Round 14 Hostplus SANFL Snapshot – Sunday

North Adelaide kept its finals hopes alive after hammering Port Adelaide by 57 points at Revo Fitness Oval.

The Roosters had the better of a keenly fought first half before asserting their dominance in the third term then completely blanketing the Magpies in the fourth.

Mitch Harvey (32 disposals, two goals, 16 hit-outs, 10 clearances) was lion-hearted in ruck for North, edged in the air by ex-Rooster Alex van Wyk (36 hit-outs) but inspirational with his second efforts at ground level.

Angus Schumacher (32 touches, eight clearances) was typically prolific, while William Gowers (23 disposals), Will Francou (22, one goal), James Battersby (21), Harrison Wigg and Blake Oudshoorn-Bennier (20, one goal) all found plenty of the footy.

Kalan Caputo (four goals) was the most dangerous forward on the ground.

Will Lorenz (25 possessions), Jack Watkins (25) and Rome Burgoyne (21) were Port’s chief ball winners.

The only negative for the Roosters, who are now just a win and percentage outside the top five, was a nasty head injury to Alex Spina.

North’s captain came off worse for wear in the 17th minute of the third period following a heavy collision with Magpie Xavier Walsh in the centre square.

Harvey got the Roosters going when he threaded a tight-angled beauty from 50m before back-to-back Caputo majors in time-on gave the home side a 13-point quarter-time cushion.

The teams traded six straight behinds to start the second stanza, at the end of which North’s lead was 14 points.

Jake Tarca’s soccered goal to start the third sliced Port’s deficit to eight points, but the visitors were never again in the hunt.

A melee broke out when Power draftee Balyn O’Brien bowled Charlie Dickerson over in the middle, the fracas ending with an upfield free kick and goal to Rooster Reed van Huisstede.

North motored ahead by 26 points at three-quarter-time before steamrolling Port 5.2 to 0.1 in the final term, two of those majors courtesy of 25m penalties as the Magpies’ discipline wilted.

Port has now lost its past seven matches, by an average margin of 51 points.

Glenelg consolidated top spot on the Hostplus SANFL League ladder after edging Adelaide by three points at Stratarama Stadium.

The Tigers had to roll up their sleeves to bank their sixth successive victory, the last four of which have been decided by under two goals, reinforcing their reputation as the competition’s tight-game specialists.

Lachlan Hosie spent long stretches on the ball for the Bays but still shortened his odds of collecting a third Ken Farmer Medal, booting 3.3 from his 19 touches.

Hosie displayed nerves of steel in front of the scoreboard when he slotted his third major – a free kick against Jordon Butts for a push – at the 22-minute mark of the fourth quarter, putting Glenelg in front for good.

Luke Partington (23 disposals, one goal), Corey Lyons (23 disposals) and Patrick Parnell (20) also stood up when it mattered for the Tigers.

Billy Dowling (28 possessions, two goals, seven inside-50s) was industrious through the middle for the Crows.

Nick Murray (28 disposals) and Oscar Ryan (24) were busy in defence and Lachlan Sholl (24) ran hard on the wing.

Charlie Edwards (21 touches, one goal) was influential in the middle, feasting on the ruck dominance of Reilly O’Brien (20 touches, one goal, 24 hit-outs).

Adelaide finished with 49 more disposals and 48 more marks but the Crows’ over-use of the football eventually proved telling.

It was scrappy and error-filled early, Glenelg held to a solitary point at quarter-time to trail by 12 points.

The Bays closed the gap to six points at half-time, then moved ahead by three at three-quarter-time.

Adelaide erased the deficit and hit the lead early in the fourth term when Dowling and Sid Draper goaled.

Partington capitalised on a 25m penalty to trim the Crows’ buffer to three points, before Hosie had the final say for the Tigers, the full-time siren sounding while Draper was bursting out of defence.