Statewide Super Sunday Match Wraps

By ZAC MILBANK

Adelaide made Norwood pay a heavy price for inefficiency by recording a 37-point win at The Parade.

Despite having fewer disposals and fewer inside 50 entries, the Crows’ willingness to use the ball predominantly by foot played a significant role in maintaining their place at the top of the Statewide Super League ladder.

Heath Younie’s men had 20 more kicks than the Redlegs as they broke clear of the hosts 11 minutes into the final term when Shane McAdam marked at centre-half forward, turned quickly to have three bounces and goal from 2om out on the run.

The former Sturt forward’s first major of the game stretched the margin to 20 points before he put the result beyond doubt on the verge of time-on with his second as the 26-point deficit proved too much for Norwood to overcome.

Ultra-consistent Adelaide midfielder Pat Wilson then capped off another fine display with a goal to add to his team-high 27 disposals while Tyson Stengle helped his side bank some valuable percentage in what had previously been a close-fought contest.

Wilson had support in the midfield from Riley Knight and Bryce Gibbs, who each had 22 disposals, with the former also kicking two goals.

Development player Hamish Latchford, one of the finds of the season, continued his impressive first year in the League with 22 touches while veteran Andy Otten’s 22 disposals were littered with composed intercept marks.

Boosted by the return of star midfielders Matt Panos and Matt Nunn from injury, the Redlegs set shot kicking got off to a positive start when another returnee from the casualty ward, Luke Surman, nailed his chance from a 45c angle 30m out.

But things only got worse from there as Norwood continued to butcher opportunities in front of goal before finishing with 6.15 from 21 scoring shots.

Lewis Johnston was one of the few clean Redlegs with two goals without a miss to go with his 31 touches while Mitch Grigg, Nunn and Panos each reached no less than 25 possessions.

Norwood coach Jarrod Cotton can’t question the defensive side to his team’s game after it laid 82 tackles to Adelaide’s 48 but the tendency to use the ball by hand rather than foot played a role in losing the valuable premiership points.

ADELAIDE  3.4  5.6  9.8  13.10 (88)

NORWOOD  4.3  4.7  6.12  6.15 (51)

LEADING DISPOSALS – Adelaide: Wilson 27, Gibbs, Knight, Latchford, Otten 22, Butts 20, Davis, Jacobs, McPherson, Wright 17.

Norwood: L. Johnston 31, Grigg, Nunn 26, Panos 25, Barry, Z. Richards 21, McKenzie, Shenton 19, Forster, Georgiou, Talia 16.

GOALS – Adelaide: Himmelberg 3, Knight, McAdam, Wilson 2, Fogarty, Jones, Stengle, Strachan.

Norwood: L. Johnston 2, Gerloff, Panos, Surman, A. Wilson.

Glenelg’s Tim Sumner made the most of his late inclusion to propel his side to a hard-fought 15-point win against Woodville-West Torrens at Maughan Thiem Kia Oval.

Called upon to replace Josh Scott, Sumner booted two late goals and ushered another one over the line to ensure the visitors would break their seven-game losing streak at Oval Avenue.

With scores locked away on 10.5 each at the final change, the Eagles and Tigers traded blows to start what proved to be a pulsating fourth quarter.

Inform Tigers midfielder Luke Partington – who finished with a season-high 43 disposals, six tackles and nine clearances – gave his side a three point lead after positioning himself perfectly to crumb front and centre before snapping truly from 20m.

This came after a run of three consecutive behinds from the Eagles, who were able to restore their advantage when Jack Hayes took a juggled contested mark at centre-half forward.

Returning from a knee injury, Hayes then nailed a composed foot pass to fellow forward Nick Moore, who was left alone in the forward pocket.

Moore converted his set shot from 30m on a slight angle to set the visitors a challenge to wrestle back the lead.

Then former Eagle Sumner made his imprint on the encounter by marking a long ball in from Brad Close who kicked a deep ball to his advantage in the pocket.

Sumner swung around on his right foot and snapped truly to give his side a four-point lead.

Bays forward Darcy Bailey then streaked through the corridor before putting a long ball inside 50m for Sumner to run onto, with the former Gold Coast Sun gathering the loose ball and kicking a checkside grubber under pressure from 10m.

Then Sumner placed his body to advantage on the goal line to ensure Close would finish off a nice piece of play from Bailey to win the ball from 45m out.

It was a frantic flurry for the Bays, who skipped out to a commanding 28-point lead early in the first term as Tom Schott loomed as the unlikely dangerman with three early goals.

But the Eagles, who had won their past five in succession, fought back by restricting the visitors to just one goal in the second stanza as they took a surprise two-point lead into the main change.

James Rowe – who finished with four goals – was regularly hitting the scoreboard while Chris Hall, James Boyd and Jordan Foote were finding more of the ball.

But the Tigers continued to fight with best afield Partington receiving vital support from Andrew Bradley, Matt Snook and Brad Agnew through the centre square.

GLENELG  6.1  7.2  10.5  14.6 (90)

EAGLES  2.3  7.4  10.5  11.9 (75)

LEADING DISPOSALS – Glenelg: Partington 43, Bradley, Snook 26, Agnew, Curran 23, Chalmers, Close, Motlop 20, McCarthy, Uebergang 18.

