Brett Eddy bags seven goals as South Adelaide steamrolls North Adelaide
SOUTH Adelaide took a half to get going before overpowering North Adelaide by 49 points at Prospect Oval on Saturday. In the end its superior skills ... and Brett Eddy ... made all the difference.
SOUTH Adelaide took a half to get going before overpowering North Adelaide by 49 points at Prospect Oval on Saturday.
Eight wins separated the sides heading into the match but it was the second-bottom Roosters who held slender leads at the first two breaks, thanks to some impressive defensive pressure.
The problem was they could not sustain it, nor could they stop the Panthers’ clearance dominance, match the visitors’ skills or shut down Brett Eddy (seven goals).
South broke the game open with a seven-goal-to-one third term and kicked on in the last to secure a double chance in the finals.
Panthers coach Brad Gotch said his side was not switched on early but played smarter and with quicker ball movement after halftime.
“I thought North were pretty good in the first half ... it was just whether they could maintain it,” Gotch said.
“We weren’t dealing with the pressure as well as what we should ... and we weren’t bold with our ball movement.
“It was a good test. I said to the boys we needed to lift and they did.”
North booted the opening two goals of the game but South fired straight back, hitting the lead by the 15-minute mark.
The Roosters stuck with them and, despite getting smashed 13-4 in clearances and 15-9 in inside 50s, took a five-point lead into quarter-time.
North only managed one major from 14 inside 50s during the second term and continued to get well beaten at the contest.
It held a four-point lead at the main break but the dam wall eventually burst once the Roosters’ pressure dropped and South played with more daring, often through spare man Matthew Rose (33 disposals).
North has now lost seven on the trot and been winless since round 11.
Roosters coach Josh Carr said there had been positive signs before halftime but his side had again struggled to combat an opponent’s run on.
“Obviously the first half our pressure around the footy was very good but inside the contest and clearances is still a very big issue for us,” Carr said.
“When we’re under pressure we didn’t have enough players willing to stand up under that heat.”
SCOREBOARD
SOUTH ADELAIDE 5.1 6.2 13.3 18.4 (112)
NORTH ADELAIDE 5.1 6.6 7.6 9.9 (63)
BEST — South: Rose, Crabb, Seccull, Eddy, Rankine, Cross, Newell. North: Spina, McDonough, Schwarz, Patterson.
GOALS — South: Eddy 7, Haren 3, Ellison, Cross 2; Rankine, Newell, Barnes, Hitchcock. North: McKenzie, Schwarz, McDonough, Motlop, M. Thring, Ryswyk, McMahon, Barns, Harvey.
INJURIES — South: McMahon (cheek)
At Prospect Oval