Sports News Sunraysia with Sammy Smythe

Sturt has began its premiership defence with a hard-fought 12-point win against rival Norwood at The Parade on Easter Monday.

In front of a bumper crowd of 5286 at a sun-drenched Coopers Stadium, the Double Blues showed greater poise in critical moments to bank the all important premiership points.

Leading by just two points entering time-on of the third quarter, Marty Mattner’s charges were quick to put a space between themselves and the Redlegs when tall forward Tom Read converted just 47 seconds into the final term.

And when former Redleg Mark Evans calmly nailed a challenging set shot in front of the scoreboard five minutes into the fourth quarter, the Double Blues had opened up a handy 18-point buffer.

But that didn’t stop  the hosts from coming hard at their arch enemy as they did most of the attacking in the final stages of the match, only to be hamstrung by some costly misses in front of goal.

This was a major factor in the result, with Norwood kicking a wasteful 4.12 after quarter-time compared with Sturt’s 7.12, leaving Redlegs mentor Jarrod Cotton to rue missed opportunities.

Life after retired premiership forward Kory Beard didn’t look too scary for Sturt fans considering its attacking mosquito fleet again proved it was the best in the competition inside 50m.

Still without the injured Ben Hansen, the Double Blues found goals from Mark Evans (3.1), Josh Dodd, Jack Penfold and debutant Shane McAdam, who not only booted two majors but caused major headaches for Norwood such was his creativity.

NSW recruit Jake Veale – entering his second SANFL season – also proved he is capable of becoming a regular in the Macca’s League for Sturt with 19 disposals and a goal.

Despite the inaccuracy in front of goal, Norwood still had plenty of positives including the presence of big bodies Matt Panos and Lewis Johnston in the midfield – with the two former AFL-listed forwards collecting 57 touches between them.

Western Bulldogs recruit Declan Hamilton produced some handy passages of play for 22 disposals and a goal while BankSA Rookie Nick Pedro collected 18 disposals in his first Macca’s League outing.

The return of key position player Luke Surman resulted in a haul of 2.4, with the sizeable 20-year-old – who measures in at 197cm and 105kg – proving he could cause some damage for Norwood with greater accuracy inside 50m.

STURT  2.3  5.9  7.12  9.15 (69)

NORWOOD  3.3  3.8  6.11  7.15 (57)

LEADING DISPOSALS – Sturt: Colquhoun 30, F. Evans 29, Kirkwood 28, Slimming 21, Veale, Greenslade 19, Battersby 18, Stephens 17.

Norwood: Grigg, Panos 30, L. Johnston 27, Nunn 23, Hamilton 22, Baulderstone 19, Pedro, Shenton 18.

GOALS – Sturt: M. Evans 3, McAdam 2, Read, Veale, Dodd, Penfold.

Norwood: Shenton, Surman 2, Panos, Hamilton, Phillips.

 

 

 

 

A barnstorming 10-goal third quarter propelled Port Adelaide to a comprehensive 95-point win against Adelaide in the SANFL Showdown at Alberton on Easter Saturday.

After controlling the contest for the bulk of the first half, the Magpies were suddenly being challenged in the second term when the Crows kicked their first two goals in succession during the second term.

But that was the only serious resistance the visitors were able to produce as a Lindsay Thomas-inspired Port Adelaide went on a rampage during the premiership stanza.

In his first game back at Alberton Oval since being drafted from the Magpies to North Melbourne in 2006, Thomas was quick to make an impression with a bag of six goals, including three in the third term.

Lured back to where it all began with a place on the Power’s rookie list, the 30-year-old proved that he’s still got something to offer at the highest level after finishing with 18 disposals and four marks.

”It’s been a while – I didn’t think I would get this opportunity to come back (to Port) but it’s great to finish my career where it all started,” Thomas told Channel 7 after the match.

”The club has a great history so I’m just pumped to be back home.”

Magpies captain Steven Summerton was back to his industrious best with 29 disposals, edging out his young protege Levi Proude, who racked up an impressive tally of 28 in his Macca’s League debut.

