STURT went down by three points to Glenelg in a thrilling SANFL Under 18s clash on Saturday, but beat the Bays to fourth spot by percentage in the final home-and-away round. The Double Blues scraped into finals by 0.2 per cent, ending Glenelg’s premiership defence in the process.

Both sides took on a different complexion in Round 18 as state representatives and future stars led a raft of inclusions. We noted how each of the recent draft combine invitees fared before taking a look around the grounds.

>> Update: AFL state combine list finalised

GLENELG:

#15 Bodie Ryan
Defender | 20/04/2005 | 186cm | 80kg

Much of Glenelg’s transitional play from defence went through Ryan, who set up the Bays with 18 disposals, five marks and six rebound 50s. Not only did he offer a rebounding threat with his kicking distribution, but Ryan also did the tough stuff defensively by putting his body on the line aerially and splitting key contests. While he dropped a few tricky intercepts he would normally snaffle up, the state combine invitee showed good touch with ball in hand to kick off either foot and get good purchase on each possession.

#25 Harry Francis
Ruck/Forward | 19/06/2005 | 195cm | 80kg

With a game-high 27 hitouts as Glenelg’s starting ruck, Francis looked like being a difference maker in that role before spending much more time up forward. He’s arguably undersized as a 195cm ruck, but cut the height difference athletically and used his mobility to advantage with eight touches and five tackles on the follow-up. Though his marking influence lacked in attack, Francis was clean below his knees and efficient with ball in hand.

#30 Ashton Moir
Forward/Midfielder | 15/04/2005 | 188cm | 84kg

Having spent time at Reserves level, Moir made somewhat of a frustrating return to the Under 18 fold. On the positive side, he showed clear moments of class with 10 disposals and six marks, thriving when posted up forward and allowed a clear run at the ball. He clunked it cleanly and showcased his athletic acumen on the lead, while also slotting two fantastic goals to start terms one and three. Unfortunately, he had a brain fade and kicked out at his Sturt opponent to concede dual 25m penalties, and left a bit to be desired with his defensive efforts and stoppage impact.

Others:

Bottom-aged Carlton father-son prospect Ben Camporeale continued his strong form with a team-high 28 disposals and seven clearances through midfield, while top-aged state representatives Anders McShane (23 disposals, seven clearances) and Ben Ridgway (23 disposals, 11 tackles) were both resolute alongside him. Camporeale’s twin brother, Lucas, managed 16 touches and five marks on the outside.

STURT:

#20 Alex Holt
Defender | 28/01/2005 | 182cm | 80kg

The antithesis to Glenelg’s Ryan, Holt was Sturt’s main playmaker off half-back and proved largely effective with his 24 disposals, seven marks, and six rebound 50s. Using his mature body and senior experience, the sturdy defender attacked the corridor at all costs and pulled off some terrific long passes which put runners into dangerous launch zones. Though he found plenty of ball between the arcs, arguably Holt’s best disposal was a kick-in to the wing which saw Sturt go coast-to-coast with just two touches.

#25 Loch Rawlinson
Small Forward | 01/06/2005 | 177cm | 71kg

His 14 disposals and six marks hardly jump off the page, but Rawlinson was one of Sturt’s more productive link players in attack. The top-ager got busy beyond forward 50, notching many of his disposals up on the flanks and holding his own when the ball was there to be won. He ended up having his magnet shuffled as Sturt chased the game, and showed his smarts to get on the end of the goal which ultimately helped secure the Double Blues a finals berth.

#30 Luca Slade
Midfielder | 11/03/2005 | 181cm | 72kg

A real tone-setter in midfield, Slade brought a non-nonsense, kick-first approach to his footy on Saturday. He was one of the Double Blues’ most prominent ball winners in the first half and ended up with 23 touches, six clearances, and six inside 50s while also getting his hands dirty with eight punishing tackles. Slade was physical on the inside and looked worked hard to generate some drive on the outer, offering a good balance of traits as usual.

Others:

Bottom-ager Ned Atkinson led all comers with a whopping 32 disposals, seven marks and eight clearances, shouldering a heavy load in midfield. Out on the wing, Declan Gladigau was productive in attacking phases for his 19 touches, eight marks and six inside 50s, while the diminutive Kobe McEntee snared two classy majors as Sturt’s only multiple goal kicker.

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AROUND THE GROUNDS

South Adelaide secured the minor premiership on Sunday with a tense four-point road win over Woodville-West Torrens. The Panthers needed a win to edge out Central District and the Eagles to top spot, and did so 9.11 (65) to 9.7 (61) in the final regular season fixture.

Fresh off two League games, South forward Jack Delean returned with four goals to spearhead the victory, while state squad teammates Phoenix Hargrave (20 disposals), Sid Draper, and Tom Wheaton (both 19) topped the Panthers’ disposal charts.

The previous day, Centrals picked up a crucial win over North Adelaide. Having kept the Roosters goalless in the first quarter, the Bulldogs held steady leads at every break and ran out 9.13 (67) to 8.9 (57) victors to momentarily have a hand on the minor premiership.

State representatives Trent Tattoli (28 disposals) and Liam Fawcett (20 disposals, nine marks, two goals) were among the best Bulldogs. Angus Tully, Tom Tasker, and Will Blair led the way for North, who finished the season in sixth place with an 8-10 record.

A pair of bottom four sides battled it out for bragging rights at The Parade, with West Adelaide defeating Norwood by 24 points. Despite the stirring 13.6 (84) to 9.6 (60) result, the Bloods took out this season’s wooden spoon four wins adrift of the seventh-placed Redlegs.

Caleb McCormick and Jaidyn Mead led all comers with 31 disposals for their respective sides, while Bloods Max McKenzie (four goals) and Jonty Koehne (three) did the damage on the scoreboard with over half of Westies’ majors.