South Adelaide shows plenty of passion as it stuns Sturt

BEWARE the team that sacks its coach, they say, and South Adelaide added weight to the myth.

BEWARE the team that sacks its coach, they say, and South Adelaide added weight to the myth.

The Panthers ended their 2013 season on a high, responding to the mid-week departure of senior coach Ron Fuller with a fighting 12-point win over Sturt at Unley.

Having trailed by as much as 29 points late in the second quarter, South showed the type of backbone it has so often suggested it lacks.

They ended an impressive late-season charge from Sturt, at the same time giving caretaker coach and full-time aspirant Kym Cobb a perfect record at the helm

"During the week we got into them about having a bit of pride and passion in the jumper, which we've lacked a bit this year,'' Cobb said.

"The boys know that what happened with Ron was partly their responsibility. I think it did play a part, as well as being our last game of the year, so we came here thinking we were a big chance to knock them off on their home deck. Even when Ron was on, we'd set the goal that we'd beaten them twice this year already, so let's get them three times. I'm really glad they did."

South had dominated an ugly first quarter that was reflective of a clash between two bottom-four sides, but poor goalkicking robbed them of a meaningful lead.

Sturt, shooting for a third straight win, took over in the second, steaming to a five-goal break after Matthew Jaensch snapped his side into action

When Angus Graham booted the first of his two goals for the day in the 21st minute, the Double Blues were 29 points clear and seemingly home.

But no-one told eighth-placed South Adelaide. The Panthers kicked the final two goals of the half and when Nick Murphy booted his sole major for the day just before the three-quarter time siren it was a tied game.

Sturt dominated the ruck through their pair of Angus talls - Kurtze and Graham. But the visitors, led by second-half stars including Nick Liddle, Scott Taylor and Murphy, found another gear when Michael Wundke slotted the first of the last term to put them back in front.

An answer from Tim McIntyre failed to lift Sturt, who coughed up four successive goals. The last, when poor discipline gave Liddle back-to-back 25m penalties, was the clincher for the Panthers despite two consolation Double Blues goals.

"They (South Adelaide) wanted it more, they worked harder than us, that was really frustrating," Sturt coach Seamus Maloney said. ``We've been in good form and that's off the back of doing the basic things really well, but we went away from that today."