Former Gold Coast Sun Trent McKenzie had 25 touches across half-back in his first SANFL outing with Port while Will Snelling had 22 to go with his tally of 11 tackles.

Adelaide was down to just one fit man for much of the second half, with Aidan Offe battling concussion and experienced defender Kyle Cheney icing his hamstring which effected the Crows rotations amid the warm conditions.

Sturt premiership midfielder Pat Wilson was Adelaide’s best through the midfield, finishing with a team-high 26 disposals to assert himself in his first outing with the Crows.

Father-son selection Jackson Edwards had a solid debut with Adelaide, collecting 17 touches and kicking an early contender for Goal of the Year with a miraculous snap from the boundary line in the third term.

PORT  3.6  5.10  15.11  19.14 (128) 

ADELAIDE  0.3  2.4  3.4  4.9 (33)

LEADING DISPOSALS – Port: Summerton 29, Proude 28, McKenzie 25, Atley 24, Patmore 23, Snelling 22, Neade 19, Thomas 18, Amon, Kluske 17.

Adelaide: Wilson 26, Edwards 17, Signorello 16, Jarman, Dear 15, Davis 14.

GOALS – Port: Thomas 6, Kluske 3, Johnson, Frampton 2, Atley, Snelling, Hayes, Proude, Neade, Patmore

Adelaide: Edwards, Wilson, O’Brien, Signorello

 

 

 

 

 

 

Central District continued its momentum from last year’s finals series with a 61-point win against North Adelaide at My Money House Oval on Good Friday.

Leading at every change, the Bulldogs were never seriously threatened by the Roosters, who managed just one goal in the third term in front of a healthy crowd of 3782.

The Dogs had only nine more inside 50s than the visitors yet more than double the scoring shots and 59 more disposals.

Last year’s Macca’s League leading disposal-winner Travis Schiller continued to get his weekly dose of leather poisoning by racking up 30 (including 23 handballs) but the real star was former Power rookie Justin Hoskin.

Arguably the best medium forward in the competition, Hoskin dominated to collect 28 disposals and 10 marks while having an influence on the scoreboard with three goals.

Newly-named Central vice-captain Darcy Fort was another influential figure with 17 disposals, nine marks, 22 hit outs and three goals while impressive teenager Jackson Hately didn’t look out of place on debut with 22 touches and a goal.

North simply didn’t get its hands on the footy enough, with Mitch Harvey making the most of his chances to snare a team-high three goals from seven disposals.

New Roosters skipper Max Thring led from the front with 24 possessions while star recruit Jarred Almond had 22 in his first outing wearing the red and white.

Late summer addition Brock Castree made a positive impression at this third SANFL club with 22 disposals while Sandover Medallist Aidan Tropiano finished with 18 and a goal for North.

North will monitor new vice-captain Alex Spina during the week after he registered just five disposals before leaving the ground with concussion.

CENTRAL  4.6  6.11  12.12  17.14 (116)

NORTH  2.3  4.5  5.6  8.7 (55)

LEADING DISPOSALS – Central: T. Schiller 30, Goodrem, Hoskin 28, Presbury, Barmby, Hately 22, Jenner 21, Hanna 19, J. Schiller 18.

North: Thring 24, Allmond 23, Castree 22, Smith 20, A. Barns 19, Olekalns, Tropiano 18.

GOALS – Central: Hoskin, D. Fort, McKenzie 3, Presbury 2, Dahms, Goodrem, F. Fort, Hannath, Hately, T. Schiller.

North: Harvey 3, Ramsey, Nixon, Schwarz, Young, Tropiano.

 

Woodville-West Torrens began its premiership quest with a no-frills 34-point win against West Adelaide at City Mazda Stadium on Good Friday.

The Eagles kept the Bloods at bay at every change, making the most of a strong third stanza to post a match-defining six-goal break at the final change.

With Jared Petrenko absent, Eagles coach Michael Godden threw former Power defender Paul Stewart into the midfield to positive effect, with the veteran’s big body allowing him to collect 36 disposals, 13 marks and a goal.

James Boyd was his usual busy self for the Eagles with 39 touches while Jack Firns continues to show promise at Macca’s League level, collecting a career-high 29 disposals, eight marks and six tackles.

