A GRAND final rematch opens a massive day of Saturday action for the final three games of Round 7 in the SANFL Women’s competition. Both South Adelaide and Central District sit at 4-2, while the stakes are just as high for both 3-3 sides in Norwood and West Adelaide, as Sturt and North Adelaide both desperately need a win.

FORM

The stage is set for a beauty between last year’s grand finalists. Fans have had to wait a while to see the grand final rematch, but both sides sit at 4-2 in the season and are just one win over ladder leaders, Glenelg. The Panthers dropped their first two games, but have clicked into gear with four straight wins and shooting up to first. Central District has not looked perfect over the first month and a bit, but got back to some of its best footy last week with a big win over West Adelaide.=

HEAD-TO-HEAD

South Adelaide: 7
Central District: 2

After South Adelaide won the first six matches in the first four seasons of Central District entering the competition, the Bulldogs started to make inroads into the win-loss head-to-head last year. They knocked off the Panthers by 32 points in the first of the clashes between the pair, before South Adelaide got the job done in Noarlunga. Central District of course won the memorable flag with the last kick of the game in unforgettable scenes that will likely never be forgotten.

TEAMS

South Adelaide:

B: Tiffany King (14), Sam Pratt (22)
HB: Litonya Cockatoo-Motlap (15), Esther Schirmer (23), Nicole Campbell (9)
C: Laquoiya Cockatoo-Motlap (11), Mel Anderson (6), Morgan Johnston (1)
HF: Doreena Hansen (26), Jorja Hooper (38), Emily Brockhurst (13)
F: Jordann Hickey (4), Lily Baxter (56)
R: Soriah Moon (32), Caitlin Couch (10), Nikki Nield (2)
INT: Caitlin Radbone (34), Jaslynne Smith (35), Nicole Mark (16), Layla Vizguadis (20), Emma Charlton (25), Chelsea Farr (21), Seraphina Moon (46), Sarah Wright (5)

Central District:

B: Georgia Madigan (7), Tara Lord (31)
HB: Sophie Eaton (12), Miyu Endersby (3), Caitlen Teague (17)
C: Liz Wilson (14), Shelby Smith (1), Jasmine Evans (27)
HF: Laitiah Huynh (41), Katelyn Rosenzweig (2), Caitlin Wendland (42)
F: Lauren Breguet (28), Georgia Avery (18)
R: Charlotte Riggs (9), Georgia McKee (21), Tess Gerhardy (33)
INT: Mikaylah Antony (54), Tessa Doumanis (8), Dakota Williams (38), Tarly Borgas (16), Karissa Searle (22), Demi Sonneman (20), Jovanka Zecevic (23)

CHANGES

South Adelaide has brought in four players for the huge clash, including Under 16s talents Emma Charlton and Layla Vizgaudis fresh off their Under 16s campaign with South Australia. Experienced midfielder Caitlin Couch and potential debutant Seraphina Moon are among the other inclusions, with Northern Territory’s Rania Shelford the only confirmed out at this stage.

Central District’s Under 16s stars in Miyu Endersby and Tara Lord have been named in the side, with the latter on the verge of making her SANFLW debut. Ex-AFLW forward Tessa Doumanis who kicked the winning goal a few weeks back against North Adelaide also returns, with the injured Kasey Wendland, and Tiarna Grovermann as the confirmed outs thus far.

AFLW DRAFT WATCH

Both sides have plenty of players to watch, with the Under 16s inclusions names to keep in mind for the future. The Bulldogs have a trio of AFLW Academy members in Charlotte Riggs, Jasmine Evans and Georgia McKee, while bottom-ager Sophie Eaton joins the latter two as a dangerous young three-pronged forwardline. Esther Schirmer will no doubt have a job on one of them, while Lily Baxter is coming off a strong Round 6 match.

STATS THAT MATTER

This will be a contrast of styles between offence and defence as shown last season. Central District love to score heavily and have the damaging forwards to do so, but there is no better side at strangling the life out of the opposition than South Adelaide. Quality on all lines across the teams, it will come down to which side can take its chances.

PREDICTION

With two different styles, the teams play better on their homeground against the other, so therefore being down at Noarlunga, South Adelaide would be favourites for this one. Coming in with a four-game winning streak also helps, while the Bulldogs are getting better and naturally a win here would be a huge boost of confidence.

FORM

Norwood has not completely found perfect form just yet, with a yo-yo season to-date. It is fair that the Redlegs sit at 3-3, but should have come away with the incredible come-from-behind effort against Glenelg. Their start cost them though despite hitting the front late. West Adelaide has slumped to 3-3 after winning its first three matches.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Norwood: 10
West Adelaide: 4
Draw: 1

Norwood has had the better of West Adelaide over the years, with the Bloods’ best seasons coming in 2020 and 2021, the latter of when they knocked off the Redlegs in the preliminary final. Norwood has won its past four matches against the Bloods, with a 6-2-1 record at Coopers Stadium, the most popular venue between the sides.

