2025 Hostplus SANFL League Grand Final Preview

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 21 – Adelaide Oval

Hostplus SANFL League Grand Final

Sturt v Glenelg | 2:30pm | Live and free on Seven and 7Plus | Live radio on 1629 SEN SA & SEN App, FIVEAA, Triple M and ABC Sport |

Head to Head – Overall
Played – 274
Sturt -149
Glenelg – 123
Drawn – 2

Head to Head – Finals
Played -21
Sturt – 9
Glenelg – 12

Recent Form
Sturt has won the past three matches and five of the past six

Last Finals Meeting
2025 2nd Semi Final – Sturt 15.12 (102) d Glenelg 8.12 (60) at Adelaide Oval

2025 Minor Round Meetings
Round 10 – Sturt 13.9 (87) d Glenelg 9.13 (67) at Stratarama Stadium
Round 5 – Sturt 10.13 (73) d Glenelg 9.11 (65) at Thomas Farms Oval

Grand Final Meetings
1969 – Sturt 24.15 (159) d Glenelg 13.16 (94) in front of 55,600 at Adelaide Oval
1970 – Sturt 12.13 (85) d Glenelg 9.10 (64) in front of 48,757 at Adelaide Oval
1974 – Sturt 9.16 (70) d Glenelg 8.7 (55) in front of 58,113 at Football Park
2023 – Glenelg 13.8 (86) d Sturt 8.14 (62) in front of 33.049 at Adelaide Oval

Resilience. The clubs battling it out in a classic grand final match-up have it in spades.

Sturt in 1995 lost every game. And nearly went bust. And in 2012 the threat was just as strong the doors of the proud club would be slammed shut forever. Glenelg, in 2016, was rattling tins and mounting a Save the Tigers campaign as there were genuine fears for the club’s future. And then the grandstand roof blew off.

Resilience. Thankfully that’s what these clubs have been about. Sturt won back-to-back flags in 2016-17, has been consistently around the mark and this year has led the way with a 17-1 minor round and convincing second semi-final triumph. Its ground – finally, thankfully about to be fenced – has had a stunning transformation. And the way the Bay looks these days, the club remarkably managed to make the forced demolition of the old grandstand seem just a mere hiccup.

It’s hard to imagine this comp without either or both these great clubs. Over the past seven seasons they have been the big crowd-pullers and the trendsetters. Glenelg turned around its financial woes and returned to be the power club it was in the 1970s and ’80s. But arguably with even more success. It’s now into its fifth grand final in seven seasons with its sights on its fourth flag in that time. It had won four premierships in its previous 97 years.

Resilience. The preliminary final was one the Tigers had no right to win. Norwood, on a stunning roll after scraping into the finals, was attacking with speed, vigour and determination, charging towards a famous grand final appearance. The Tigers looked out on their feet. Inspirational key defender Max Proud at the start of a monumental final quarter was off – off to hospital with broken ribs and a punctured lung suffered in a typically selfless act of courage in a marking contest. But, where the skills and impressive ball movement usually associated with the Bays deteriorated, the desperate smothering and tackling and the point-blank refusal to concede defeat shone out in a frenetic and famous finale.

Winning ugly is a common footy expression. This was as ugly as it gets, yet the two-point victory will go down in Glenelg’s history as one of its finest moments. And throughout their history the Bays have thrived in cut-throat preliminary finals, their record of 17 wins and just six losses by far the best in the league. It’s been the following week that traditionally has proved difficult, although Darren Reeves and his men have over the past two years drastically improved what was a horrible 5-14 record in grand finals before the 2023 win against Sturt. The Double Blues’ grand final record is an imposing 15-11-1.

The Bays will need all their renowned resilience again after defying the odds in the tough, physically-punishing preliminary final. Facing up to a team that this year has fought back magnificently after all the questions – and doubts – of last year’s straight-sets finals exit when it was a strong premiership fancy.

Martin Mattner’s impressive Blues, reinvented into an attacking force who can kick quick goals to kick away from the opposition, have been on a mission all season and their focus won’t be wavering.
But speaking of Glenelg’s history, the Bays know they can add to it in no uncertain terms with the chance to claim a first hat-trick of premierships. The Blues, of course, will feel they’ve been too close without the reward they’ve been chasing since their 2016-17 triumphs.

Just how much Sturt (won 18, lost one) and Glenelg (17-4) have dominated this SANFL season is reflected in key statistics.

Magarey Medallist Tom Lewis (averaging 26), Jarryd Lyons (24), Casey Voss (22) and Matt Allen (21) are in top-10 possession winners.

Ken Farmer Medallist Lachie Hosie has 74 goals for the season and Liam McBean is third with 52 but the Double Blues have three in the top 10 – Josh Hone (48), Connor McFadyen (36) and Sam Conforti (35).

Just how well these sides control the footy is borne out by them supplying seven of the top 10 markers in the league – Sturt’s Voss (No. 1), Will Coomblas and Zac Becker and Glenelg’s Allen, Proud – who unfortunately will be missing what would have been the last game of his magnificent career – Hosie and Jonty Scharenberg.

Lewis and Lyons, the top two in the Shearman Medal vote count – decided by the coaches – not surprisingly were also the top-two clearance winners. And Lewis, team-mate Will Snelling and Tiger James Bell are SANFL’s top three tacklers.

Allen (second), Lyons (third), Lewis (sixth), Bell (eighth) and Voss (ninth) are right up there in ranking points.

But the only ranking they will be worrying about is what team is No. 1 after the biggest day of the year.