style out at the Ponderosa with a massive 85-point win against the Bulldogs, while the Crows managed to be the one that put one over the Double Blues, a two-point win at Unley denying the minor premiers the possibility of a perfect year. While it may have stung them a little bit, some of the Unley faithful would probably argue that a loss would have been of more benefit. There was no doubt that some of Sturt's coaching panel and leadership group were in the crowd watching closely, the game beginning with the Tigers peppering their goals for a return of 2.5 while the cleaner Crows scored 4.1 to go into the first change with an eight-point lead. The Tigers managed to break into the lead late in the second quarter as the rain started to fall, but more inaccuracy in the period would allow the Crows to take over once more prior to the long break with a late pair of goals. Those two majors among their overall 3.2 to the Bays' 3.3 would have Adelaide taking a seven-point lead going into the changerooms at half-time. 13 minutes in the Crows extended their advantage to 14 points, but then after Glenelg's 14th minute major the inaccuracy bug against lobbed into the respective forward lines. The Tigers blew three prime chances, Adelaide sandwiching them with two of their own. That said, it was still a seven-point ball game going into the break with both kicking 2.4. The heavens opened up once more in a tense final term, two goals were kicked each way over 18 minutes to maintain the seven-point gap, but then came added time. It was long and drawn out, probably resulting in a few fingernails getting chewed off especially when Glenelg drew level at 24 minutes. But then came the killing blow from the Tigers, one last shot hitting the post but it was timely, time ran out as the Crows tried in vain to go coast-to-coast as they went down by the narrowest of margins. Matt Allen was the Tigers' best with 21 disposals, eight marks and six tackles. For the Crows, it was Brayden Cook with 23 disposals along with six marks and goals.
FINAL SCORES -- Finals Week 1
Sunday August 31
ELIMINATION FINAL
Norwood 11.9 (75)
Central District 8.9 (57)
QUALIFYING FINAL
Glenelg 10.14 (74)
Adelaide 11.7 (73)
7,782 @ Adelaide Oval
REPORTS
Norwood -- Simpson (umpire contact)
Central -- Grant, Dittmar (umpire contact)
RESERVES FINALS -- South force Jungle Clash next week, Eagles dumped
The Reserves finals took us down south to Magain Stadium in Noarlunga on Saturday, starting with the Qualifying Final "Civil War" where the Panthers downed the Roosters to get a step closer to a Grand Final. It was a tug-of-war to begin with, which with respect to the conditions normally associated with Noarlunga, was unusual given both sides kicked goals without a blemish. Of course someone had to miss eventually and they did in the second quarter, the Panthers being the most guilty. North would lead by nine points at the long break and continued to put distance between them when play resumed. South kicked six behinds in the third, the Roosters extending their lead to five goals by the final change before the Panthers kicked seven of the next eight goals for a five-point victory. While the Panthers will take on Glenelg next week, the Roosters will have to face the Double Blues, who defeated the Eagles in the following Elimination Final. The deficit never went anything more than three kicks for most of the game, but it was a tardy start from the Eagles that truly ended up costing them, held to a single goal in the first term to Sturt's 3.4. Several times over the Eagles drew them back to within two shots, only for them to re-establish the three not long after. Then came the final term, the Blues extending their lead to as much as 31 points prior to the 12th minute. The Eagles' last goal was at the 21st, the Blues holding the line for a 20-point victory.
