Round 13 Hostplus SANFLW Match Wraps

By ALEXANDRA BULL

Glenelg caused the upset of Round 13 in the Hostplus SANFLW League, toppling the Redlegs by 16 points at The Parade.

Lani Cocks, just 15-years-old from the Eyre Peninsula, continued her excellent form from her Round 12 debut game to open the scoring, reading the ruck beautifully to collect the ball and kick an excellent running goal.

Glenelg responded promptly as Kaitey Whittaker kicked the first of her four-goal haul; both teams going into quarter time with 1.2 on the board.

Whittaker kicked her second for the visitors, chipping it through before Norwood’s Grace Whittaker found the goals for the first time in her Hostplus SANFLW League career.

Tigers defender Ash Dyer-Pietsch kicked a rare goal to give Glenelg the lead again, with Norwood 2025 leading goal kicker Kiana Lee slotting one to level scores heading into the main break.

It was all Glenelg in the third quarter, as Cassie McWilliam, Whittaker and Robran kicked three unanswered goals for the Tigers to give the Bays a comfortable 19-point lead as the teams went into the final term.

Whittaker kicked a massive goal to slot her fourth, all but sealing Glenelg’s third win of the season and its second on the trot.

Lee kicked her second to bring the final margin back to 16 points, with the loss to Glenelg all but ending Norwood’s final chances.

Retiring Glenelg superstar Jess Bates had 28 disposals, seven marks, seven tackles and seven clearances in a phenomenal performance and was well supported by Lauren Edwards (19 disposals, 11 tackles), Marie Martino (20 disposals, nine tackles, eight marks) and Asha Dufour (22 disposals, eight tackles, six inside 50s).

Cocks (28 disposals, one goal, five tackles) was a standout for Norwood in her second game for the Redlegs, with Jade Halfpenny (28 disposals, nine clearances, seven tackles) Amelia Rusden (eight tackles) and Georgie Jacques (33 hit outs, six clearances) all performing well in a tough loss.

Norwood will travel to X Convenience Oval to take on Central District in the final minor round of 2025 this Saturday afternoon, whilst Glenelg are heading to Hisense Stadium to face West Adelaide for Jess Bates’ last Hostplus SANFLW League game.

Central District defeated West Adelaide by one goal at X Convenience Oval to continue its late push for finals.

The Doggies burst out of the blocks in the first term to kick three unanswered goals via Jovanka Zecevic, Katelyn Rosenzweig and Tesharna Maher, to give the home side a 16-point buffer at the first break.

Richmond AFLW listed player Shelby Knoll – who had been cleared to play West Adelaide’s final three games of the season – took a strong grab, going back and slotting the goal to get the Bloods on the board at the start of the second quarter. But the Doggies took an 11-point lead into half-time.

Rosenzweig showed her goal kicking abilities, out-bodying her Westies’ opponent to take control of the ball and kick an excellent running goal to cement her position as the 2025 Hostplus SANFLW League Leading Goal Kicker.

Youngster Demi Holloway followed suit to slot another running goal for Central, before Sarah Deed – who is quickly becoming a reliable avenue for goal for Westies – took a mark directly in front of goal, calmly going back and slotting the goal to breath some life into the game for West.

Central headed into the final quarter with a 14-point lead, which proved handy as it could not find the goals in the final term.

Westies’ stalwart Nicole Hooper kicked a goal from directly in front late in the final term, but the game was all but done, with West’s loss ruling it out of finals contention for 2025.

Dakota Williams (18 disposals, 10 tackles, nine clearances), Alysha Healy (four marks, nine tackles), Holloway (10 tackles) and Madison Lane (15 disposals, nine tackles, six clearances) were among the best for Central District in a gritty win.

Former AFLW player Hannah Button (27 disposals, nine tackles, seven clearances) was superb for West, along with Zoe Venning (25 disposals, 11 tackles, eight clearances), Tess Huxtable (16 disposals, 31 hit outs) and Ruby Ballard (13 disposals, 10 tackles).

Central District will take on Norwood this Saturday afternoon in a last-ditch effort to make finals, with West Adelaide hosting Glenelg in a twilight fixture.

Sturt stunned Woodville-West Torrens by one goal, knocking the Eagles off the top of the ladder at Thomas Farms Oval. 

It was a high stakes clash as the Double Blues were fighting to keep their spot in the top four and the Eagles looking to hold on to top spot, with wayward kicking proving costly to the latter.

Millie McCarthy got things underway for Sturt, taking an overhead grab in the goal square and going back to slot the goal, before Double Blues stalwart Georgia Swan kicked a monster major to give the home side an 11-point lead at quarter-time.

A stagnant second quarter saw no goals scored by either team, leaving the Eagles goalless for the first half for the first time this season.

Things went from bad to worse for Woodville-West Torrens in the third term, once again going goalless as Sturt’s Sienna Fox kicked the lone goal for the quarter, the Double Blues taking a two-goal buffer heading into the final term.

Eagles’ Ashley Baker broke through late in the last quarter for her side’s first goal, but it was too late for the visitors, who suffered their second loss of the season.

Footballer-basketballer hybrid Jasmin Fejo had one of her best outings for the Doubles Blues, tallying 20 disposals, seven marks, 14 hit outs and four clearances.

Isobel Kuiper (19 disposals, 1o tackles, four clearances), captain Alisha Gepp (13 disposals, 11 tackles) and Lily Whiteman (17 disposals) were all influential in an important win for Sturt.

Alice Tentye continued her blistering form for Woodville-West Torrens, notching up 22 disposals, 10 tackles and five clearances in her fourth Hostplus SANFLW League game.

Leah Cutting (36 hit outs), Olivia Evans (13 disposals, eight tackles, five clearances) and Brianna Walling (14 disposals, six tackles, three clearances) battled hard in the loss for the Eagles.

Sturt will head to Prospect on Saturday afternoon to take on North Adelaide in a do-or-die clash for the Double Blues, whilst the Eagles will clash with South Adelaide at Magain Stadium on Saturday morning n a top-of-the-table battle.

South Adelaide elevated itself to the top of the ladder after a one-goal win over North Adelaide at Prospect Oval. 

It was a scrappy affair for both sides, with only one goal kicked in the first three quarters, coming from South’s Emily Brockhurst who took a solid grab before converting to give the Panthers a four-point lead at quarter-time.

It took until the 10-minute mark of the final term for another major, with Panthers stalwart Lucy Northcott breathing life into the game with a handy goal for South, the forward using her experience to take a big mark before playing on to slot the goal.

Zara Molloy was the lone goal kicker for the Roosters, kicking a goal from a tricky left angle to get North on the board late in the final term.

Lauren Clifton was prolific for the Panthers with 22 disposals, six tackles, five clearances and seven inside 50s and was well supported by Soriah Moon (42 hit outs, 15 disposals), Melissa Anderson (21 disposals, 11 tackles, eight clearances) and Esther Schirmer (18 disposals, seven clearances, six tackles).

North defender Jamie Parish was strong across the backline, notching up 19 disposals and seven tackles, minimising the damage of the seven more inside 50s the Panthers recorded over the Roosters.

Ella Metcalfe (17 disposals, six marks) was also important across half-back, with Julia Clark (12 tackles), Molloy (10 disposals, eight tackles, one goal) and Djimila Totham (18 disposals, seven clearances, six tackles) all strong for the Roosters.

South Adelaide will host Woodville-West Torrens in a top-of-the-table clash at Magain Stadium on Saturday, which will decide who wins the minor premiership, whilst North Adelaide will take on Sturt at Prospect Oval on Saturday afternoon.