South Adelaide is off the bottom of the ladder with a win over Sturt

SOUTH Adelaide claimed its second straight win with a five-point victory over Sturt at Noarlunga to further release the pressure on coach Ron Fuller.

SOUTH Adelaide claimed its second successive victory with a five-point win over Sturt at Noarlunga to further release the pressure on coach Ron Fuller.

Backing up last week's triumph over West Adelaide, the Panthers grabbed their fourth win for the season to climb off the bottom of the ladder.

Panthers forward Michael Wundke emerged the hero when he earned a holding the ball free kick and nailed a goal from a testing angle with a minute remaining to regain the lead.

Dogs snap losing streak

Fuller was the centre of speculation last month with rumours his job was under threat but the Panthers have responded to the challenge with back-to-back success for the first time this season.

South vs Sturt

"In the first quarter we continued on from last week but we lost our way badly in the second quarter which the scoreboard indicated," Fuller said. "We were hunting the ball in the first quarter and then became reactive in the second.

"In the second half we fought for front position again and made the contest. It wasn't pretty but at least we neutralised it a bit."

The Panthers were on song in the first quarter, securing plenty of hard-earned possessions at the stoppages and using the ball will telling effect to bag four goals against the wind while restricting Sturt to three behinds.

Tackling pressure was a feature of the home side's game - as evident in the final seconds of the first term when Nick Liddle brought Jack Kelly to the ground when the Double Blue was charging towards the goal.

Up forward Wundke was given plenty of space to roam and he proved a huge headache for the Double Blues to have three goals beside his name at quarter-time.

"We were really flat in the first quarter which was disappointing because I thought we had had a good preparation," Double Blues coach Seamus Maloney said. "In the second quarter we got good heat around the contest."

South vs Sturt

The Double Blues reacted with a lift in intensity and desire for the contest. John Hinge was moved onto Wundke and the visitors kept the Panthers goalless in the second quarter.

Three minutes into the third quarter, Fraser Evans, who had been switched to attack after being moved off Wundke, nailed the first goal with the wind to give the Double Blues their first taste of the lead.

A heavy downpour at half-time ensured the battle would be a slog and there was plenty of stoppages and in-tight action. As Fuller noted, it was not pretty football but the close encounter - no team led by more than six points in the second half - made for an interesting spectacle.

Both teams found willing participants prepared to put their body on the line in the tough struggle.

The Panthers failed to register a score in the third term but Liddle had a chance to grab the lead late in the game, only to kick a behind on the run. However, Wundke made amends just a minute later with his tackle and subsequent goal.