Central District wins first game in two months as it upsets South Adelaide in thriller at Elizabeth

CENTRAL District caused one of the upsets of the season at Elizabeth yesterday, winning its first game in two months with a thrilling five-point victory over South Adelaide.

Central’s John Butcher, pictured earlier this season, kicked six goals against South Adelaide on Saturday. Picture: Tom Huntley.

CENTRAL District caused one of the upsets of the season at Elizabeth today, winning its first game in two months with a thrilling five-point victory over South Adelaide.

The Bulldogs entered the match in eighth spot on the back of five consecutive losses and without a win over the third-placed Panthers in their past five attempts or a victory in general since April 28.

But determined defensive pressure, controlling the game’s tempo with short kicking and six goals to ex-Power forward John Butcher helped get Central over the line.

It was a heart-in-mouth finish, as Tom Fields had a 55m bomb on the run to draw South level in the closing stages.

The kick was off target and Central rushed a behind to make it a five-point margin.

Bulldogs players then defended desperately inside their back 50, forcing three stoppages in short time before the siren sounded.

Central coach Roy Laird said the victory was the club’s best of the season and a reward for hard work both during the game and on the training track.

“We saw some great individual efforts in terms of chase downs, which are really important to a team’s psyche and energy levels,” Laird said.

“But I thought overall, we were really solid around the ball and applied good pressure.

“It got a bit tense at the end and we could’ve quite easily conceded a sloppy free kick … but their discipline was good.”

South led by seven points at the first break but Central had the better of the second term, kicking four goals to two.

The Bulldogs shared the ball and used their home ground’s wide expanses by spreading quickly into space.

They also were able to control possession when they needed with short kicks, often around the boundary line.

“That’s something we’ve been trying to work on a little bit,” Laird said.

Central had pushed 20 points clear by 15 minutes into the term and looked like they had the result sealed, only for Joel Cross, who had been quiet to that point, to bob up with back-to-back goals.

But South had been second-best on the day and would probably have been pinching it had it prevailed.

“We played average for long periods of the game,” Panthers coach Jarrad Wright.

“You can look at that in two essences – a positive in being so close to winning or why are we down in the first place?

“The way we finished off that last seven minutes to continue to press and have belief was probably the only positive.

“Credit to Centrals, they’re a hardened team that work well on their home deck.

“They probably put us to the sword in that second and third quarter with some really good pressure and we just couldn’t get ball control.

“Then in critical moments late, under pressure, we just made some bad decisions.”

CENTRAL DISTRICT 2.2 6.4 8.6 12.8 (80)

SOUTH ADELAIDE 3.3 5.4 8.6 11.9 (75)

BEST – Central : T. Schiller, Hoskin, Habel, Butcher, Hannath, Dew.

South: Liddle, Haines, Fields, Fitt, Kreuger.

GOALS – Central: Butcher 6, Templeton 3, Hoskin 2; Habel.

South: Kreuger 3, Brooksby, Fields, Cross 2; Liddle, Davis.

INJURIES – Central: Nil.

South: Nil.

UMPIRES – Bryce, Galletly, Medlin.

At Elizabeth Oval