Saturday August 30 @ Magain Stadium, Noarlunga
ELIMINATION FINAL -- Sturt 10.10 (70) def. Woodville-West Torrens 8.2 (50)
QUALIFYING FINAL -- South Adelaide 11.10 (76) def. North Adelaide 11.5 (71)
U-18 FINALS -- Premiers still alive, Bloods into decider
The Bloods are into this year's colts decider in two weeks after they shocked Sturt in their 2nd Semi-Final at Unley on Saturday morning. The minor premiers were held to a point in the first quarter, the Bloods kicking to a 19-point quarter-time lead with 3.2 on the board. That gap would go unchanged for the next two breaks with the two sides both kicking six goals each over the second and third terms. The Blues attempted a comeback in the final term, but the bug landed in their camp as they kicked five straight behinds in between the two goals they managed. Bracketing all of that was the Bloods' two majors, with one last Sturt minor score making the final deficit 13 points to Westies. The Blues will now face the defending premiers in next week's Preliminary Final, that being the Eagles after only just escaping the grasp of the Bulldogs in the 1st Semi-Final. The Dogs would eventually be made to regret a lowly second term after kicking to a 20-point quarter-time lead, though the Eagles inaccuracy kept them ahead at half-time by just eight points. The Eagles broke through just prior to three quarter-time after nailing the last goal from four scored without a miss to Centrals' 2.3, then despite booting a swag of minor scores in the final term would hold on for a five-point win to keep their flag defence alive.
Saturday August 30 @ Thomas Farms Oval, Unley
2nd SEMI-FINAL -- West Adelaide 11.4 (70) def. Sturt 8.9 (57)
1st SEMI-FINAL -- Woodville-West Torrens 9.14 (68) def. Central District 9.9 (63)
U-16 FINALS -- Dogs into junior's decider, Panthers punt Roosters
Friday night at the Ponderosa would see the juniors minor premiers take the first Grand Final spot in their 2nd Semi-Final clash against the Bloods. The Bulldogs looked the cleaner outfit in front of goals while the Bloods had so many chances but were spraying their shots all through the night. Four behinds in the first term, then 2.5 in the second and the Bull-pups had 5.3 on the board at half-time. Both sides kicked their last majors in the third term and it was a two-goal gap at the final change. The Bloods had more chances on goal in the last term but just couldn't bridge the gap as Centrals won by 10 points. In the cut-throat 1st Semi at Prospect the following day, the Panther cubs would eliminate the Roosters in a more scoring-plentiful match. South did make more of a meal of their earlier chances, only two points up at quarter-time, then a single straight kick at the long break. But their inaccuracy came to a halt at the eighth minute of the third quarter and after taking a two-goal advantage into the final stanza, would proceed to keep the Roosters goal-less in that last term and kick four goals on their way to a 31-point win. The Panthers will now head to Unley for a Preliminary Final date with the Bloods, to decide who will face the Bulldogs in the Grand Final in a fortnight.
Friday August 29 @ X-Convenience Oval, Elizabeth
2nd SEMI-FINAL -- Central District 6.8 (44) def. West Adelaide 3.16 (34)
Saturday August 30 @ Prospect Oval
1st SEMI-FINAL -- South Adelaide 13.10 (88) def. North Adelaide 8.9 (57)
Here's the deets on the second week of the SANFL Finals...
Saturday September 6 @ Thomas Farms Oval, Unley
U-18 PRELIMINARY FINAL
Sturt vs. Woodville-West Torrens @ 11am
U-16 PRELIMINARY FINAL
West Adelaide vs. South Adelaide @ 1:30pm
Saturday September 6 @ Stratarama Stadium, Glenelg
RESERVES 2nd SEMI-FINAL
Glenelg vs. South Adelaide @ 11:30am
RESERVES 1st SEMI-FINAL
North Adelaide vs. Sturt @ 2:10pm
Sunday September 7 @ Adelaide Oval
1st SEMI-FINAL
Adelaide vs. Norwood @ 12:15pm
2nd SEMI-FINAL
Sturt vs. Glenelg @ 3:15pm
So until next weekend... see you at the Footy!
We're now at the business end of the season and while five teams get preparations going early for 2026, the other five will ultimately join them one after the other over the coming weeks as they fight for the ultimate prize in South Australian football, the Thomas Seymour-Hill Trophy. Yes indeedy, its time for the 2025 SANFL Finals Series. The Double Blues are in the box seat and are the raging favourites to take out ol' Tommy and they'll have been watching the Qualifying Final very closely, especially after their last round loss. The Crows put a spanner in the Blues' works last week, but against a Tigers outfit that ran rampant out at the Ponderosa they may have had their hands full. The Bulldogs were given a pre-finals reality check last weekend by the reigning premiers, would some returning faces help them in their cause against a Redlegs side that held the Magpies to one goal and bagged seven snags in the second half? For the next few weeks, the dominoes fall one at a time... who will be the first? Fasten your seat belts, my fellow SA footy-heads. It's time now for LAST TEAM STANDING!
