Panthers punish struggling Tigers

SOUTH Adelaide won its first home game over Glenelg in more than two years with a 23-point triumph at Noarlunga Oval on Saturday.

SOUTH Adelaide won its first home game over Glenelg in more than two years with a 23-point triumph at Noarlunga Oval on Saturday.

In a result that will add to the pressure on Tigers coach Kris Massie, the Panthers adjusted better to the wet, windy conditions and did not trail after hitting the lead five minutes into the opening term.

Glenelg finished with just one less inside 50 but had too few players stamp themselves on the game and buckled under South's constant defensive pressure.

The Tigers were down by as many as 45 points midway through the third term, only to fight back when a loss was already on the cards.

It was the Panthers' third win in their past four games and first against Glenelg at Noarlunga since June 4, 2011.

The result also broke a run of six straight games between these sides where the visitors won and leaves the Tigers without a win since April 27.

Massie said he was not thinking about his coaching future and instead was focused simply on "extracting the best out of the group and get it consistently performing well".

"We're disappointed," Massie said.

"The difference between our good and our bad is huge."

Glenelg kicked the game's opening goal inside the a minute through Dylan McNeil but South responded to kick the next four majors.

Just when it looked like the Panthers would go into quarter time with a handy buffer, Glenelg fought back thanks to late goals to Josh Trembath and Jason Davenport.

Despite being added by the breeze, the Tigers could not maintain its momentum in the second term.

They kicked the opening goal but, as they did in the first quarter, conceded the next three.

Questions have been asked about the defensive side of South's game under coach Ron Fuller but the side's pressure was one of its keys to victory.

Tigers players rarely found open space and often struggled to get the ball out of their back half because the Panthers forwards were hunting them.

"We're defending better and we're doing the team things better," Fuller said.

"We've definitely improved (overall)."

Any chance Glenelg had of winning was all but put to bed in the third term when it was held to one goal and a dominant South kicked four.

A set shot goal from Trembath at the 24-minute mark was the Tigers' first since the fourth minute of the second term.

Glenelg veterans Ty Allen and Ruory Kirkby - once among the competition's elite players - are out of form and had no impact.

It took until the 31st minute of the third term for Kirkby to have his first kick and he managed just three disposals, one mark and 0.1 for the game. Allen had four disposals before coming off with a calf injury.

"I'm not going to make any statements through the media about where those guys sit in terms of selection," Massie said.

"We have made some pretty tough calls over the last couple of years with players so I'm not afraid of making tough calls.

"Our whole list needs to get better and senior players aren't exempt from that."

SOUTH      4.3  7.3  11.6  12.7 (79)

GLENELG  3.1  4.1    5.5    8.8 (56)

BEST: SOUTH: N. Daniel, C. Daniel, Hartigan, Cross, McDonald, Liddle. GLENELG: Curran, Davenport, Trembath, Snook.

GOALS: SOUTH: Wundke, Shaw 3; Crabb 2; Beilby, Bass, Snook, Thewlis. GLENELG: Davenport, Trembath 2; Pitt, McNeil, McInerney, Hitchcock.

INJURIES: GLENELG: Allen (calf), Hayes (finger).

REPORT: South: Thewlis (head high contact) UMPIRES: Bowen, Schramm, Hosking.

Noarlunga Oval : 1147