North Adelaide seriously depleted, but beaten by Central District by seven points

Roosters are left to contemplate their season, as they go down to Central District by seven points at Prospect Oval in front of 3012 people.

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THEY were without their coach, their captain and five of their senior players: North Adelaide was going to need an Easter miracle to overcome Central District at Prospect Oval.

And they almost got there too, going down to the Bulldogs by seven points.

After North put in a sluggish and error-riddled first term that put them 16 points down at quarter time, they found their way back into the game thanks to hard-working midfielders Jarrad Allmond (32 disposals, seven marks, three tackles) and Thomas Schwarz (33 disposals), and the boot of first-gamer Strato Agorastos — who kicked three and joined the “first goal with first kick” club — to be only one point down half-way through the last quarter.

But hopes of that miracle were snuffed out late in the fourth when Bulldogs’ ball-winning onballer Justin Hoskin — last week’ SANFL player of the round — marked in the forward pocket and booted the match-winning goal; his third of the day.

Centrals’ 10.13 (73) 9.12 (66) win was a lucky one given they were beaten in contested ball, tackles (45-67) and clearances (24-36), in a performance that coach Roy Laird described as “lacking intensity”.

North Adelaide went down to Central District at Prospect Oval by seven points on Good Friday. Central’s Travis Schiller and North’s Tom Schwarz compete for the ball. PHOTO: Tom Huntley

The Roosters were seriously depleted: not only were they five players down, they were without their coach, Josh Carr, who was home as “sick as a dog”. Then, they lost captain Max Thring in the second quarter with a hamstring strain, while Aidan Tropiano broke his nose in the first quarter and played in a borrowed #37 guernsey, with medical tape holding his nose in place.

Where the Dogs were wasteful last week — kicking 7.12 in their 20-point win over West Adelaide — they were determined to not do the same and kicked 5.3 for the quarter, an on-fire Troy Menzel bombing one from outside 50 for his second. He added a third and then a fourth in the second quarter, while Rooster Mitchell Harvey made Bulldog Nicholas Maddern pay for his error of running over the mark with a long bomb goal.

By the third quarter the conditions had gone from hot to worse and it showed in the game: it was a relatively slow final half fought out in the midfield with both sides struggling to head effectively inside-50 and in the end the Bulldogs superior first quarter — and perhaps Kyle Jenner back in defence — was what made the difference, but Laird was not pleased.

Central’s Troy Menzel kicked 4.4 in the Bulldogs seven-point win over North Adelaide. PHOTO: Tom Huntley

Bulldog Jarrod Schiller celebrates kicking a goal during his side’s victory at Prospect Oval. PHOTO: Tom Huntley

“We got smashed in contested ball … if you don’t get a better balance there then your backs are to the wall, the positive being we win a game while being a long way from what I consider our best,” he said.

“From an intensity point of view we weren’t where we need to be.”

As for Norths, the reigning premiers remain in the “minus points” category, wondering just what to do with their season.

Stand-in coach Jacob Surjan said the side desperately needed wins, but there were positives from the loss.

“We put ourselves in a position to win that game, (but) we’ve got to compete for four quarters … Centrals were just too good with their offense and defence and our guys unfortunately weren’t.

“We’re still two games behind everybody and we need to pull our finger out and get into gear.”

SCOREBOARD:

Central District: 5.3 7.6 8.12 10.13 (73)

North Adelaide: 2.5 5.7 7.10 9.12 (66)

BEST

Central District: J. Schiller, Menzel, T Schiller, Hosking, Jenner

North Adelaide: Allmond, Tropiano, T Schwarz, Olekalns, Ramsey

GOALS

Central District: Menzel 4, Hoskin 3, J. Schiller 2, Gillard

North Adelaide: Agorastos 3, Ramsey 2, Harvey 2, Miller, Jarman

INJURIES

Central District: Nil

North Adelaide: Thring (hamstring), Tropiano (broken nose)

UMPIRES — Sobieraj, Harris, Lewis

CROWD — 3012 at Prospect Oval