A STANDALONE game up at Elizabeth sees two sides looking to bounce back after Round 3 losses. Reigning premiers Central District went down to a red-hot Glenelg to move to 2-1 for the season, while Sturt lost to the other unbeaten side in West Adelaide. We preview the contest between the clubs.

FORM

Central District kicked off its season in style with back-to-back wins over Rounds 1 and 2 over Norwood and Woodville-West Torrens, but suffered defeat at the hands of Glenelg by 42 points. The Doggies will be hungry to bounce back against the Double Blues, who since beating the Eagles in a nail-biter back in Round 1, have lost to the two unbeaten sides.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Central District: 4
Sturt: 4

These two sides are dead even in contests, having played the eight times, but only two up at The Ponderosa. They have also split those matches, but funnily enough they were way back in 2019-2020. Central’s first win came against Sturt, and since then each side has won two in a row, with Central due for its second consecutive win after a four-point victory over Sturt back in Round 8 last year.

TEAMS

Central District:

B: Georgia Madigan (7), Laitiah Huynh (41)
HB: Lauren Breguet (28), Tarly Borgas (16), Shelby Smith (1)
C: Tessa Doumanis (8), Caitlen Teague (17), Jasmine Evans (27)
HF: Jovanka Zeceavic (23), Olivia Levicki (13), Caitlin Wendland (42)
F: Julia Teakle (6), Katelyn Rosenzweig (2)
R: Charlotte Riggs (9), Sophie Eaton (12), Tess Gerhardy (33)
INT: Mikaylah Antony (54), Tiarna Grovermann (45), Kasey Wendland (48), Miyu Endersby (3), Karissa Searle (22), Dakota Williams (38), Demi Sonneman (20), Shelby Raven (36)

Sturt:

B: Kate Harris (23), Sarah Wallace (37)
HB: Sophie Thredgold (17), Winnie Thornquest (25), Tahlia Walker (18)
C: Summer Ross (42), India Rasheed (6), Molly Fletcher (31)
HF: Alysha Healy (10), Georgia Swan (3), Monique Bessen (16)
F: Zara Walsh (14), Georgia King (55)
R: Millie McCarthy (1), Alisha Gepp (15), Isobel Kuiper (2)
INT: Claudia Edmonds (22), Jasmin Fejo (36), Lily Whitcombe (24), Grace Powell (11), Isabella Drew (28), Abby Pengelly (7), Ruby Cunningham (5), Amy Brooks-Birve (44)

CHANGES

It will be a relief for all Central District fans to see skipper Shelby Smith‘s name back on the teamsheet after the leader missed last week’s match against Glenelg due to injury and it really hurt the Dogs. She is joined in the side by experienced ruck Olivia Levicki who has not played since Round 1, while Round 3 late withdrawal Charlotte Riggs has also been named again.

Sturt has also named an extended bench, with Abby Pengelly, Ruby Cunningham and Amy Brooks-Birve all added to the squad.

AFLW DRAFT WATCH

After four goals last week, Sophie Eaton might be rotated forward at times if the call comes in, teaming up with fellow star Jasmine Evans. While Levicki should do the bulk of the rucking, both Miyu Endersby and Riggs can chop out or play as tall intercept defenders.

Coming off a big game last week, India Rasheed is always one of the most damaging players out there for Sturt, while Monique Bessen continues to develop and will take that mantle off her the following year. Defenders Edwina Thornquest and Sophie Thredgold continue to be rock solid in the back 50, while winger Summer Ross is raw with talent.

KEY MATCHUP

Georgia Madigan (Central District) vs. Georgia Swan (Sturt)

There are many different possibilities for matchups in the Sturt forward 50, but opted for the battle of the Georgia’s. Madigan is up to game 50 this weekend, and remains one of the best one-on-one defenders in the competition. She regularly concedes centimetres but rarely loses the battle, while Swan will make her work for each contest if they do face off, boasting a strong endurance base and an ability to hurt you in multiple ways.

STATS THAT MATTER

Central District has only won four of its past 11 quarters, but have managed to come away with two wins in that time. The Doggies can score heavily when they are ‘on’ and that bodes as a big problem for Sturt who has conceded the second most amount of average points this season (46.7).

PREDICTION

At home with their big names back, the Doggies should be too good. It is not quite perfect just yet with a dominant quarter here or there getting the job done. If Sturt can avoid a slower start and remain in the game, both can come home strong, but expect it to be a high scoring shootout.