Top five settled for SANFL after South Adelaide beats Eagles, Sturt seal double chance and Norwood secures minor premiership
NORWOOD is on top of the ladder and has earned a bye in the first week of the finals. So who will emerge as the main challenger to the Redlegs? See the highlights from the penultimate round in our weekly wrap of all things SANFL.
- Dogs break off leash
- Panthers lock in finals berth
- Tigers put claws into Crows
- Sturt splutters to second spot
- Thirteen in a row for gutsy Legs
NORWOOD is on top of the SANFL ladder and has earned a bye in the first week of the finals. So who will emerge as the main challenger to the Redlegs?
TOP FIVE SETTLED
So the race for the top five is done and dusted.
Norwood is the minor premier and will have the bye in the first week of the finals. Sturt and Woodville-West Torrens have the double chance and South Adelaide and North Adelaide will meet in the elimination final.
Any doubt over the teams for the finals was put to bed when the Panthers accounted for Eagles at Woodville Oval on Saturday.
NOTHING IN RESERVE
Port Adelaide will not have a reserves reserves team next season.
The Magpies will continue to be the Power reserves, but they will not have an SANFL reserves team.
Okay, that is not official, but the bloke next door knows a bloke who has a mate who heard it at the pub the other night. And he reckons his source has not been wrong since he said Winx could not win at the top of the Randwick straight on Saturday.
The Magpies reserves, who train together just once a week, have been belted every game and have a percentage of 21.66. They have scored 600 points and conceded 2170.
There has been plenty of questions raised over the future of the team, but don’t expect to see it in action next season.
CARR ABUSE
North Adelaide coach Josh Carr would be no stranger to abuse from the crowd given the way he went about his footy for Port Adelaide.
So he handled himself really well when copping plenty from the western stand at The Parade while coaching against Norwood from the boundary.
There was even a moment he turned to the fans, gave the thumbs up and smiled.
He is the not the first from a visiting team to get the verbal treatment, and he won’t be the last. But to be honest, there are a few fans in that stand who need to have a good, long hard look at themselves.
RYSWYK INJURY
After 13 seasons and 226 games consistently delivering for the Roosters, veteran Leigh Ryswyk and the club will part ways at the end of the season when he retires from SANFL action.
It is a “mutual” agreement, although probably more mutual on the part of the Roosters.
So the clash against Port Adelaide at Prospect Oval on Saturday was to be his finale in front of the home fans. But will he get the opportunity for the Prospect faithful to say farewell?
Ryswyk hurt his ribs in the second quarter against the Roosters and is in doubt for the contest.
Lewis Hender will return to the Roosters’ line-up, but it is unlikely captain Max Thring will be back from a calf problem. However, the club is supremely confident Thring will lead the side in the first week of the finals.
OVERALL, COACH HAPPY
Sam Overall will be back in the South Adelaide league side for the final minor round clash against the Redlegs at Noarlunga Oval on Saturday.
Panthers coach Jarrad Wright was satisfied with his work in the reserves against Woodville-West Torrens at Woodville Oval on Saturday, kicking 3.4 and putting one out of bounds on the full.
Wright said he had done enough to warrant genuine consideration for league selection.
Overall has not played league since May when he seriously injured his foot against Central District. He has played reserves in the past two weeks and will be a valuable addition to the league side with his strong marking in attack.
COTTON DILEMMA
Redlegs coach Jarrod Cotton has to decide if he will rest some players this weekend after earning the minor premiership with the win over the Roosters.
He is to speak with his medical staff, but those players yet to miss a game and a little sore may get a week off. The concern of Cotton though, is the Redlegs have the bye in the first week of the finals.
Michael Talia will return against the Panthers after being sidelined because of a back problem.
INTERCHANGE MALFUNCTION
Port onballer Sam Powell-Pepper will no doubt remember to run through the interchange when he replaces a teammate forced from the field under the blood rule.
The young bloke made the mistake of just running onto the ground in the third quarter when Jack Trengove came to the bench to receive treatment for a head wound.
That meant if Powell-Pepper came to the bench again he could not return to the game. So he stayed in the contest for the entire final term.
