Round 14 SANFL Snapshot – Super Saturday

Norwood won its first match at Alberton in three years when it powered away from Port Adelaide by 36 points.

The Redlegs showed plenty of spirit to overcome the loss of hamstrung skipper Matthew Nunn early in the second term to win just their 23rd match at Queen Street from 95 meetings.

With fan favourite Paul Puopolo snaring a contender for Skilled Careers Mark of the Year and dual Michael Taylor Medallist Brad McKenzie booting two influential goals in the fourth term, the visitors had plenty to celebrate.

Experienced pair Richard Douglas and Mitch Grigg were also critical factors in the victory for Norwood, collecting 60 disposals and 15 clearances between them.

Key forward Tristan Binder showed promise with three goals and an impressive pack mark while Xavier Tranfa and Harry Boyd joined McKenzie with two majors.

Port was determined to stay in the contest throughout the afternoon, closing to within 17 points when Matt Appleton kicked a behind in the eighth minute of the fourth term.

But the deficit of 17 inside 50s for the match proved too much for the Magpies who had Riley Bonner top the stats sheet with 29 disposals and a goal while Boyd Woodcock had 20 possessions, seven tackles and five clearances.

Ruckman Peter Ladhams and forward Dylan Williams kicked two goals each for the hosts.

South Adelaide steadied its season with a hard-fought 17-point win against Adelaide at Victor Harbor Oval.

Hosting the Crows in their regional zone as part of the SA Country Championships, the Panthers had control of the contest from the outset only to keep the visitors in it with inaccurate kicking.

Leading at every change, South had a whopping 25 more inside 50m entries, 47 more kicks and 45 more marks which translated into seven more scoring shots.

Former Crow Bryce Gibbs enjoyed the venue in which dad Ross previously played on with the Victor Harbor Kangaroos, collecting 27 disposals, six tackles, seven clearances and a goal.

Fellow Panther Hayden Sampson also had 27 touches while Ben Haren registered 26 disposals and a goal as teammate Liam Fitt celebrated his 50th game with three goals.

Adelaide veteran Tom Lynch put his hand up for AFL selection with 28 disposals, seven marks and a goal while Andrew McPherson had 25 disposals and Jackson Hately 24.

Ruckman Kieran Strachan continued his fine form for the Crows with 21 disposals, five marks, four clearances and 33 hit outs.

Glenelg’s club-record winning streak extended to 13 with a solid 30-point win against Sturt at Unley Oval.

Now sitting on top of the premiership table without a loss, the Tigers always appeared in control as dual Ken Farmer Medallist Liam McBean booted a game high six goals.

The Bays led at every change but were unable to seriously convert their advantage on the scoreboard until after half-time after dominating the clearances 42 to 23 and inside 50 entries 57 to 38.

Midfield trio Brett Turner (28 disposals and seven clearances), Matthew Snook (26 disposals and nine clearances) and Luke Partington (24 disposals) were instrumental for the Tigers as co-captain Chris Curran took 12 marks to go with his 23 touches.

McBean clunked nine marks, including several eye-catching contested grabs which is starting to become a stronger feature of his game.

Sturt was led by Casey Voss with 29 disposals and 10 marks while captain James Battersby finished with 28 possessions and six clearances.

Woodville-West Torrens’ woeful kicking for goal wasn’t enough to prevent it from recording an unfashionable 19-point win against West Adelaide at Maughan Thiem Kia Oval.

The Eagles registered a shocking tally of 9.21 (75) against the Bloods, their 14 more scoring shots proving too much for the persistent visitors to overcome.

Boating a 33-point lead at the main change, the hosts kicked 3.10 to West’s 6.6 in the second half to escape with the premiership points.

Star Eagle Jack Hayes dominated the air with 20 marks, adding to his 29 disposals and 2.4 to again stamp himself as the best tall utility in the competition.

Jimmy Toumpas collected 28 disposals and Sam Rowland 27 and 12 marks for the hosts who had Tyson Stengle finishing with 3.4 from his eight kicks for the afternoon.

West defender Mitch Duval continued his outstanding season, tallying 25 disposals and eight marks while fellow defender Elliot Dunkin and midfielder Pat Fairlie also had 25 possessions each.

Small forward Connor Fairlie was again busy for the visitors, kicking a team high three goals to go with his 17 disposals.

North Adelaide’s Lachie Wilsdon put on a show at Prospect as his eight-goal haul guided his side to a 48-point win against Central District.

In just his fifth League game, the boy from Brinkworth Spalding Redhill didn’t miss after having seven of his tally before the main change in a devastating display.

The 23-year-old played the first four League games of the year as a key defender but seems to have now found his spot inside 50m after kicking 14 majors in his past two Reserves games.

An incredibly accurate North had 9.1 on the board at the first change, before having 15.1 at the main break with a 59-point advantage.

It was enough of a buffer to afford a goalless third quarter before piling on another 6.1 in the fourth stanza to send an ominous statement to the rest of the competition.

Former Crow Harrison Wigg has been a key catalyst in North’s recent revival, collecting 42 disposals, 10 clearances and six marks against the Bulldogs.

The hosts also had Aaron Young (28 disposals and eight clearances) and Campbell Combe (27 disposals and six clearances) hit the scoreboard as Sam McInerney continued to build at League level with a bag of five majors.

Central’s Harry Grant and Justin Hoskin battled hard against the tide for 24 disposals each while Travis Schiller had 23 touches, six tackles and a goal.

The Dogs’ Tasmanian recruit Aiden Grace kicked four goals without a miss while Connor Mclean returned to League action with three majors.