Four teams have been confirmed for SANFL finals after Port Adelaide beat South Adelaide
Port Adelaide is guaranteed SANFL finals action after beating South Adelaide with the win also confirming Sturt and Norwood will front in the major round.
THERE is just one vacancy for next month’s SANFL finals.
Port Adelaide gave the battle for the top five more clarity when it beat South Adelaide by 32 points at Alberton Oval on Saturday.
Not only did it confirm Port’s return to the finals, it also guaranteed Sturt and Norwood would join Woodville-West Torrens in extending their season beyond the minor round.
That leaves one spot open with three rounds remaining, although Glenelg is in the box seat to end a six-year absence from the finals. The Tigers are two games clear of South Adelaide and Adelaide and have superior percentage.
Not only can the Tigers qualify, a crucial top-three spot and the double chance is still within reach. However, they can miss out altogether.
Incredibly, the mathematics still give Central District a chance to rob the Tigers of a berth. That would mean the Bulldogs winning their games against the Redlegs at The Parade on Saturday, West Adelaide at home and the Eagles in Woodville, and the Tigers losing to the Double Blues at Unley, North Adelaide at the Bay and West Adelaide in Richmond. They are some very big ifs.
The Bulldogs may yet finish with the wooden spoon.
While the Eagles are one win from the minor premiership, the Redlegs, Double Blues and Port are chasing a vital top-three position.
“At the start of the season top three is always the aim from a coach’s point of view, so you get the double chance,” Redlegs coach Jarrod Cotton said.
“It is not the be-all and end-all, once you are in (finals) it is a different season. Teams have won from fourth and fifth.
“We’ve got Central, Port and Sturt over the next three weeks so it is fair enough for us to say if we can beat those teams we deserve to be in the top three. It is a good challenge for us.”
The final round and first week of finals have been finalised. The five games of the final round are on Saturday, August 26. The elimination final (12.10pm) and qualifying final (3.10pm) will be contested the following Saturday.