This is Finals Football.
Welcome to the Week 1 Wrap-Up for SANFL Finals 2025.
Adelaide Oval welcomes us SA footy-heads with open arms -- or gates -- as we begin the finals festivities with the Elimination Final, where the Bulldogs took on the Redlegs. The Bulldogs took out both games during the minor round, the first coming under the lights of The Parade in Round 7 by 11 points, then again at Elizabeth by 19 points in Round 13. As far as meetings in finals go, these two have previously met in 14 finals matches, starting with the Dogs winning a 1st Semi-Final in 1972 right up to last year's 2nd Semi-Final where the Redlegs emerged victorious. Three of their meetings were in Elimination Finals, the first was a Norwood win in 1993 by 21 points, then the Bulldogs winning the other two by eight kicks in both 2015 and 2017 editions. The Redlegs have the best record in the eliminator with 13 wins from 19 appearances,
they were the also the club that made winning the flag from an Elimination Final seem a lot less than a pipe dream. Its still spoken of very fondly by the Norwood faithful, the famous 1984 side that picked itself up from a 4-7 win-loss record mid-season to finish fifth, then proceed to sweep aside all before them to clinch the title against their old enemy from Port Adelaide. It was a feat never done before and would go un-matched for over 30 years until finally, the Roosters of 2018 would do it themselves, ironically against the Redlegs.
The Bulldogs' record in the Elimination Final is not nearly as good with three wins from eight games. Those victories came in the last 10 seasons, most recently against the Magpies two years ago and a couple in the mid-2010's which were against Norwood. The Bulldogs as of late have been far from convincing as compared to their first half of the regular season, winning two of their last four. Last week's capitulation against Glenelg was not the finish they would have wanted ahead of a cut-throat final, while the Redlegs just scraped over the line over the last three weeks, culminating in a 10-point win against the Magpies in a winner-take-all last round contest. A few returning players for the Dogs looked to hold them in good stead in the opening stanza, holding the Redlegs to a mere two behinds while kicking three unanswered goals to take a 16-point lead into quarter-time. But it would soon become apparent that the Riverbank end was the predominant scoring end as the 'Legs hit back in the second term, only keeping the Bulldogs well in touch going into the long break after putting a swag of chances wide or into the posts. They did manage to restrict the Dogs to just 1.1, their 4.5 at the south end would put Norwood ahead by a goal at half-time. Cracks began to show for the Dogs when play resumed, they would have a turn with the inaccuracy bug in the third term and they were giving away more than a share of turnovers. Norwood didn't make full use at the time, scoring just 1.1 while the Dogs managed 3.4 to return to the lead going into the final term by nine points. More soft turnovers and poor decision making by Centrals would prove to be their undoing in the finish, the Redlegs went up another gear to book their spot next week, their six goals to the Dogs' single major saw them home by 18 points. Nik Rokahr was the Redlegs' best on ground with 27 disposals, 10 tackles, seven marks and five clearances. For the outgoing Bulldogs, it was Harry Grant with 20 disposals, 10 tackles, seven clearances and six marks.
That now brings us to the Qualifying Final, this time around it would be the defending champions in the Tigers taking on the Crows. These sides traded wins against each other at Brighton Road during the regular season, the Crows winning by four points in an almighty battle in Round 3, then the Tigers by 28 points in a 30-goal shootout in Round 13. They have faced each other in finals before, though this was the first time they've met in the first week of finals. The two times that they have met both ended in Glenelg victories, the 2019 Preliminary Final and the 2023 2nd Semi-Final. Both games were won on the back on big third quarters and then matching anything the Crows had to throw at them in the finish. Adelaide have played in three qualifiers, their first was a loss to the Magpies in 2019, then wins against Norwood and Sturt in 2022 and 2023 respectively. The Tigers have appeared in 12 of these games since the introduction of the final five format in 1973, their first coming in 1975 in a winning effort against Sturt. Unfortunately, out of their seven Qualifying Final wins, only on two occasions have the Tigers managed to go on to win the premiership, which was their back-to-back years of 1985 and 1986. Adelaide have played in three qualifiers, with two wins from appearances in 2022 against eventual premier Norwood and 2023 against Sturt. Of course the best record goes to Port Adelaide, with 12 wins from 17 since the final five format was introduced.
