Round 7 SANFL U18 Match Wraps

By ZAC MILBANK

Four goals in ten minutes were enough to propel Sturt to a 23-point win against North in Round 7 of the SANFL U18s at Prospect Oval.

Trailing by two points at the main change, the Double Blues’ burst to start the third term proved pivotal in securing the premiership points.

Despite having six fewer inside 50m entries, the visitors were well served by Sam Waltham, who soared for a spectacular mark and booted three goals, together with Will Kleemann and Alex Dodson.

North rated the performances of Hunter Press and PJ Carlin highly while Liam Grubb racked up 27 disposals, six marks and four clearances.

A dominant display from Central District forward Tallan Rosenzweig was critical in his team’s rampaging 82-point win against West Adelaide at X Convenience Oval.

With his team piling on 14 goals in the first half, Rosenzweig finished with the impressive stat line of 19 disposals, 11 marks and six goals as his side built valuable percentage.

Fellow Bulldogs Brodie Brooks (21 disposals, three goals) and Beau Ryan (22 disposals, nine marks) also proved difficult for the Bloods to counter.

West managed to restrict the hosts to just two goals after half-time but were unable to make a meaningful dent in the deficit as Ayden Hodgson (31 disposals), Fraser Morley and Thomas Kain battled hard.

Woodville-West Torrens maintained its place in the top four with a gritty 31-point victory against Norwood at The Parade. 

Leading by just three points at half-time, the Eagles slowly broke clear of the Redlegs in the second half despite their inaccuracy in front of goal as they finished with 9.16 (70).

Prime movers in the midfield Zac Schwarz (32 disposals, 10 clearances) and captain Harry Dodd (31 possessions) had a major say in the result for the Eagles, as did Jack Hankins.

Norwood’s Luke Scott (22 disposals) and Darcy Speyer (21 disposals, one goal) flew the red and blue flag, along with teammate Joel Flower.

South Adelaide inflicted Glenelg’s first loss of the season with a comfortable 26-point win at Flinders University Stadium.

In desperate need to keep pace with the top four, the Panthers booted the opening three goals of the game to keep the Bays at arm’s length for the rest of the afternoon.

Red hot South midfielder Phoenix Hargrave was again a key figure in his team’s performance with 23 disposals, eight marks and two goals while teammates Jesse Nye and Dakota Sterzl also had a positive influence.

Glenelg’s Kallan Bevan led the charge for his side with 22 disposals, 10 clearances and a goal while Oliver Betterman (20 disposals) and Reed Francis Nia-Nia lent valuable support.