Nearly 400 disposals in total were recorded by the visitors who regularly chipped the ball around as West flooded numbers into its back half to stem the scoring flow.

The Bloods, coached for the first time at Macca’s League level by former Eagles captain Gavin Colville, were never allowed to inject any fluency into their game despite trailing the Eagles by only five points when Norwood recruit Lyndon Hupfeld kicked his set shot in the second term.

Colville was forced to shift new West captain Tom Keough back into defence to stand talented teenager Jack Lukosius, who loomed as a match-winner with his three majors.

The forced Chris Burgess into attack for the hosts and when the dour defender quickly hit the scoreboard with a goal five minutes into the last term, West still had a pulse.

But the Eagles continued to strangle the life out of their opponents, Ethan Haylock opening up a 40-point entering time-on of the fourth quarter en route to his team banking the premiership points.

EAGLES  2.3  6.6  10.8  12.14 (86)

WEST  1.3  3.6  4.8  7.10 (52)

LEADING DISPOSALS – Eagles: Boyd 39, Stewart 36, Goldsworthy 32, Johansen 30, Firns 29, Sharrad 26, Poole 24, Thompson 21.

West: Hill 29, Batley 28, Schiller 24, Noble 21, Waite 19, Agostino, Anderson, Beech 18.

GOALS – Eagles: Lukosisus 3, Haylock, N. Hayes 2, Gray, Borholm, Rowland, Redden, Stewart.

West: Middleton 2, Agostino, Karpany, Hupfeld, Burgess, Turner.

 

South Adelaide began its new era under coach Jarrad Wright in fine style, cruising to a 38-point win against Glenelg at Hickinbotham Oval on Good Friday.

A six-goal second term was the catalyst for the Panthers, who were much more efficient with ball in hand in front of 3143 fans enjoying the beautiful conditions at Noarlunga.

This was evidenced by Wright’s men only having 17 more disposals than Glenelg yet a whopping 16 more inside 50 entries which proved decisive in the Round 1 result.

Usual suspects Joel Cross and Nick Liddle found plenty of the ball through the midfield while Tom Fields and Matt Rose were their constructive selves running out of defence.

But there was also a lot to like from South’s BankSA Rookies Mark Noble and Robert Irra, who both showed they can handle the pressure at Macca’s League level.

Noble, the twin brother of West Adelaide’s John and son of Brisbane Lions Football Chief David Noble, collected 19 disposals and a goal while Irra – the younger brother of Power rookie Emmanuel – had some nice moments in the backline to finish with 10 touches.

Magpies recruit Anthony Biemans applied 10 tackles while favourite son Keegan Brooksby booted two goals and dominated the ruck with 38 hit outs upon his return from the Gold Coast.

New Glenelg coach Mark Stone was quick to identify the Tigers’ need to improve its kick-to-handball ratio upon his appointment and clearly this will be a work in progress considering the Bays had 17 more disposals than the Panthers.

So to will be the field kicking, with some costly errors by foot while attempting to construct play proving decisive for the visitors, who controlled the contest for the first quarter and a half.

This didn’t make things easy for the new-look Glenelg forward line, with Jesse White, Josh Scott and Luke Reynolds understandably building cohesion inside attacking 50m.

Tireless inside midfielders Matt Snook and Ben Sawford worked hard at the stoppages for the Tigers, while wingmen Carl Nicholson and Zac Hawkins – in his first game for the club after transferring from Port – each had some positive moments with 18 touches.

SOUTH  2.1  4.5  10.7  14.8 (92)

GLENELG  3.3  4.8  5.9  7.12 (54)

LEADING DISPOSALS – South: Cross 27, Liddle 23, Fields 22, Rose 20, Noble 19, Davis 18, Szust 17.

Glenelg: Snook 25, Sawford 21, Scharenberg 19, Hawkins, Nicholson 18, Motlop, Proud 17.

GOALS – South: Heaslip 3, Moyle, Davis, Brooksby 2, Whittlesea, Rose, Overall, Cross, Noble.

Glenelg: T. Milera 3, Koster, Scott, Reynolds, Nicholson.