Round 7 Hostplus SANFL League Match Previews

The Eagles had been averaging a league-best 98 points per game when the Tigers set their sights on the top-placed side.

So what a huge effort from Matthew Clarke’s men to keep them to a mere 52.

The Bays hadn’t been happy with their performance the week before in a loss to South, so their response would have delighted Clarke.

“This was a positive reinforcement of what we have done so far this season,” he said of the 23-point win that left his men level at the top of the table with the Eags with impressive 5-1 records.

And winning it for Jonty Scharenberg in his 150th game was something his team-mates were delighted to have done, Clarke describing last year’s best-and-fairest winner as “super reliable, courageous and held with the highest respect in the club”.

His consistency is something the Crows will be hoping to emulate in the SANFL – even in games, let alone from week to week.

They could hardly have been more impressive in kicking out to a 22-point lead in the first quarter against premier Sturt but after an eight-goal loss they’ve slipped to ninth on the ladder.

Can the SANFL return of star veteran Taylor Walker, set to play his first League match since Round 5 2014, make a difference?

Suddenly we’re seeing what all the pre-season hype was about.

The Legs are up and running and their powerhouse 103-point win against up-and-coming West in Port Lincoln showed just why they have been talked about as premiership fancies.

Their defence was better than rock solid – they are conceding just 48 points per game, next-best in the league is Glenelg on 62 – with countless attacks starting there with quickfire rebound featuring quick hands, plenty of run and coast-to-coast goals the Bloods were unable to put the brakes on.

Bustling Nik Rokahr celebrated his 100th game with 10 kicks, 17 handballs and seven tackles, Baynen Lowe continues to be a midfield sparkplug while Aaron Francis and Pierce Seymour are leading from the back.

And 19-year-old Josh Murphy bagged a career-high five goals – featuring a stunning four in 15 minutes of carnage in the third term.

While the Legs are playing consistently well, with four wins on the trot and a percentage of 61.3, Josh Francou’s new-look side has been playing some up-and-down footy, as you expect from a combination starting to find its feet.

The Roosters were surprisingly thumped by 69 points by the Eagles in Round 5 but didn’t they bounce back spectacularly at Noarlunga?

Livewire Frank Szekely set the scene with three stunning goals, while the engine room trio of in-form Oli Francou and Angus Schumacher and experienced James Battersby capitalised on evergreen – or is it ever Red and White? – Mitch Harvey’s ruck dominance.

It’s hardly surprising with Francou at the helm North is on the up – its 3-3 record is equal with fourth-placed premier Sturt – and he was pleased with its 22-point win, saying his men had played “a really good brand of footy”.

Of course it will need to continue doing so against the Legs – and level out the ups and downs.

Everyone has one of those days.

It just so happens these two sides had “one of those” on the same day last up, both coming off hugely impressive performances.

After this week’s final siren everything will look better again for either Nathan Bassett or Jarrad Wright.

“It was a tough day, a really tough day,” Bassett said after the Bloods’ thumping loss to Norwood.

“We got completely outplayed,” Panthers boss Wright said after a 22-point home loss to North.

“I thought we were pretty poor.”

But if a week is a long time in politics and footy, how long is two weeks?

There’s plenty of time to get back to the sort of footy that for much of the early part of the season had made these sides look like finals hopefuls.

“All we can do is review the game and move on, the guys have been very good for the first five rounds of the year – they have been super combative,” said Bassett, missing outstanding midfielder Kobe Ryan (shoulder) and key forward Hamish Ellem (finger) against the Legs, with star recruit Ben Ridgway copping a hamstring injury and with his side coming off a six-day break.

For the Panthers, in-form Ben Shillabeer and Jack Delean booting four goals apiece was a definite positive. Which coach will be feeling more positive again after this one?

Ifs, buts and maybes. They don’t help your ranking on the premiership table. Just ask the Doggies.

They’re bottom without a win but if – there’s that word – the last few minutes of a handful of games hadn’t quite gone so pear-shaped, even if the siren had gone a few minutes earlier in a few of them, Central could have a 3-3 record.

Consider this: Round 1 v North. Led by 14 points 17 minutes into the last quarter and still were in front at the 25-minute-mark. Lost by five points.

Round 2 v West. Led by 12 points 21 minutes into the last quarter and still by six points at the 29-minute-mark. Draw.

Round 3 v Adelaide. Led by eight points early in the last quarter. Lost by nine.

And then the most recent game, Round 6 v Port. Led by a point 26 minutes into the last quarter. Lost by five points.

For the second time this season Anzac Lochowiak kicked an inspirational late go-ahead goal – he had also done it against the Bloods – only for the opposition to deprive him of hero status with an even later goal.

Winning close games can make your season. Losing the close ones can be a killer.

They’ve also hurt reigning premier Sturt. Blues fans would reckon they could be 5-1 instead of 3-3 after a two-point loss to the Eagles and four-point defeat at the hands of West.

They took the chance out of it against Adelaide in the latest round – even though they conceded the first four goals.

They simply banged on the next 10 and continued to press on for a confidence-restoring eight-goal win. Small forwards Sam Conforti (four goals) and Josh Hone (three) proved damaging, while Will Snelling was best-on-ground with a stunning 40 disposals, 15 clearances and 12 tackles.

“The last three quarters were very good, as well as we have played for a long time,” said coach Martin Mattner, noting “Snelling was amazing”.

With players starting to come back from injuries, “things are starting to come together”.

Dogs coach Paul Thomas had a similar feeling as his side played its brand of football for much longer and stronger than in the Round 5 drubbing against Norwood. For a few more minutes at the end is the next thing.

The Magpies have been making improvement week on week and showing plenty of character, in a good spot for this week’s challenge of tackling the top side.

After a hard-fought loss to in-form Norwood the Pies kicked away late under pressure to beat Adelaide and Central in the past two rounds, now just a win from fourth place.

They snatched a win for the ages in the final seconds at Alberton when Todd Marshall grabbed a contested mark and goaled with the last score of the day after the Bulldogs had led by a point.

Tom Cochrane’s five goals against his original club showed what a danger he can be. Jacob Surjan has been delighted with something all coaches love to see in their charges – their resilience.

“To be able to go a point down with a couple of minutes to go and flip what we were trying to do, it shows great maturity,” he said.

There’s no doubt the Eagles will be showing their resilience here. After a hiccup against the Bays – missing key forward Connor Ballenden (back) and losing Jack Hayes (concussion) in the second quarter – you just know they will bounce back.

Outstanding recruits Ted Clohesy (39 disposals) and Ethan Grace (33) continued to have a positive impact against Glenelg and they are sure to get more support in what’s looming as a good test for both teams.