North Adelaide ends winning drought with victory over Sturt in tough SANFL battle

NORTH Adelaide produced a tough, uncompromising performance to snap a nine-game losing streak against reigning premier Sturt in Unley.

Max Thring smothers a kick from Thomas Read, tackled by Aidan Tropiano. Picture: Tait Schmaal

FORMER Port Adelaide champ Josh Carr’s game has been reincarnated into a whole bunch of Roosters.

North Adelaide pushed and shoved at the contest, kept knocking blokes over, made sure there was annoying physical contact and got their hands plastered in dirt. Just how Carr liked to play.

And the relentless attack on the body and ball, coupled with a fierce hunger for the confrontation, was rewarded with a three-point triumph over reigning premier Sturt at Unley on Sunday.

The triumph snapped a nine-game losing streak against the Double Blues, while the Roosters had lost their previous five games at Unley.

“We knew were up against the best team in the competition for the past two years and it would be a fierce battle,” Carr said.

“That is finals type footy, tough, contested possessions and come off with a few bruises and have a win next to your name.”

The Roosters’ intent was evident from the outset with their desire to make the Double Blues earn every possession. There were moments they stretched the boundary.

But they kept persisting and persisting. Not that the Double Blues were taking backward steps, only too willing to engage in a testing slog.

Courage was necessary, especially in the engine room heat, in the demanding conditions and both sides delivered.

Double Blues’ on-ballers James Battersby and Zane Kirkwood thrived in the conditions, while Aidan Tropiano was never far from the action for the visitors. No one epitomised North’s attitude more than captain Max Thring.

The biggest lead was midway through the third quarter when a Jake Veale goal stretched the margin to 13 points.

Free flowing, high scoring games are not necessary to be a tremendous spectacle. This was a tough battle between two desperate sides.

“We talked a lot of stuff on Friday night how they were going to play and how we wanted to play,” Double Blues coach Marty Mattner said. “We did not execute quite well enough.”

NORTH ADELAIDE 3.0 4.1 8.4 8.6 (54)

STURT 2.3 5.6 7.8 7.9 (51)

BEST – North: Tropiano, Thring, Craig, Barns, Olekalns, Spina, Smith. Sturt: Battersby, Kirkwood, Stephens, F. Evans, Crocker.

GOALS – Ramsey, Harvey 2, Tropiano, Quinn, Young, Hender. Sturt: Crocker 2, Thiele, Veale, Osborn, Slimming, McAdam.

UMPIRES – Sboro, Scott, Bowen.

CROWD – at Unley Oval.