2025 Hostplus SANFL League Qualifying Final Preview

Qualifying Final

Glenelg v Adelaide | 3:15pm | Live and free on Seven and 7Plus | Live radio on 1629 SEN SA & SEN App and FIVEAA

Head to Head – Overall
Played – 24
Glenelg – 16
Adelaide – 7
Drawn – 1

Head to Head – Finals
Played – 2
Glenelg – 2
Adelaide – 0

Recent Form
Last six games, both teams have won three each

Last Finals Meeting
2023 2nd Semi Final – Glenelg 16.8 (104) d Adelaide 11.6 (72) at Adelaide Oval

2025 Meetings
Round 13 – Glenelg 17.9 (111) d Adelaide 13.5 (83) at Stratarama Stadium
Round 3 – Adelaide 14.14 (98) d Glenelg 14.10 (94) at Stratarama Stadium

Have we forgotten anyone? Have the Tigers, the defending back-to-back premiers who have won their past eight games in a row, have a stunning 15-3 record with a percentage topping 60, been feeling unloved as the hype has been all around Sturt and its near miss at a ‘perfect’ minor round?

Well, when the Bays, taking the chance to give a handful of stars the week off to have them cherry ripe for the finals, lead fourth-placed Central District, which they faced in last year’s preliminary final, 16.6 to 1.3 out at Elizabeth early in the third quarter, it’s time to turn your attention back to the boys from the Bay, the pacesetters of the past half-dozen seasons, and their tracking towards a historic hat-trick of premierships.

When this finals-hardened side adds an extra dimension with a stunning four-goal debut from 19-year-old livewire Latrelle Pickett, the excitement steps up a cog.

The Bays’ only losses this year have been to qualifying final opponent Adelaide (four points) and Sturt (eight points and 20, after leading at Unley midway through the last quarter) and it’s more than two months since that most recent defeat.

They’re better placed than last year as they’ve secured the double-chance – in their 2024 premiership campaign there was no respite as they had to string together four wins in cut-throat finals to get their colours on top of the Thebarton chimney – the first time Glenelg had won a flag from the elimination final.

This year, it’s a bit like crouching Tiger, hidden dragon as Glenelg is averaging more than 100 points a game, Lachie Hosie has snared another Ken Farmer Medal, with 62 goals – the most in a SANFL minor round in nine years – and last year’s grand final hero Liam McBean was third with 48.

Their 20.8 against Central was the ninth time this season they’ve topped 100 points in a game. Glenelg’s ‘ins’ this week include Jarryd Lyons, Cole Gerloff, Max Proud, Cam McGree and Karl Finlay, so the Tigers could hardly seem more ready to attack another finals series.

Had we forgotten anyone else? After Adelaide slipped to a one-point defeat at the hands of Central in Round 18, there were some who were thinking about writing the Crows off.

Something about having lost four preliminary finals before and putting all their eggs in one AFL basket. You have to be kidding!

If there was any chance anyone was still thinking Adelaide wasn’t a genuine SANFL premiership chance, they would have been set right at Unley on Saturday.

A win didn’t change their ladder position, it wasn’t in any way necessary, they fielded only 12 AFL-listed players and had injury issues with captain Jack Madgen (hip) and Ned Atkinson (concussion) ruled out at half-time.

And, of course, Sturt was pretty keen for a win to become the first team since Port Adelaide in 1914 to win every game in a home-and-away season.

The Blues led by 16 points at three-quarter-time, seemingly on track for their 19th successive win at their Unley Fortress.

But coach Matthew Wright has been saying all year the Crows are in it to win it. Flying under the radar with the spotlight on Sturt’s charge and the battle between Norwood and Port Adelaide for the last spot in the finals, they couldn’t have made their intent any clearer as they banged on five goals to two in the last quarter.

“The boys found a way to dig deep,” Wright said. And this week the Crows will be boosted by the return from injury of the league’s standout ruckman Lachlan McAndrew.

These class sides may have been wondering if they’ve been ‘forgotten’. But you can bet they’ll produce a qualifying final to remember.