Joel Cross and Nick Liddle carry South Adelaide home against plucky Crows

SOUTH Adelaide’s prime movers Joel Cross and Nick Liddle stood up when it counted as the Panthers saw off a strong Adelaide challenge at Noarlunga Sunday.

SOUTH Adelaide’s prime movers Joel Cross and Nick Liddle stood up when it counted as the Panthers saw off a strong Adelaide challenge to prevail by 14 points in their rescheduled match at Noarlunga on Sunday.

A light failure Saturday night meant the sides returned to Noarlunga for an 11.30am game the next morning and it was the Panthers who jumped the Crows with a five goal-to-nil first term.

The Crows then took the ascendancy as Sam Kerridge, Mitch Grigg and Jake Lever inspired a 10 goal-to-four run which gave Adelaide an eight-point lead entering time-on in the third term.

The Crows were coming home with the breeze and looked good things but Magarey Medallist Cross took his team-mates on his shoulders and kicked three inspiring goals to give South an edge heading into the last term.

Liddle then capped his 31-possession game when he smothered Crows big man Luke Lowden and goaled 15 minutes into the final term in what was a pivotal moment.

“We needed to stand up in that third quarter and Crossy gave us a lift,’’ South coach Brad Gotch said. “Across the board I think we lifted and Lids (Liddle’s) smother, that’s probably won us the game.

“I’m just really pleased because we hadn’t beaten them before and I think across the board we were a bit hesitant and we were down in our tackle count and all those areas but you could just see our intensity lift in that third quarter.”

The win improves South’s record to 4-1 and it is second to ladder-leader Norwood on percentage. The Crows are still searching for a win and coach Heath Younie was left to lament another performance in which a drop-off in intensity cost his side.

“Full credit to South — they were able to win the arm-wrestle in the end,’’ Younie said.

“In that third quarter we had control of the game and we allowed them to kick those three late in the quarter. We did some really good things but we just didn’t do them for long enough and you’ve just got to do that in this competition.”

South kicked with the breeze in the opening term and produced a scintillating combination of pressure and fast play-on football.

With Cross, Matthew Rankine and Xavier Gotch dominant, the Panthers amassed 18 inside-50s to five for them term and led by 32 points at the first break.

But Adelaide got its turn to with the breeze and the match became a shootout. Kerridge and Grigg began giving the Crows first use of the football and Anthony Wilson started breaking lines.

Lever was playing well behind the ball, while Nick Mott and AFL rookie Keenan Ramsay were providing targets as Adelaide booted seven goals for the term to South’s four.

The Crows carried the momentum into the third term and levelled the score when Grigg snapped brilliantly.