Round 8 Hostplus SANFL League Match Previews

With 13 wins in a row at Unley, the Double Blues have turned their home deck into a fortress.

But surely it will be different for them on the vast expanses of the Ponderosa.

Actually, wait a minute! Sturt has won its past eight games in a row in Elizabeth, Central not having beaten the Blues on its home patch since Round 17, 2015.

But, while Sturt has been strong pretty much since then, the Bulldogs are on the up and up, so much so this is a mouthwatering clash of one v two. Central is pushing for top spot and believes it is good for it.

Sturt showed why it is top with a 7-0 record when it kicked away from an Adelaide line-up jam-packed with AFL-quality players for a 23-point win coach Martin  Mattner described as its best for the season.

Despite missing injured star midfielders Mitch Crowden and James Battersby and having another ace on-baller, Jared Dakin (shoulder), exit in the third term, the Blues did everything right when the game was on the line to kick four of the last five goals.

And a stunning, flying Rory Illman tackle that stopped Crow Lachlan Sholl dead in his tracks was the icing on the cake.

It’s hardly surprising the underrated defender won the club’s trademark player award.

Something the Dogs do these days is stick to their trademarks and, like the Blues against the Crows, they got it right in a tight finish against Norwood, kicking eight of the last 11 goals, Nick Lange jubilant to seal the deal in the dying moments of a memorable 11-point win.

The game of both these sides is evolving – and we love the direction they’re heading.

Both have applied impressive defensive pressure and kept opponents to low scores but now they are taking up the attack, Sturt up from 74 points per game last year to 93 this season and Central up from 70 to 94.

While the Blues have won 19 of their past 21 clashes with Central it was the Doggies who won their most recent encounter – and it was a pretty important one.

Paul Thomas’s men claimed a hard-fought 11-point success in last year’s qualifying final at Adelaide Oval.

It was one of only two losses Sturt has suffered in its past 22 games but it well-and-truly proved what the Dogs can do on their day.

The gap. It’s alarmingly large – and it became even bigger last week.

Considering we have only had seven completed rounds of SANFL footy it’s incredible to think there already are three wins and more than 10 per cent between the fifth and sixth ranked sides, who just happen to be Woodville-West Torrens and North Adelaide, who just happen to be playing each other this week.

The gap could become a gaping chasm. Or it could be cut significantly, again bringing to life the battle for finals places.

It’s in the hands of North on its home deck, with interim coach Sam Mayes in charge for the first time at Prospect.

The Roosters will be looking to make their home something of a fortress again having lost all four games there this season.

On the bright side, North has won its past four home clashes against the Eagles but to claim a crucial win this time it will need to play out each quarter right to the end.

Mayes discovered the frustrations of the top job in a last-gasp two-point loss at Alberton, when the Magpies bagged three time-on goals in the first quarter, one in the third and the decider in the last.

“Our red-time scores against were the difference,” Mayes lamented.

But he had plenty to be proud of and a good starting point with his men hitting back from 25 points down at quarter-time, showing they are up for the fight.

They will need that fight against a talented Eagles line-up that has its eyes on a top-three spot, rather than just aiming to play finals footy.

Against South they showed the maturity to get the game back on their terms after kicking the first six goals of the day only to trail by three points at half-time on a wind-affected day.

They took control when it counted to kick seven goals to two in the second half to win by 35 points, Nick Hayes showing what a danger he is again with four goals and James Rowe stamping his influence on the game with three.

The Panthers showed in their second-quarter blitz against the Eagles what they are capable of, banging on 6.4 to 1.0 with the wind and being good for a half-time lead.

Eagles boss Sam Jacobs said, “South really pushed us”, as the likes of ruckman Olivier Northam, Jaiden Magor, Elliot Dunkin, Oliver Davis and Callum McCarty had plenty of the ball.

It was a promising show from the young guns coach Jarrad Wright is moulding together with the aim of long-term, sustainable success.

Right now, the Panthers need to sustain their effort for longer – the usual dilemma for inexperienced sides.

South was outscored seven goals to two in the second half and has won just one of seven final quarters this year.

It needs to be stronger for longer to test the Bays in a milestone game commemorating the 30th anniversary of its Noarlunga home – 10,000 fans saw South face Glenelg in Round 8, 1995.

The Tigers, on the other hand, won all four quarters against West, at their exciting best, booting 21.16 in an 87-point win.

Pat Parnell has had an injury-interrupted first season at the Bay but he was always going to be a valuable pick-up from the Crows.

He showed just how good he can be, providing rebound and dash with 27 disposals, described by coach Darren Reeves as, “just outstanding”. As were Jarryd and Corey Lyons and Matt Allen among others.

There’s no doubt the Panthers will challenge the Tigers – they just need four quarters and, if they get in a winning position, finish it off.

Neither club would have been happy with the thought they would have just one win after seven rounds but there’s nothing they can do about that now – there’s still time to turn it around and one of these sides will get a critical win to kick things along here.

The Redlegs look on the right track and they looked on track for their second successive win when they kicked away from high-flying Central in the third quarter at The Parade under lights – Jackson Callow taking the game by the scruff of the neck to bag three goals in nine minutes – and were within five points and attacking hard in time-on of the last term.

They were made to pay for not taking their chances in the first quarter when they kicked 1.6 from 17 inside-50s, while holding the Bulldogs scoreless. Inaccuracy has been an issue – Norwood is ranked ninth in the stat, with a 46 per cent success rate.

Central, which beat the Legs 13.6 to 10.13, leads the way with 60.4 per cent accuracy.

This week’s opponent, West (44.5) is the only side with a poorer conversion rate.

The good news for Norwood is it had more disposals and tackles than the Dogs and created more chances, with 51 inside-50s to 47.

And there have been good signs. Finn Heard has been impressive in ruck – and is getting better. He put in a huge night’s work against Central in amassing 19 disposals, 38 hit-outs, 12 tackles and nine clearances.

And while ruck was a concern with Magarey Medallist Harry Boyd heading for St Kilda, Luke Surman, the player who was earmarked to replace him, returned from an ankle injury in the reserves and collected 25 disposals, 11 clearances and 12 hit-outs. Making the most of your chances can make a huge difference.

Westies didn’t help themselves against Glenelg when they trailed 2.6 to 5.3 at the first break – their first six scores all were behinds.

More Bloods need to follow the example of Kobe Ryan, who racked up 26 disposals and 11 clearances in an 87-point loss.