Panthers pounce on struggling Eagles at Noarlunga
THE margin at Woodville Oval on Saturday was just six points but the mindset in the South Adelaide and the Eagles rooms after the clash was miles apart.
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THE margin at Woodville Oval on Saturday was just six points but the mindset in the South Adelaide and Woodville-West Torrens rooms after the clash was miles apart.
The Panthers, building into a force under first-year coach Brad Gotch, can sniff finals and there was a buzz among the players after claiming such an important win.
In contrast, the Eagles have lost six of their past eight games and coach Michael Godden admitted the club was spiralling out of control and a spot in the finals was in jeopardy.
The victory enabled the Panthers to leapfrog the Eagles into fourth spot on the ladder courtesy of superior percentage and only a game behind Sturt and Norwood with two rounds remaining — a top three position is within reach.
“We are excited to get a win out there (Woodville Oval),” Gotch said.
“It is a pretty tough ground to come to and we had to really earn our stripes.
“They put us under the sword, there is no doubt about that.
“To our credit we showed a lot of ticker when under the pump and were able to hang on and win.”
Even when the Eagles grabbed a 13-point lead at quarter-time they did not appear comfortable against a Panthers outfit driven by a terrific team spirit and a real want for success at the club.
The Panthers’ personnel have established a valuable trust and belief for each other and this was no more evident than the second quarter when they took control with a 5.7 to 1.1 term.
It started in the backline for the visitors with Bradley Crabb blanketing gun Eagles forward Michael Wundke and the likes of Tom Fields and Josh Thewlis providing the spring board for attacking raids.
Joel Cross and Nick Liddle were their usual busy selves on the ball.
The Eagles were indecisive against the Panthers pressure and at times, they appeared like they were stuck in third and could not find top gear.
Too many Eagles dropped in and out of the contest although Matthew Goldsworthy was a constant menace to the Panthers defence.
In the final quarter, after drifting 20 points down, the Eagles lifted the intensity and challenged the Panthers but it was to no avail.
“Our mental strength in the second quarter was pathetic,” Godden said.
“We fear losing so are not prepared to play the game and by doing that you end up losing.
“It is absolutely between the ears at the moment.
“We have to stop thinking about the prize — we may not even make the finals now.”
SOUTH ADELAIDE 1.3 6.10 8.10 9.11 (65)
EAGLES 3.4 4.5 6.8 8.11 (59)
BEST — South: Crabb, Cross, Brooksby, Veide, Liddle, Dale, Macleod. Eagles: Goldsworthy, Lewis, Batley, Raymond.
GOALS — South: Eddy, Veide 2, Rolfe, Macleod, Murphy, Cailotto, Gulden. Eagles: Goldsworthy 3, Grocke 2, Hall, Ainger, Poole.
UMPIRES — Crosby, Schramm, Hosking.
CROWD — 1871 at Woodville Oval.
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