Round 8 Hostplus SANFLW League Match Wraps

By WARREN PARTLAND

Katelyn Rosenzweig emerged as Central District’s hero when she kicked a major on the goal line in the final seconds to give her side a four-point victory over Sturt at Wigan Oval.

It was her fourth goal for the contest and the win has given the Bulldogs a stranglehold on second spot on the Hostplus SANFLW League ladder.

After failing to register a goal for the first half, the Bulldogs went on the attack in the second half to bag eight goals and make another significant statement.

Captain Shelby Smith, as is often the case, sparked the Bulldogs into action on the ball. The Bulldogs got on top in the clearances and took advantage after half-time.

Isobel Kuiper was a driving force for the Double Blues, who nailed the only two goals of the first half, both in the first quarter, while defender Alex Ballard was her usual resolute self and India Rasheed finished with three goals.

The two sides traded blows in a highly entertaining second half and the result hung in the balance until the final siren.

North Adelaide breathed life back into its season with a nail-biting two-point win over Norwood at The Parade, repeating its round one clash when the Roosters won by the same margin.

Sky Jensen emerged the hero for the Roosters, nailing a soccer-kick goal with just two minutes remaining to put her side eight points up after the Redlegs threatened to over-run the visitors.

Momentum swung between the two sides in the first half, before the Roosters grabbed the ascendency in the third term with the only two goals of the quarter.

Jess Edwards showcased her class with a massive impact for the Roosters, Brittany Perry was outstanding and full back Kristi Harvey stood firm.

But the Redlegs, led by Ebony O’Dea and Tahlita Buethke, refused to lie down and they fought back with four goals in the final quarter.

The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the reigning champions and they are now just a game plus percentage outside the top four.

The Redlegs, coming off four successive wins before the Round 8 battle, are fourth on the ladder, courtesy of superior percentage.

Woodville-West Torrens has some new entries in its record books after conquering Glenelg by 33 points at Stratarama Stadium for just its second win of the season.

The margin was the Eagles’ biggest win over the Tigers, while the victory was their first at the Bay.

The Eagles established the platform for the win in the first half when they built a commanding 27-point half-time buffer on the back of relentless pressure.

The most potent tackling side in the league, the Eagles unsettled the Tigers with their attack on the body and they laid a whopping 93 tackles.

Abbey Dowrick amassed an incredible 11 tackles and her Eagles teammate Leah Cutting 10.
Poppy Waterford was brilliant for the visitors, while small forward Grace Martin bagged a career-high three goals, having entered the contest with only one for the season.

Ellie Kellock was prominent for the Tigers and talented youngster Piper Window’s impact for the home side increased when moved into the ball in the second half.

The loss is a setback for the Tigers’ finals hopes, and they are now hefty percentage outside the top four on the ladder.

South Adelaide showed why it deserves Hostplus SANFLW premiership favouritism with an emphatic 38-point win over West Adelaide at Flinders University Stadium.

The Panthers trailed the Bloods, coming off five successive losses, 30 seconds into the second quarter and were being seriously questioned by the visitors.

The rest of the contest, however, provided the Panthers with an opportunity to justify their lofty position on top of the ladder as they went to work in style to secure a seventh victory for the season.

Indy Tahau kicked the opening goal of the game late in the second term, before her Panthers teammate Lucy Northcott goalled early in the third.

The Panthers added another five behinds for the third quarter, then rammed home four goals in the final term when the Bloods went scoreless.

Zoe Venning continued to rack up possessions for the Bloods, finishing with a game-high 29, as well as five tackles, Lauren Young was her usual busy self and Ruby Ballard had an influence in defence.

Taylah Levy was the highest disposal winner for the Panthers with 19, while sisters Litonya and Laquoiya Cockatoo-Motlap were damaging in defence and attack respectively.