DRINK UP
Eagles coach Michael Godden kept his players behind closed doors for a lengthy period after the loss to the Panthers.
So what would be his demeanour when he emerged from the rooms for a chat about the game? Surely he would be a little stern given the finals are just around the corner.
But nope, it was a smiling Godden holding a beer who stepped out.
Being the final home game for the season, the club had a couple of slabs on ice for the players. It is nothing new at the Eagles.
“We take ourselves pretty seriously, but you have got to enjoy your time in the game,” Godden said.
By the way, was that Marc Borholm walking out the door holding two beers?
ROUND 18 RESULTS
Norwood 11.13 (79) d North Adelaide 9.10 (64) at Norwood Oval
Sturt 9.16 (70) d West Adelaide 6.8 (44) at Unley Oval
Glenelg 20.6 (126) d Adelaide 10.9 (69) at Glenelg Oval
South Adelaide 12.7 (79) d Eagles 11.7 (73) at Woodville Oval
Central District 14.4 (88) d Port Adelaide 10.6 (66) at Alberton Oval
LADDER
Norwood 28 (58.3%)
Sturt 24 (55.5)
Eagles 23 (55.6)
South Adelaide 20 (55.4)
North Adelaide 20 (52.4)
Glenelg 16 (49.0)
Central District 14 (47.7)
West Adelaide 14 (45.6)
Port Adelaide 9 (43.5)
Adelaide 2 (37.3)
GOALKICKERS
Mark Evans (Sturt) 38
Josh Scott (Glenelg) 33
Terry Milera (Glenelg) 33
Jack Hayes (Eagles) 30
John Butcher (Central) 30
Lewis Hender (North) 29
Mason Middleton (West) 28
Nick Hayes (Eagles) 28
Mitch Grigg (Norwood) 27
Matthew Panos (Norwood) 26
ON THE BANDWAGON
It’s easy for me to jump on the South Adelaide bandwagon given the Panthers are just over the hill. Coach Jarrad Wright reckons the Panthers can cause some damage in the finals and their efforts in the past two weeks vindicates his thoughts.
OFF THE BANDWAGON
The Eagles disappointed me against the Panthers, especially in the second quarter when they failed to score. And I’m also disappointed in Michael Godden’s taste in beers.
RANKINGS
1: Norwood: The Redlegs have had problems with the Roosters and they did a good job to turn up the heat in the third term and get the job done. Win number 13 in a row.
2: South Adelaide: It is not easy to beat the Eagles at Woodville Oval and they were forced to withstand a strong challenge in the second half. There is plenty of spirit in the side.
3: Glenelg: Continued its impressive form to beat the Crows after being challenged early. The Tigers will miss the finals, but they are building well under Mark Stone.
4: North Adelaide: Held a 19-point lead midway through the third quarter at The Parade, only to let in some cheap goals. The Roosters were a man down in the second half as well.
5: Sturt: Wasted chances to hurt the Bloods on the scoreboard. The pressure was off after the Roosters lost the previous night.
6: Eagles: The first half was ordinary, especially the second quarter. But the second half was a vast improvement and they took the fight to the Panthers.
7: Central District: Still plagued by skill errors and sloppy turnovers, but showed plenty of commitment despite little play for at Alberton Oval.
8: Port Adelaide: Had more visits inside 50 than the Bulldogs. Came at the Bulldogs in the final quarter.
9: West Adelaide: Led at quarter-time at Unley Oval, but the Double Blues were simply too good.
10: Adelaide: Challenged the Tigers in the first quarter when they wasted scoring chances.
THIS WEEK
Saturday
North Adelaide v Port Adelaide (Prospect Oval, 2.10pm)
Central District v Eagles (My Money House Oval, Elizabeth Oval, 2.10pm)
Sunday
West Adelaide v Adelaide (City Mazda Stadium, Richmond, 2.10pm)
South Adelaide v Norwood (Hickinbotham Oval, Noarlunga, 2.10pm)
Glenelg v Sturt (Gliderol Stadium, Glenelg, 2.10pm)