Round 14 SANFL Snapshot

South Adelaide saved its season with a sensational 45-point win against Glenelg at Flinders University Stadium.

Needing to win to keep their finals chances alive, the Panthers were able to produce their best performance of the season by holding the Tigers to a goalless opening half.

Despite being without key midfielders Mitch O’Neill, Oliver Davis and Bryce Gibbs, Jarrad Wright’s charges looked every bit a top-five contender in blitzing the Bays.

Panthers ruckman Keegan Brooksby was outstanding all afternoon, using his big frame regularly to his advantage to rack up a mammoth 52 hit outs.

The former skipper also tallied 19 disposals, nine clearances, two contested marks and a goal to underline his prowess around the ground.

Ben Heaslip was among a raft of South players to shoulder the midfield load, collecting 22 disposals and seven clearances while Hayden Sampson (19 disposals), Elliot Dunkin (18 disposals) and Sam Ramsay (18 disposals) also chimed in nicely.

Veteran defender Joseph Haines racked up a team-high 28 touches as South had 10 goal kickers for the match.

Glenelg’s star for the past two disappointing performances was again Cooper Horsnell, the smooth-moving wing collecting 22 disposals and four clearances.

Experienced defender Andrew Bradley tried his heart out trying to spark attack from defence with 22 disposals but it wasn’t enough to stop the Tigers from slumping to their second concerning defeat.

Central District strung together consecutive wins for the first time this season with a 29-point victory against West Adelaide at Hisense Stadium.

Led by standout performances from talented forward Nick Lange and midfielder Kyle Presbury, the Bulldogs overcame early inaccuracy to break the game open with a five-goal second stanza.

Lange produced a career-best performance consisting of five goals from 11 disposals and five marks while Ethan East lent great support in attack with four goals.

Presbury (28 disposals, five clearances) was a significant difference-maker with his penchant for running and carrying the football across lines before delivering it with precision.

Wily Dogs utility Justin Hoskin also had 28 possessions while Travis Schiller collected 24 disposals and eight marks.

West’s Patrick Fairlie continued his purple path of form to register 31 disposals, eight tackles and nine clearances while Hamish Hartlett had eight tackles, eight clearances and 24 disposals.

But it wasn’t enough for the Bloods, who ran through a banner in a tribute to club legend and premiership coach Neil Kerley, who passed away last week.

Norwood announced itself as a genuine contender in 2022 with a resounding 36-point win against ladder-leading North Adelaide at The Parade.

Stamping themselves as the inform team of the Hostplus SANFL League, the Redlegs backed up their stirring win against the reigning premier Eagles last round by running over the top of the Roosters in the second half.

The Legs led by just six points at half-time but a goal to premiership star Matthew Panos inside the opening 18 seconds of the third term sparked a 9.3 to 4.3 second half for the hosts.

With Jade Rawlings back in charge after exiting Covid protocols, the Legs underlined their efficiency to win comfortably despite having two fewer inside 50s and three fewer clearances.

As many as 12 players hit the goal kickers list, with goalsneak Baynen Lowe bagging three as Ben Jarvis, Jacob Kennerley and Jed Spence booting two each.

Acting captain Kennerley, in the absence of the injured Matthew Nunn (ankle), racked up 30 disposals and six marks while Jay Rantall continued his excellent form with 29 touches and eight marks.

Norwood’s Nik Rokahr (27 disposals) and Henry Nelligan (22 disposals) were other strong contributors for the hosts, as was Panos with 17 touches and five clearances.

North’s Andrew Moore booted four goals to go with his 24 possessions and eight clearances while Harrison Wigg tallied 27 disposals.

Will Combe held his high for the visitors with 26 disposals and two goals as they slumped to just their third loss of the season.

A Daniel Menzel masterclass propelled Woodville-West Torrens to a bounceback 60-point victory against Port Adelaide at Maughan Thiem Kia Oval.

Coming off a stinging loss to Norwood in Round 13, the Eagles were sluggish in the first quarter, finding themselves nine points behind at the first change.

But it was premiership star Menzel who stole the show by turning the game in his team’s favour with a sensational seven-goal haul.

The former Geelong goalsneak booted three goals in succession during the second quarter to transform a seven-point deficit into an 11-point lead.

His side then led by 18 points at half-time before opening up a commanding 33-point break by the final change.

The Eagles then regained valuable percentage by piling on 5.3 to Port’s solitary goal – to Taj Schofield – in the final term.

Eagles midfielder Riley Knight collected a game-high 33 disposals, nine marks and a clever left-foot goal along the ground while fellow on-ballers Dylan Clarke (25 disposals) and Joseph Sinor (24 disposals) were also influential.

Rebounding defender Connor McLeod, the son of Norm Smith Medallist Andrew McLeod, had an encouraging debut with 22 disposals while Cameron Ellis-Yolmen tallied 14 disposals in his SANFL return from the QAFL team Labrador.

Port’s Steven Motlop gained confidence from registering 32 disposals and eight clearances while Dylan Williams had 24 disposals in his new role across half-back.

Father-son prospect Harper Montgomery, the son of Power premiership defender and assistant coach Brett Montgomery, had 17 disposals on debut while ruckman Scott Lycett returned from a lengthy spell with 16 disposals, five clearances and a goal.