A HUGE contest under Friday night lights sees ladder leaders Glenelg face off against big improvers Woodville-West Torrens with the latter eyeing off a spot inside the top four with a win, while the Bays need victory to fend off last year’s grand finalists who are closing fast.

FORM

Woodville-West Torrens is just one win away from its best ever season, having won three games thus far, with just an additional draw the difference between 2024 and last year’s performance. For Glenelg, it bounced back from a disappointing loss to South Adelaide with a hard-fought win over Norwood in Round 6.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Glenelg: 7
Woodville-West Torrens: 3

Glenelg has had the wood over the Eagles as a general rule of thumb throughout the years, but the teams split their results in 2023. The Bays won by eight points in Round 2, before Woodville-West Torrens got them back in Round 8 with a 33-point triumph.

TEAMS

Glenelg:

B: Renee Wurfel (3), Alex Walker (24)
HB: Ellen Tyminski (18), Shay’Lee Dayman (4), Lauren Edwards (34)
C: Marie Martino (15), Shae Partington (27), Mel Hinge (17)
HF: Madi Freeman (2), Jorja Eldridge (28), Jordan Horne (11)
F: Sam Franson (5), Jess Searle (23)
R: Alex Pearce (30), Violet Patterson (6), Jess Bates (29)
INT: Jo Miller (32), Poppy Scholz (20), Lucy Armitage (14), Tamsyn Morriss (12), Eloise Mackereth (9)

Woodville-West Torrens:

B: Audrey Holt (10), Marlie Fiegert (30)
HB: Annie Falkenberg (8), Leah Cutting (26), Grace Martin (7)
C: Olivia Evans (28), Sophie Zuill (24), Poppy Waterford (1)
HF: Imogen Trengove (22), Rosette Zerella (32), Chantelle Mitchell (5)
F: Klaudia O’Neill (18), Cher Waters (20)
R: McKenzie Dowrick (23), Brianna Walling (13), Bianca Portaro (3)
INT: Christina Leuzzi (19), Brooklyn Kraft (33), Madi Turner (11), Popi Gikas (2), Amie Blanden (12), Erini Gikas (6), Ashleigh Forbes (40), Ashley Baker (44)

CHANGES

Glenelg has made two changes from last week’s side with former skipper Ellie Kellock missing due to a hamstring injury, while Alice Bradley makes way for tall utility Poppy Scholz‘s return. Ellen Tyminski is the other inclusion for the Bays, named at half-back.

Woodville-West Torrens have only been forced to make the one chance with the injured Sophie Whitwell out of the side, and four players added to an extended bench. They are potential debutants Ash Forbes and Erini Gikas, as well as Brooklyn Kraft and Ashley Baker.

AFLW DRAFT WATCH

The Bays will be thrilled to see the return of AFLW Academy member Scholz who provides great versatility in the side wherever she plays. She along with fellow top-ager Violet Patterson are key talents, while the bottom-age forward duo of Eloise Mackereth and Jordan Horne were crucial last week.

For the Eagles, midfielder Grace Martin had a big game returning from concussion last week, while Bianca Portaro and Klaudia O’Neill remain key components in the back half of the ground. Imogen Trengove has shown plenty of development across her first three games with the Eagles too.

STATS THAT MATTER

Both these teams have shown their ability to move the ball by hand, with the Eagles ranked second for handballs per game (86.8) and Glenelg just 0.1 behind in third. However when it comes to marks, both sides are in the bottom three.

PREDICTION

Glenelg is top of the table for a reason, and while the Bays are now without their AFLW players, still have a quality list. However the Eagles of 2024 are different to those in past years, so it would no longer be a shock to see them roll the ladder leaders with their best performance.