Eagles: Hall 30, Boyd, Foote 26, Lonergan 24, Poole, Sharrad 17.

GOALS – Glenelg: Schott 3, Close, McBean, Partington, Sumner 2, Agnew, Bradley, Reynolds.

Eagles: Rowe 4, Boyd, Comitogianni, J. Gaffney, Guilhaus, N. Hayes, Moore, Petrenko.

Sturt’s 2019 campaign gained significant traction with a crucial 36-point win against South Adelaide at Flinders University Stadium.

Leading at every change, the Double Blues now sit in fourth place on the premiership table and just one win behind third-placed Port Adelaide.

With the race for the final five an extremely close one between the top seven sides, a victory for the visitors in Aidan Riley’s 100th Statewide Super League game also ensured they would leapfrog the Panthers in fifth spot.

Five goals without a blemish in the opening term set up the victory, with this being the margin at half-time as three consecutive goals in the second stanza stretched the margin to 40 points on the back of Sturt ruckman Daniel Fahey-Sparks kicking truly in the 19th minute.

South co-captain Joel Cross missed a vital opportunity to trim the margin to as little as 23 points two minutes into the fourth quarter but when the popular 100-gamer in Riley booted his second of the contest two minutes later, the game was heading Sturt’s way.

Riley was one of his team’s best in his milestone match, finishing with 24 disposals and eight clearances while James Battersby (30 disposals), Sam Colquhoun (28 disposals) and wingman Matt Crocker (25 disposals) provided too much for South to overcome.

Key Sturt defenders Fraser Evans and Jack Stephens also controlled the play well to top more than 20 touches each.

Now on the verge of slipping outside the top five, the Panthers had Abe Davis lead the way with 33 touches, including 10 in the opening term.

South defender Joe Haines continued his great form with 31 possessions and 10 marks while Nic Schwarz and Nick Liddle each tallied 27.

The Panthers now face a season-defining clash against a side just outside the top five, Woodville-West Torrens, in Round 13 at Flinders University Stadium next Saturday.

STURT  5.0  8.3  12.4  15.8 (98)

SOUTH  2.2  3.3  7.5  9.8 (62)

LEADING DISPOSALS – Sturt: Battersby 30, Colquhoun 28, Crocker, F. Evans 25, Pearce, Riley 24, Stephens 21, Kirkwood 20.

South: Davis 33, Haines 31, Liddle, Schwarz 27, Karpany 24, Rose 21, Sampson 19, Hoey, Irra 18.

GOALS – Sturt: Patullo 3, M. Evans, J. Hone, Penfold, Riley 2, Fahey-Sparks, Kirkwood, Munn, Sutcliffe.

South: Irra 2, Biemans, Cross, Emery, Karpany, Overall, Schwarz, Whittlesea.

Port Adelaide put the squeeze on West Adelaide early in the contest to register a 77-point win at Alberton Oval.

Piling on 7.5 before the Bloods managed to score, the Magpies were in complete control of the encounter as bigman Billy Frampton loomed large.

Finishing with 10 disposals and a goal in the opening term, Frampton finished with an eye-catching 25 disposals, nine marks (four contested) and 4.2 as he proved too much for the visitors to curtail.

In fitting fashion, it was West star Kaine Stevens – playing in his 100th Statewide Super League match – who finally registered his team’s first score with a goal 10 minutes into the second stanza.

Crumbing Bloods forward Ken Karpany then missed a simple chance to make it two goals in succession before Jack Evans trimmed to deficit to 33 points six minutes later.

But the brief fightback was short-lived as Port powered away to ensure the Bloods would go without a score in both the first and fourth terms.

Now solidifying their spot in the top three, the Magpies had contributors all over the ground to support the game-breaking Frampton.

Former Brisbane Lion Sam Mayes had a team high 27 disposals to edge out Frampton and Matthew Broadbent, who made a successful return from mental health leave to register 25 disposals and six marks.

Long-kicking pair Jarrod Lienert and Trent McKenzie notched 49 disposals between them while Willem Drew and Kane Farrell each had 23 touches after returning from AFL duty last round.

Stevens was not surprisingly one of his side’s hardest workers with 28 disposals and six clearances in his milestone match while premiership captain Chris Schmidt had 31.

Hawthorn recruit Dallas Willsmore proved last week’s sudden spike in form was no fluke to rack up 32 possessions while Elliot Dunkin continued his impressive 2019 campaign with 27 disposals and five marks.

PORT  4.4  9.8  11.13  14.15 (99)

WEST  0.0  2.3  3.4  3.4 (22)

LEADING DISPOSALS – Port: Mayes 27, Broadbent, Frampton, McKenzie 25, Garner, Lienert 24, Drew, Farrell 23, Atley, Marshall 21, Woodcock 20.

West: Willsmore 32, Schmidt 31, K. Stevens 28, Dunkin, Levicki 27, Agostino, Hill 25, Waite 24, Beech 22, H. Haysman 20.

GOALS – Port: Frampton 4, Hayes, Johnson 2, Cox, Farrell, Frederick, McKenzie, Ryder, Woodcock.

West: J. Evans, K. Stevens, Wasley-Black.