The Tigers finished the minor round in dominating style out at the Ponderosa with a massive 85-point win against the Bulldogs, while the Crows managed to be the one that put one over the Double Blues, a two-point win at Unley denying the minor premiers the possibility of a perfect year. While it may have stung them a little bit, some of the Unley faithful would probably argue that a loss would have been of more benefit. There was no doubt that some of Sturt's coaching panel and leadership group were in the crowd watching closely, the game beginning with the Tigers peppering their goals for a return of 2.5 while the cleaner Crows scored 4.1 to go into the first change with an eight-point lead. The Tigers managed to break into the lead late in the second quarter as the rain started to fall, but more inaccuracy in the period would allow the Crows to take over once more prior to the long break with a late pair of goals. Those two majors among their overall 3.2 to the Bays' 3.3 would have Adelaide taking a seven-point lead going into the changerooms at half-time. 13 minutes in the Crows extended their advantage to 14 points, but then after Glenelg's 14th minute major the inaccuracy bug against lobbed into the respective forward lines. The Tigers blew three prime chances, Adelaide sandwiching them with two of their own. That said, it was still a seven-point ball game going into the break with both kicking 2.4. The heavens opened up once more in a tense final term, two goals were kicked each way over 18 minutes to maintain the seven-point gap, but then came added time. It was long and drawn out, probably resulting in a few fingernails getting chewed off especially when Glenelg drew level at 24 minutes. But then came the killing blow from the Tigers, one last shot hitting the post but it was timely, time ran out as the Crows tried in vain to go coast-to-coast as they went down by the narrowest of margins. Matt Allen was the Tigers' best with 21 disposals, eight marks and six tackles. For the Crows, it was Brayden Cook with 23 disposals along with six marks and goals.
FINAL SCORES -- Finals Week 1
Sunday August 31
ELIMINATION FINAL
Norwood 11.9 (75)
Central District 8.9 (57)
QUALIFYING FINAL
Glenelg 10.14 (74)
Adelaide 11.7 (73)
7,782 @ Adelaide Oval
REPORTS
Norwood -- Simpson (umpire contact)
Central -- Grant, Dittmar (umpire contact)
RESERVES FINALS -- South force Jungle Clash next week, Eagles dumped
The Reserves finals took us down south to Magain Stadium in Noarlunga on Saturday, starting with the Qualifying Final "Civil War" where the Panthers downed the Roosters to get a step closer to a Grand Final. It was a tug-of-war to begin with, which with respect to the conditions normally associated with Noarlunga, was unusual given both sides kicked goals without a blemish. Of course someone had to miss eventually and they did in the second quarter, the Panthers being the most guilty. North would lead by nine points at the long break and continued to put distance between them when play resumed. South kicked six behinds in the third, the Roosters extending their lead to five goals by the final change before the Panthers kicked seven of the next eight goals for a five-point victory. While the Panthers will take on Glenelg next week, the Roosters will have to face the Double Blues, who defeated the Eagles in the following Elimination Final. The deficit never went anything more than three kicks for most of the game, but it was a tardy start from the Eagles that truly ended up costing them, held to a single goal in the first term to Sturt's 3.4. Several times over the Eagles drew them back to within two shots, only for them to re-establish the three not long after. Then came the final term, the Blues extending their lead to as much as 31 points prior to the 12th minute. The Eagles' last goal was at the 21st, the Blues holding the line for a 20-point victory.
