Glenelg claims minor premiership with easy win over West Adelaide
Glenelg has locked in the SANFL minor premiership with a 75 point thrashing of struggling West Adelaide but the win came at cost, with utility Tom Schott suffering a knee injury.
The minor premiership and the rest in the first week of finals belongs to Glenelg after smashing West Adelaide by 75 points at the Bay on Saturday.
With just one round remaining, the Tigers cannot be dislodged from top spot on the ladder and they will contest their first finals series since 2011.
As for the disappointing Bloods, they must hope North Adelaide drops its final two games to stave off the wooden spoon.
The Tigers overcame a sloppy first half performance, when the Bloods were competitive, to go on the rampage after halftime with six goals in the third quarter and seven in the final term.
“We knew the Bloods would come at us, that is how they play and credit to them, they dig in and have a real crack,” Tigers coach Mark Stone said.
“We got on top of them in the second half, but there are a few things to work on. I’m really happy with our position and we can manage the list.
“I’m happy with our flexibility we have been able to develop over the season. I’m happy on a number of fronts and will certainly sleep better tonight.”
The Tigers had a strong wind at their backs for the opening quarter, but failed to take advantage. Their movement lacked fluency and they missed prime chances in front of goal.
It took 15 minutes for the home side to register a goal, courtesy of accurate Luke Reynolds, with the Bloods’ pressure putting the heat on the Tigers for a response.
Not that the Bloods did any better when they had their turn with the wind. They can be their own worst enemy at times with skill errors often putting themselves under pressure. There is also an inability to nail those critical moments.
Midway through the third quarter, Tiger Tom Schott had to be helped from the field after collapsing with a knee injury. The loss of their teammate seemed to spark the Tigers into action and they nailed four goals in seven minutes to take the game all but out of reach of the Bloods.
The final quarter was a minor premiership celebration for the Tigers and an embarrassment for the Bloods.
The Tigers dominated the clearances and constantly raided its attack with Matthew Snook, Magarey Medal favourite Luke Partington and Marlon Motlop racking up the possessions.
The Bloods had the wind, yet the Tigers had 15 inside 50 entries before the visitors had their third. It took 23 minutes for the Bloods to add to their score and 27 to nail a goal.
“We had a poor period in the third and the backs got sloppy with their positioning, and we got hurt,” Bloods coach Gavin Colville said.
“In the last quarter we were completely outrun again, we got completely out worked.”
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SCOREBOARD
GLENELG 2.5 5.6 10.11 17.17 (119)
WEST ADELAIDE 1.1 3.4 5.5 6.8 (44)
BEST — Glenelg: Snook, Bradley, Reynolds, Partington, Motlop, Joseph, Bailey. West: Batley, Ryan, C. Fairlie, Hill.
GOALS — Glenelg: Reynolds 4, Bailey 3, Motlop, Close 2, McBean, Snook, Partington, Bradley, Slade, Martini. West: C. Fairlie 3, Thilthorpe 2, Karpany.
INJURIES — Glenelg: Schott (knee), Gregson (corked hip). West: Stevens (eye).
UMPIRES — Beyer, Harris, Bowen.
CROWD — 2580 at ACH Group Stadium, Glenelg.