North Adelaide thrashes West Adelaide by 138 points in SANFL clash at Prospect Oval

NORTH Adelaide has turned tragedy into triumph, thrashing West Adelaide by 138 points to record its first win of the SANFL season a week after a Roosters trainer died at their opening-round defeat.

North Adelaide’s Keenan Ramsey kicked six goals in the Roosters’ thrashing of West Adelaide at Prospect Oval. Picture: Tom Huntley

NORTH Adelaide has turned tragedy into triumph to storm to its first win of the SANFL season.

The Roosters were devastated last week when trainer Vaughan Taylor died following their round-one defeat at Elizabeth Oval.

Josh Carr’s side produced a fitting tribute to the long-term club volunteer, thrashing West Adelaide by 138 points at Prospect Oval on Sunday.

North was slick in attack, desperate in defence and relentless with its pressure, as it cruised to a resounding 25.14 (164) to 2.14 (26) victory.

Keenan Ramsey booted six goals in an outstanding display, while Mark Quinn (five) also kicked a bag.

The home side plundered eight majors in the opening term, four in the second, six in the third and seven in the fourth to lay down a marker for improvement in 2018.

Captain Max Thring (26 disposals, two goals), Jared Allmond (28) and Aidan Tropiano (24) were dominant, but the all-round team effort was near flawless from North.

The Bloods by contrast were second best from the opening bounce, as a sluggish and error-strewn performance left them winless from their first two contests.

Indeed, only a last term major helped it avoid kicking its lowest score in its 126-year history, just eclipsing the 1.10 it managed in 1915 and the 2.4 it recorded in 1920.

Players from both sides observed a minute’s silence before the match and wore black armbands in memory of Taylor, who collapsed and passed away soon after the Roosters’ loss to the Dogs.

The hosts wasted no time in honouring their loyal servant, racing to a commanding 49-point quarter-time lead on the back of a blistering opening term display.

Thring got North on the board with a great kick from the boundary, before goals to Lewis Hender and two in quick succession to Quinn put the Roosters in control early.

The shell-shocked West took until 14 minutes into the first period just to register its first inside 50.

Former Crows-listed talent Ramsey produced a moment of magic for his first, running on to a loose ball and snapping home from a tight angle.

Maris Olekalns, Hender and Robbie Young heaped more misery on the Bloods with majors in time on of a one-sided opening quarter.

North continue its dominance in the second term to push out to a matchwinning 70-point advantage at the main break.

Two more composed kicks by Ramsey, each from 50m, found the target, before West’s Aaron Fielke missed a set shot from 25m to sum up the visitor’s forgettable first half.

Thring booted his second, and took a stunning high-flying grab on the grandstand wing, while big man Mitch Harvey kicked truly from long range.

Mason Middleton finally notched the Bloods’ first major in the 24th minute of the second quarter.

The one-way traffic continued in the third term, as North kicked another six goals with no reply.

Alex Barns grabbed a beauty from the boundary and Alex Spina volleyed home soccer-style from close range after being unselfishly teed up by Tropiano.

Tom Schwarz, Ramsey, Quinn and Sam McInerney all added majors to hand the Roosters a whopping 106-point buffer at the last change.

Ramsey, Barns, Quinn (two each), and Harvey showed no mercy with final-term goals.

A Jack Evans major for the demoralised West ensured it avoided making unwanted history.

NORTH ADELAIDE 8.4 12.9 18.12 25.14 (164)

WEST ADELAIDE 0.3 1.5 1.8 2.14 (26)

BEST – North: Ramsey, Thring, Allmond, Quinn, Tropiano, Barns, Wilkie, Olekans. West: Keough, Schiller, Anderson.

GOALS – North: Ramsey 6, Quinn 5, Barns 3, Hender, Thring, Harvey 2, Olekalns, Young, Spina, Schwarz, McInerney. West: Middleton, J. Evans.

UMPIRES – M. Scott, S. Galletly, T. Philp.

At Prospect Oval.