SANFL: Adelaide Crows beat Sturt by 14 points at Hickinbotham Oval
ADELAIDE has emerged as a serious SANFL finals contender after outlasting a courageous South Adelaide at Noarlunga yesterday.
ADELAIDE has emerged as a serious SANFL finals contender after outlasting a courageous South Adelaide at Noarlunga yesterday.
The Crows were made to work for the 14 point win, with the match teetering in the balance five minutes from full time after Adelaide blew multiple chances to kill the contest early in the final term.
Anthony Wilson finally sealed the deal with a fast break goal 22 minutes into the last quarter as Adelaide closed to within two wins of the fifth-placed Panthers with three rounds remaining.
The Crows have now won four matches on the trot and are unbeaten when they’ve fielded 14 or more AFL-listed players.
Yesterday they fielded 15 professionals and their injury list could shrink further ahead of a crucial match against topside Woodville-West Torrens at Woodville, next Saturday.
The Panthers injury list has gone in the other direction in the past fortnight with five league or fringe players sidelined, but they played an inspired opening term with a strong breeze at their backs to lead by two goals at the opening break.
Joel Cross, Matthew Rose and Nathan Daniel were getting first hands to the ball, as the Panthers had six more inside-50s, 22 more disposals and four more clearances for the term.
An arm-wrestle developed during the second term, with Adelaide dominating territory but struggling to score for much of the term as South’s defence stood firm.
But the Crows kicked three late goals to take a 15 point advantage into the long break, Panthers coach Brad Gotch left frustrated as his side made a trio of attempts to exit defence to the grandstand side, each one costing them a major.
Adelaide continued to control territory and tackle strongly during the third term and looked to have the match under control when they turned for home with a 20 point advantage.
But they would kick five behinds to start the final term to leave the door ajar before a bizarre umpiring decision opened it further.
South youngster Jackson McMahon kicked a goal from the goal line and was then awarded another free kick in the square, apparently because Andy Otten had overstepped the mark.
It meant two goals without the ball being bounced and, when Matthew Rankine kicked another for South minutes later, a game that appeared over was back on.
South spearhead Brett Eddy missed a chance to trim the margin to three points entering time-on before Wilson’s goal ensured a Crows win.
“I thought the boys, from a process point of view, played well,’’ Crows state league coach Heath Younie said.
Gotch was left frustrated at late goals during the second term.
“I think the killer was in the second quarter when we were (one goal) up and we kept wanting to come (grandstand side) and they got goals from turnover or stoppage. That wasn’t the instruction.”
ADELAIDE 2.1 7.6 9.9 10.17 (77)
SOUTH 4.1 5.3 6.7 9.9 (63)
BEST — Adelaide: Otten, Grigg, Wright, Specely, Kerridge, O’Brien. South: Cross, Rose, Crabb, Gulden, Daniel.
GOALS: Adelaide: O’Brien, Dear, Grigg, Ellis-Yolmen, Spencely, Callinan, Wilson, McGovern, Osborne, Podsiadly. South: McMahon 3, Gulden 2, Veide, Eddy, Rankine, McMahon.
UMPIRES: Lally, Bau, Bowen
INJURIES — Nil