TEAMS

Norwood:

B: Charli Hazelhurst (39), Rosie Boon (46)
HB: Sarah Branford (9), Emily Bartsch (27), Charlotte Nenke (44)
C: Coby Morgan (2), Jade Halfpenny (22), Tahlita Buethke (1)
HF: Amelia Rusden (10), Mykaela Walker (35), Shai Hiscock (13)
F: Lana Schwerdt (41), Adrienne Davies (8)
R: Elle Lineage (50), Stephanie Simmonds (17), Candice Belbin (26)
INT: Lauren Smith (24), Kiana Lee (28), Georgina Birchall (37), Emma Clark (7), Tesharna Maher (14)

West Adelaide:

B: Tiana Fernandez (20), Jess Chyer (18)
HB: Emily Mableson (44), Georgie Pater (26), Lucy Boyd (2)
C: Bec Hansen (10), Hannah Button (7), Olivia Smith (6)
HF: Molly Peterson (28), Nicole Hooper (11), Ruby Ballard (22)
F: Emma Kilpatrick (43), Chloe Tonkin (14)
R: Tess Huxtable (25), Zoe Venning (9), Asha Dufour (15)
INT: Paige Allan (35), Emma Chapman (23), Grace McNicol (21), Lucy Waye (50), Kendall Saffin (31)

CHANGES

The Bloods have just made the two changes for the match, with Bec Hansen returning to the side along with AFLW Under 16 Championships MVP-winning defender Emily Mableson. The pair replace the unavailable Madi Russell and suspended Ella Maxwell.

Norwood has had even less disruption to its Round 6 side with talented tall utility Charli Hazelhurst coming in for Nicola Burns.

AFLW DRAFT WATCH

Hazelhurst will be a strong in for the Redlegs, with winger Coby Morgan and hard-running midfielder Georgina Birchall the other State Academy members. They go up against a West Adelaide side brimming with them, including forwards, Ruby Ballard and Chloe Tonkin, defenders Mableson and Lucy Boyd, and versatile duo Emma Kilpatrick and Asha Dufour.

STATS THAT MATTER

Statistically the big difference between the sides is being able to capitalise on their scoring and get chances through inside 50s. Norwood ranks third in the inside 50s count, with the highest accuracy on goal of 50.7 per cent. West Adelaide is ranked sixth in both categories, but their pressure ranking is better with Norwood ranked equal seventh for tackles, while copping the most tackles this season. The Redlegs are ranked second in clearances compared to the Bloods’ seventh, though.

PREDICTION

Norwood is in the better form at the moment, and being at home makes it even tougher for West Adelaide. The Bloods have the talent on paper in each third of the ground, but just need to rekindle the form from the first three weeks of the season.

FORM

Few would have predicted this to be a bottom two clash at the start of the season, but that is how the ladder looks following six rounds. With the extended 14-week season, it is far from over with fourth place just one win ahead of the 2-4 Sturt, though the Double Blues and in particular the Roosters, will need to get a move on in this must-win contest.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Sturt: 2
North Adelaide: 9

Without a doubt the most famous win between the pair was North Adelaide’s come-from-behind three-goal win over Sturt in the 2022 SANFLW Grand Final. The Roosters’ victories in both the decider and second semi-final were the only two in the past two seasons with Sturt winning the other two regular season games. Prior to 2022 though, North Adelaide dominated the head-to-head, winning the first seven encounters between the pair.

TEAMS

Sturt:

B: Lily Whitcombe (24), Sarah Wallace (37)
HB: Sophie Thredgold (17), Winnie Thornquest (25), Tahlia Walker (18)
C: Claudia Edmonds (22), Kate Harris (23), Summer Ross (42)
HF: Monique Bessen (16), Georgia Swan (3), India Rasheed (6)
F: Abby Pengelly (7), Georgia King (55)
R: Millie McCarthy (1), Alisha Gepp (15), Isobel Kuiper (2)
INT: Grace Powell (11), Amy Brooks-Birve (44), Isabella Drew (28), Ruby Cunningham (5), Hannah Prenzler (20)

North Adelaide:

B: Julia Clark (33), Kristi Harvey (5)
HB: Laela Ebert (9), Amber Ward (24), Jess Edwards (2)
C: Neveah Ebert (31), Sasha Hardin (38), Tayla Gordon (23)
HF: Zara Molloy (12), Jamie Parish (20), Ella Quinn (14)
F: Indi Buckskin-James (19), Aprille Crooks (10)
R: Lauren Hoffmann (45), Sarah Steele-Park (36), Lauren Gauci (35)
INT: Brianna Arthur (18), Sarcha Taylor (52), Djimila Totham (30), Bailey Murray (3), Rachel Valenti (4), Tiara Hatchard (41), Jasmine Dallimore (53)

CHANGES

Sturt will recall experienced defender Hannah Prenzler who finally gets her chance in the League team this season, with both her and Ruby Cunningham coming in to replace the injured Alysha Healy and unavailable Molly Fletcher.

North Adelaide will roll out an extended bench with Cristie Castle the one forced out due to injury, while Laura Niejalke and Charlie Price-Smith are also out of the Round 7 team. Coming in are the likes of youngsters, Nevaeh Ebert and Sarcha Taylor, reliable defender Jamie Parish and potential debutants, Jasmine Dallimore and Rachel Valenti.

AFLW DRAFT WATCH

Sturt’s damaging duo of Monique Bessen and India Rasheed are always going to be ones to watch in any match they play, while defensive duo Sophie Thredgold and Edwina Thornquest have enjoyed promising starts to their League career. The Roosters regain some run with the inclusions of Ebert and Taylor, while another Ebert, top-ager Laela, is a crucial transition player out of defence.

STATS THAT MATTER

North Adelaide has struggled to score this season, generating six scoring shots per match on average, for a points per game of 16.8, clearly last in the SANFLW. Sturt has been middling in that regard with 11.5 and 38.2 respectively, but the Double Blues have struggled a little with the young defence, conceding 46 points a game, something they will want to tighten up here. The disposal efficiency of both sides is really high though, with North Adelaide and Sturt ranked second and third respectively.

PREDICTION

Sturt need a win to get back on track, knowing that at least one of the 3-3 teams above them will suffer defeat. A loss would not rule them out of finals, but begin to really make it difficult, while for the Roosters they just need a victory to get on the board and begin building some confidence.