Round 12 Hostplus SANFL Snapshot – Saturday

Adelaide proved it can be a force with a clean bill of health as it comfortably accounted for Glenelg by 39 points at Stratarama Stadium.

Armed with 15 AFL-listed players, the Crows were fuelled by outstanding performances from veteran star Brodie Smith and returning ruckman Kieran Strachan as Riley Thilthorpe made a successful comeback from a long-term knee injury.

”I’m very happy, it’s very good to be back out there, the boys played unbelievably well and it was a great four quarter performance,” Thilthorpe told Channel 7 after kicking three goals.

Thilthorpe formed a damaging three-prong forward structure with Lachlan Gollant (four goals) and Chris Burgess (three goals) as the visitors slammed on 6.1 to the Tigers’ 1.2 with the aid of a strong breeze in the opening term.

From there, the Crows’ efficiency with disposal and in front of goal, they had one less scoring shot, proved pivotal as they banked their third victory of the season.

Smith (26 disposals) set up plenty of the play in the first half as he read the ball with ease across half-back while using his raking kick to hurt the hosts on multiple occasions.

Strachan returned from AFL duty with purpose to be adjudged the Coles Value Player with 18 disposals, 11 marks and 41 hit outs.

Burgess collected 18 disposals and took nine marks to go with his three goals while Harry Schoenberg was solid with 17 disposals after also being sent back from the AFL line-up.

Glenelg, aiming to honour premiership captain Chris Curran in his 150th game, were unable to claw their way back into the contest as they missed multiple shots on goal while having two more inside 50 entries.

Corey Lyons (19 disposals, five clearances and eight tackles) worked tirelessly through the midfield for the Bays while James Bell (17 disposals) and Brad McCarthy (17 disposals) put their strong frames to good use in the muddy conditions.

North Adelaide kept its final five chances alive with a vital 23-point victory against Woodville-West Torrens at Prospect Oval.

Desperate to stay in touch with the breakaway pack currently inside the top five, the Roosters drew within two wins of the fifth-placed Eagles with a gutsy display in wet and muddy conditions.

Despite not kicking a goal in the opening term, the hosts slowly wore the Eagles down by overwhelming them in clearances 43-26 and inside 50s 53-27.

North hit the front when Tariek Newchurch kicked truly in the eighth minute of the third term and were able to kick clear in the final term by booting 3.4 to the visitors’ 1.1.

Magarey Medallist Campbell Combe typically thrived in the slippery environment, racking up 38 disposals, 14 clearances, 11 tackles and six marks in an outstanding display for North.

Roosters’ teammate Harrison Magor (30 disposals) also found plenty of the ball as Blayne O’Loughlin and Sam Ramsay logged 23 touches each.

Sam McInerney was North’s only multiple goal scorer with two, including a memorable snap from tight on the boundary line in the final quarter.

Eagles defender Josh Morris continued his great form with 25 disposals and six marks while experienced premiership pair Joseph Sinor and Luke Thompson collected 19 disposals each.

Mature-age recruit Luke McKay kicked two goals for the Eagles, including an eye-catching finish from a snap after executing an impressive smother.

Sturt surged to the top of the Hostplus SANFL League ladder as it put the clamps on West Adelaide to secure a 45-point win at Thomas Farms Oval.

Securing their eighth win of the season, the Double Blues jumped to first place on Saturday night, with Norwood having a chance to leapfrog back to the top with victory against South Adelaide on Sunday.

Restricting the Bloods to just three goals for the match, the miserly hosts kept the visitors without a goal in the opening and third quarters while taking control of the contest with a 52-39 inside 50m count.

As is Sturt’s style, it was also able to maintain possession by recording 76 marks to West’s 34 while also applying fierce pressure with 90 tackles to 75 in the challenging conditions.

Double Blues captain James Battersby racked up 26 disposals, five clearances and seven tackles while star recruit Will Snelling collected 25 disposals, nine clearances and 11 tackles.

Tom Lewis had 20 disposals, 12 tackles, eight clearances and a goal for the hosts as James Mathews proved a difference-maker with three majors in a low-scoring encounter.

Sturt’s only negative was a slight hamstring strain to silky recruit Flynn Perez, who will undergo scans to determine the extent of his ailment.

West left too much to do for its top trio of Sam Frost (21 disposals, 13 tackles, eight clearances), Kobe Ryan (19 disposals, 16 tackles) and Callum Park (24 disposals).

A damaging six-goal third quarter proved to be the catalyst for Central District’s 25-point win against Port Adelaide at Alberton Oval.

Trailing by two points at half-time, the Bulldogs broke free by piling on 6.1 to the Magpies’ 0.3 to establish a 32-point advantage by the final change.

It proved to be more than enough despite the hosts’ best efforts in the fourth quarter, as they outscored the Dogs in a spirited finish.

Central amazingly had 10 fewer inside 50 entries, as well as 33 less handballs but were able to convert with great efficiency inside its attacking 50m arc.

It was there where Aiden Grace and Hugo Munn hit the scoreboard with three goals each for the visitors while Isaiah Dudley and Tyson Richard chimed in with two each.

Magarey Medallist Harry Grant collected a team high 19 disposals, six clearances and eight tackles for Central while Kai Pudney (19 disposals) and Billy Iles (18 disposals) also found their share of the Sherrin.

Inform Grace collected 15 disposals and eight marks while one of his goals was a cracking effort from well outside the 50m arc.

Port ruckman Dante Visentini sent a strong message to selectors with his best SANFL performance, finishing with 19 disposals, seven marks, five clearances, a goal and 44 hit outs.

SANFL-contracted pair Murphy Short (18 disposals, 10 tackles, 1 goal) and Dustin Launer (16 disposals) contributed strongly while Francis Evans tallied 15 disposals and 2.3.