Saturday August 30 @ Magain Stadium, Noarlunga
ELIMINATION FINAL -- Sturt 10.10 (70) def. Woodville-West Torrens 8.2 (50)
QUALIFYING FINAL -- South Adelaide 11.10 (76) def. North Adelaide 11.5 (71)
U-18 FINALS -- Premiers still alive, Bloods into decider
The Bloods are into this year's colts decider in two weeks after they shocked Sturt in their 2nd Semi-Final at Unley on Saturday morning. The minor premiers were held to a point in the first quarter, the Bloods kicking to a 19-point quarter-time lead with 3.2 on the board. That gap would go unchanged for the next two breaks with the two sides both kicking six goals each over the second and third terms. The Blues attempted a comeback in the final term, but the bug landed in their camp as they kicked five straight behinds in between the two goals they managed. Bracketing all of that was the Bloods' two majors, with one last Sturt minor score making the final deficit 13 points to Westies. The Blues will now face the defending premiers in next week's Preliminary Final, that being the Eagles after only just escaping the grasp of the Bulldogs in the 1st Semi-Final. The Dogs would eventually be made to regret a lowly second term after kicking to a 20-point quarter-time lead, though the Eagles inaccuracy kept them ahead at half-time by just eight points. The Eagles broke through just prior to three quarter-time after nailing the last goal from four scored without a miss to Centrals' 2.3, then despite booting a swag of minor scores in the final term would hold on for a five-point win to keep their flag defence alive.
Saturday August 30 @ Thomas Farms Oval, Unley
2nd SEMI-FINAL -- West Adelaide 11.4 (70) def. Sturt 8.9 (57)
1st SEMI-FINAL -- Woodville-West Torrens 9.14 (68) def. Central District 9.9 (63)
U-16 FINALS -- Dogs into junior's decider, Panthers punt Roosters
Friday night at the Ponderosa would see the juniors minor premiers take the first Grand Final spot in their 2nd Semi-Final clash against the Bloods. The Bulldogs looked the cleaner outfit in front of goals while the Bloods had so many chances but were spraying their shots all through the night. Four behinds in the first term, then 2.5 in the second and the Bull-pups had 5.3 on the board at half-time. Both sides kicked their last majors in the third term and it was a two-goal gap at the final change. The Bloods had more chances on goal in the last term but just couldn't bridge the gap as Centrals won by 10 points. In the cut-throat 1st Semi at Prospect the following day, the Panther cubs would eliminate the Roosters in a more scoring-plentiful match. South did make more of a meal of their earlier chances, only two points up at quarter-time, then a single straight kick at the long break. But their inaccuracy came to a halt at the eighth minute of the third quarter and after taking a two-goal advantage into the final stanza, would proceed to keep the Roosters goal-less in that last term and kick four goals on their way to a 31-point win. The Panthers will now head to Unley for a Preliminary Final date with the Bloods, to decide who will face the Bulldogs in the Grand Final in a fortnight.
Friday August 29 @ X-Convenience Oval, Elizabeth
2nd SEMI-FINAL -- Central District 6.8 (44) def. West Adelaide 3.16 (34)
Saturday August 30 @ Prospect Oval
1st SEMI-FINAL -- South Adelaide 13.10 (88) def. North Adelaide 8.9 (57)
Here's the deets on the second week of the SANFL Finals...
Saturday September 6 @ Thomas Farms Oval, Unley
U-18 PRELIMINARY FINAL
Sturt vs. Woodville-West Torrens @ 11am
U-16 PRELIMINARY FINAL
West Adelaide vs. South Adelaide @ 1:30pm
Saturday September 6 @ Stratarama Stadium, Glenelg
RESERVES 2nd SEMI-FINAL
Glenelg vs. South Adelaide @ 11:30am
RESERVES 1st SEMI-FINAL
North Adelaide vs. Sturt @ 2:10pm
Sunday September 7 @ Adelaide Oval
1st SEMI-FINAL
Adelaide vs. Norwood @ 12:15pm
2nd SEMI-FINAL
Sturt vs. Glenelg @ 3:15pm
So until next weekend... see you at the Footy!
