Sturt records season’s best win despite early injury toll against North Adelaide
THE Roosters have tasted defeat for the first time since mid-May, with a slick Sturt showing its credentials for a third straight flag at Prospect Oval on Sunday despite hamstring injuries to two key forwards early in the match.
NORTH Adelaide has tasted defeat for the first time since mid-May, its four-game winning streak shattered by a slick Sturt at Prospect Oval on Sunday despite hamstring injuries to two key forwards early in the game.
Atoning for a three-point loss to the Roosters in Round Two, the Double Blues put the foot to the floor whenever North threatened, recording its eighth win for the season by 27 points and solidify fourth spot on the ladder.
It was North Adelaide’s first loss since May 19. On Sunday they were dominated by a Double Blues on-ball brigade led by the irrepressible Zane Kirkwood (38 possessions).
Sturt coach Marty Mattner said it was his team’s best win for the year after losing livewire Shane McAdam and Rory Taggert early in the second quarter to hamstring injuries.
“It’s definitely the best win for the year,” he said.
“On their home deck, it’s what we’ve been waiting for, a four quarter effort.
“Zane was great, you could throw a blanket over the rest.”
Coming off a 72-point thrashing of Adelaide last week, the Double Blues got off to a dynamic start with three majors inside the first seven minutes as Mark Evans and McAdam posed a threat.
Like Evans, Taggert was on target early with a pair of majors and it would take until the 13th minute for the home team to bother the scoresheet with a goal to Robert Young.
With their midfield utterly outgunned, North would have been delighted with a two-goal difference at quarter time.
However, Sturt pulled away in the second through a number of opportunistic goals as the visitors simply could not miss the big sticks.
Their overall class shone through in one passage of play where Fraser Evans, deep in defence, found ball-hungry Kirkwood alone in the middle of the ground with a precise pass.
The third was all about North Adelaide big man Alex Barns, however, who single-handedly dragged his team back into the contest, slotting three for the term.
But in what would become a pattern, Sturt kicked clear just as the Roosters edged close.
A pair of Josh Dodd goals within 30 seconds in the last iced the contest.
Roosters coach Josh Carr was full of praise for Barns, who came into the game under an injury cloud: “He was in doubt, but he was best on ground today.”
SCOREBOARD
STURT 6.1 9.2 12.6 16.11 107
NORTH ADELAIDE 4.1 6.2 9.6 12.8 80
GOALS — Sturt: Evans 4, Dodd 3, Taggert, Riley, Osborn, Slimming 2, Sutcliffe 1. North Adelaide: Barns 5, Hender 3, Young, Allmond, Quinn, Wilkie 1.
BEST — Sturt: Kirkwood, Mark Evans, Battersby Colquhoun, Dodd. North Adelaide: Barns, Allmond, Spina, Thring.
UMPIRES: Morgan, Crosby, Broadbent.
CROWD: 2800 at Prospect Oval