NORTH Adelaide extended its unbeaten SANFL Under 18s record to 6-0 in our Round 6 Match of the Round, after downing West Adelaide by eight points at Hisense Stadium on Saturday. We noted the top individual performers from that game, before taking a look around the ground and up the grades across the latest weekend of South Australian state league football.

By: Tom Wyman

West Adelaide:

#33 Will Patton

Athletic bottom-ager, Patton was a standout down back for West Adelaide. Assigned the kick-in duties for much of the contest, Patton’s composure and decision making with ball in-hand was terrific, as was his efficiency by both hand and foot. Calm under duress, he provided terrific drive from half-back for the Bloods and finished with a season-high 25 disposals and nine rebound 50s in what was clearly his best performance of the season so far.

#36 Tyson Coe

The midfield bull was relentless in his work rate from start to finish. Right from the get-go his work in-tandem with ruckman Harry Barnett at stoppages was a highlight, with the duo combining for several centre clearances. Coe flexed his muscles and used his often-superior strength to good advantage in the midfield, winning plenty of contested ball. However Coe was arguably more effective when bursting out of the stoppage, where he used the ball reasonably well on his dominant left-foot at full stride. Strong above his head, Coe judged the flight of the ball well and was unlucky not to hit the scoreboard. Continuing his sensational form, Coe finished with a team-high 32 possessions, nine marks, three tackles, six clearances and seven inside 50s.

#37 Tom Scully

Scully, clearly one of the hottest prospects in the draft pool of late, added a further seven goals to bring his season tally to a lazy 33 after six rounds. North Adelaide, like many sides have come to realise earlier in the season, had no answer to Scully’s extra height and reach on the lead. Able to gain separation with relative ease, Scully was unstoppable when the ball was kicked in his direction. Often isolated deep in attack, Scully’s mobility and marking strength was matched by his efficiency in-front of goal. His snap goal perhaps best highlighted his athleticism. Scully took four contested marks (six in total) to go with his 13 touches.

#51 Harry Barnett

West Adelaide ruckman, Barnett was the dominant ruckman on the ground as his side fell eight-points short of victory. His connection with midfielder Tyson Coe was particularly strong, however his tap-work and ruck craft in general was strong. Especially clean below his knees at ground level, Barnett’s follow up work will have impressed onlookers. Certainly providing a target around the ground and involving himself in the play, Barnett finished with 22 disposals, six marks (three contested), 28 hitouts and three inside 50s.

North Adelaide:

#5 Isaac Keeler

The exciting Isaac Keeler may not have kicked a goal in the Roosters win, however his impact on the game was substantial when he went through the ruck. His second-efforts around the ball were vastly improved when on-ball, as his natural athleticism and cleanliness at ground level shone through. Unfortunately he missed a very gettable set-shot, perhaps due to a lapse in concentration which clubs will no-doubt be looking to iron out in his game. Keeler accumulated 14 possessions and two marks for the match.

#14 Billy Dowling

Ball-magnet, Dowling once again had the ball on a string at Hisense Stadium, accumulating a further 33 touches to bolster his lead at the top of the under-18 disposal tally. Playing across half-forward and rotating into the midfield, Dowling was not afraid to have a shot at the goals when given the time and space to execute. His ability to always be involved in the play allowed him to rack up a number of one-two touches. Importantly, Dowling’s ball-use inside 50 was largely effective. He finished with 33 disposals, five marks, five clearances and a goal.

#21 James White

Roosters skipper, White put in another solid performance as the Roosters continued their perfect start to the season. A strong-body around the contest to combat the presence of Blood Tyson Coe, White’s stoppage work was strong. His kicking could still do with some refinement, however White managed 27 disposals and five clearances for the game.

#25 Max Blacker

The ever-reliable Blacker was another prominent Rooster who was able to work his way into the game after starting off slowly. Fumbly early, Blacker was able to add some speed and class when moved into a more favourable role rotating between the midfield and half-forward line. His clean use by hand was noticeable, as was his finishing around goal. His three majors were integral to the Roosters collecting their sixth win on the trot. Blacker collected 28 possessions and four marks.

#30 Kelsey Rypstra

North Adelaide midfielder/forward, Rypstra was his sides most influential player in the important victory over West Adelaide at Richmond. Deployed in a familiar half-forward role in the first quarter, Rypstra was quiet up until the first break, gathering only a handful of touches. However he was able to have an immediate impact when moved on-ball in the second term. He won back-to-back clearances to resume proceedings and pump the ball inside-50. Although he could have lowered his eyes at-times, Rypstra had no problems finding the ball around the ground as his influence on the contest grew. Despite missing a couple of chances, he still hit the scoreboard to cap off his game-high 34 disposals, eight marks, six tackles, five clearances and five inside 50s.

