2019 SANFL Finals Fever

By ZAC MILBANK

The stage is set for the 2019 SANFL Statewide Super League Finals Series, with Sturt claiming a berth in the Elimination Final with a victory against Glenelg today.

After Norwood, their opponent in next Saturday’s cut-throat clash, accounted for West Adelaide by 18 points on Friday night, the Double Blues were made to work hard for their 12-point victory against the Tigers at Peter Motley Oval.

The two premiership points proved to be vital for Nathan Grima’s men given South Adelaide toppled Adelaide by seven points at Flinders University Stadium in another of the dramatic four Round 18 contests played on Saturday afternoon.

As the traditional rivals now prepare for battle in the Elimination Final from 3.20pm, the Panthers were left to farewell club greats Brad Crabb and Nick Liddle, who were fittingly chaired from the ground with their club’s 2019 campaign now closed.

It wasn’t the ideal finish to the minor round for the Crows, who will now confront an in-form Magpies outfit which thrashed Central District by 90 points in the final game for the Bulldogs’ retiring premiership coach Roy Laird.

Adelaide and Port Adelaide will clash under lights in the Qualifying Final at Adelaide Oval from 7.05pm in what looms as a salivating double-header to begin the major round.

North Adelaide waited until the final match of the season to lift itself off the bottom of the table with a 13-point win against Woodville-West Torrens – handing the wooden spoon to West Adelaide in 10th place.

Despite being rested with general soreness for the final match of the season, Glenelg’s Liam McBean held on to win the Ken Farmer Medal, booting 46 goals as the competition’s leading goal kicker.

McBean edged out Tigers’ team-mate Luke Reynolds by just one goal, with Reynolds booting two majors against the Double Blues to finish with 45 for the season.