South Adelaide keeps the race for top alive with 17-point win over the Magpies

SOUTH Adelaide moved a step closer to securing a finals berth after recording a gritty 17-point victory over Port Adelaide at Noarlunga.

SOUTH Adelaide kept the race for top spot alive and moved a step closer to securing a finals berth after recording a gritty 17-point victory over Port Adelaide at Noarlunga on Saturday.

The Panthers outworked the ladder leaders for the majority of the game, opening up a 34-point three-quarter time lead on the back of free-flowing, high-pressure footy that capitalised on Magpies turnovers.

Livewire Jake Neade led a Port fightback in the final term, kicking two goals to help cut the margin to under three goals.

But it never really felt like the Panthers were going to let the game slip.

The result pushes South one win clear of North, which hosts Norwood at Prospect Oval on Sunday, and gives Sturt and the Eagles an opportunity to close to within a victory of the Magpies if they are successful in their home games against Central District and Adelaide.

The Magpies fielded just nine AFL-listed players — their lowest total for the season — after the late withdrawals of John Butcher (gastro), Darcy Byrne-Jones (sick) and Jake Johansen (rested), and Kane Mitchell and Karl Amon travelling to Melbourne with the Power as emergencies.

Port coach Garry Hocking believed the absences were a factor in the result — the Magpies’ third loss in their past five games — but said his side also did not play with the intensity required over four quarters.

“Maybe the group loses a bit of confidence when personnel changes quickly like that within a week,” Hocking said.

“Full credit to South, their finals aspirations were up for grabs and they were able to cement another opportunity to stay inside the five.

“If we play with that intensity like we did in the last quarter, we probably go home smiling.”

South controlled the game’s tempo for all but the final term.

It maintained possession when needed but also played adventurously on the counter attack, as such midfielders as Brent Macleod (38 disposals), Nick Liddle (25 disposals) and Joel Cross (27 disposals) worked hard to find the footy.

Defensively, the Panthers kept Port to its lowest score for the season despite losing the inside 50 count by three and ensured the Magpies’ ball movement often stagnated.

“It was nice to win three quarters and it would’ve been nice to pinch a goal or two in the last to make it more comfortable,” South coach Brad Gotch said.

“It felt really stressful in that last quarter because you know they can kick quick goals.

“But to our guy’s credit they held pretty tough.”

The Magpies came to life in the final term after Neade moved to the goal square and gave them a spark.

He zipped from contest to contest, kicked two goals, had another denied and laid a handful of hard tackles.

At the other end, Irishman Daniel Flynn was given the task to play on Brett Eddy in the absence of Tom Clurey (hamstring) and did a solid job, restricting the Ken Farmer Medal leader to two goals and providing some dash.

In a first for Port this season, it had a player — Zach Hawkins — line up in the league and reserves after Byrne-Jones pulled out during the warm-up.

SOUTH ADELAIDE 4.3 7.3 10.8 10.11 (71)

PORT ADELAIDE 1.2 3.2 5.4 8.6 (54)

BEST — South: Rose, Macleod, Liddle, Cross, Fields, C. Daniel, N. Daniel.

Port: Neade, Logan, Flynn, Gray, Summerton.

GOALS — South: Eddy, Rolfe 2, Dale, Liddle, Gulden, Taylor, Hourigan, C. Daniel.

Port: Neade 3, Krakouer, Young, Gordon, Shaw, Ah Chee.

UMPIRES — Glouftsis, Haussen, Avon.

At Noarlunga Oval