West Adelaide defeats South Adelaide to give it hope in the SANFL finals race
SOUTH Adelaide almost had the door to the finals shut behind it until West Adelaide blew it wide open on Saturday.
SOUTH Adelaide almost had the door to the finals shut behind it until West Adelaide blew it wide open on Saturday.
The Bloods snapped a four-game losing streak with a 21-point win at Noarlunga — moving them to just two wins behind the fifth-placed Panthers.
It brings the battle for the top five back to life with six rounds remaining as Central District also threw its hat into the ring with a win against Glenelg.
For South it means a bid to return to the finals no longer looks so certain.
West made better use of its opportunities in a low scoring and sometimes dour affair on Saturday against the inaccurate Panthers.
Both sides tackled ferociously and 50 free kicks were handed out in a highly-contested match.
But the Bloods were always a step quicker, slightly cleaner and first to the footy to secure a deserved 10.10 (70) to 6.13 (49) win.
West coach Gavin Colville’s biggest praise was reserved for his midfield for standing up to the likes of Joel Cross, Nick Liddle and Keegan Brooksby.
“South’s got a terrific midfield but I thought our mids were all fantastic today,” Colville said.
“I thought we were outworked 2 weeks ago against North Adelaide.
“So we focused on working hard and our first quarter our tackle count was really high but we kept working hard right to the end.”
Josh Schiller was in-and-under all day for 33 disposals to set his side up from the middle alongside his partner in crime Kaine Stevens.
Mason Middleton’s aerial prowess and straight kicking put him ahead of most.
The Panthers’ slow starts continued to plague them, although they were able to close the margin from 27 points to seven at the final change.
But when Chris Burgess and captain Tom Keough kicked back-to-back goals early in the final term it extinguished all hope of a comeback win.
South coach Jarrad Wright said he was disappointed with a majority of his side’s individual performances.
“I think we probably only had three guys that can really hold their heads high after today,” Wright said.
Cross battled manfully for the Panthers but appeared frustrated at times by his teammates and the opposition.
Matt Rankine’s speed and class was much needed and Alex Cailotto stood up at both ends of the ground with some big grabs.
The win sets up an intriguing clash at Richmond next Saturday when the Bloods take on Central.
A loss for either side could mean their finals hopes are dashed.
WEST 2.2 6.5 7.6 10.10 (70)
SOUTH 1.4 2.8 5.11 6.13 (49)
BEST — West: Schiller, Stevens, Middleton, Keough, Anderson, J. Noble. South: Cross, Rankine, Cailotto, Haines, Liddle.
GOALS — West: Middleton 3, Burgess, Keough 2, Karpany, Stevens, J. Noble. South: Heaslip, Fairlie, Biemans, Haren, Liddle, Brown.
UMPIRES — Hundertmark, Bowen, Burke.
CROWD — 1410 at Hickinbotham Oval, Noarlunga.