AROUND THE GROUNDS:

By: Micah Hann

Sturt bounced back from a tough loss against Central District last week, to run out 44-point winners against Norwood. The Double Blues welcomed back SA Talent Hub member, Nick Sadler, after his League debut and stint in the Reserves. Sadler kicked two goals in the first quarter, finishing with three for the day to go with 23 disposals.

He was supported by Cormac Dwyer, whose inaccuracy in front of goal was the only blemish on his productive day, as he collected 28 disposals and a game-high nine clearances. Alex Holt (23 disposals, eight rebound 50s) was strong in defence, while Luca Slade (21 disposals, six tackles, two goals) was again productive. Finn Wakelin took more marks in a single game than any other player this season, finishing with 15 (four contested) to go with 20 disposals, seven inside 50s and a goal.  

Tyson Walls was again one of Norwood’s best, collecting a game-high 32 disposals, while fellow SA Talent Hub members, Riley Verrall (25 disposals, eight rebound 50s) and Taj Rahui (19 disposals, one goal) were also important for their side. The win leaves Sturt a game clear in third place, while Norwood sits outside the top four.

Central District’s six-goal last quarter comeback saw the Bulldogs chase down a wasteful Woodville-West Torrens outfit. The Eagles held a narrow 14-point lead going into the last term and kicked the first through Brody Mair to extend the margin, before the Dogs piled on six unanswered goals to run out winners by 12 points.  

William O’Brien finished with five goals to lead the Dogs, while Bailey Thorp (three), Braden Owen (two) and Brodie Tuck (two) were the other multiple goalkickers. Tuck was particularly influential as he added nine marks, with four contested. As they do each week, Trent Tattoli (33 disposals, nine marks, six clearances) and Sebastian Wauer (27 disposals, seven rebound 50s) found plenty of the football, while Will Schmidt was important at stoppage, winning seven clearances to go with 24 possessions and six inside 50s. 

Mattaes Phillipou was the leading possession getter on the ground for the Eagles, finding it 33 times, but was unable to have an impact on the scoreboard, finishing with four behinds. Adam D’Aloia continued to find the football at stoppage as he won nine clearances to go with his 31 touches, while the classy Blake Hansen kicked two goals and had 24 disposals. The Eagles remain the only winless team this season and face western suburbs rival, West Adelaide next weekend.  

Glenelg extended its unbeaten run to start the season, in a tense back and forth affair down at The Bay. The Tigers kicked the first six goals of the game to take full control of the contest, before the Panthers fought back with three unanswered themselves. A three-goal to one second term gave Glenelg a five-goal lead at half time and when Charlie Hildyard and Jakob Ryan both goaled within the first two minutes of the third term, it looked like they would run-away with the game.

Koby Cockshell (three goals) stopped the bleeding, before majors to Angus Bradley, Jaiden Magor and Blake Rodrigues brought the margin back to 22 points. Any hope of a South Adelaide comeback though was quickly dashed as Ethan Murdock and Jayden Davis combined to kick three quick goals, giving Glenelg an unassailable seven-goal lead at three quarter time.       

Jakob Ryan (25 disposals, one goal) won plenty of the football, while Hayden Brokensha (21 disposals, five rebound 50s), Will Trevena (21 disposals, six clearances) and Ben Ridgway (21 disposals, eight marks) were important for the home side. The Tigers had five multiple goalkickers, with Murdock (four), Davis (three), Ashton Moir (three), Hildyard (two) and Archie Lovelock (two) all providing an impact on the scoreboard.  

The Panthers were well serviced by Will Verrall (34 hit-outs, seven clearances, one goal) in the ruck. Cameron Kirkland had a game-high 26 disposals and SA Talent Hub member Jaiden Magor collected 18 possessions and kicked two goals for his side.  

UP THE GRADES:

Kobe Ryan excelled in his call-up to West Adelaide’s reserves side. Ryan won 27 disposals, six clearances and kicked a goal in a 28-point win over North Adelaide. Adelaide Crows father-son candidate Max Michalanney collected 17 possessions in Norwood’s defeat to Sturt, while Harry Lemmey had just the two disposals for West Adelaide’s League side, in the Bloods’ loss to North Adelaide.