SOUTH Adelaide handed Glenelg its first loss of the SANFL Under 18s season on Saturday, saluting to the tune of 26 points at Flinders University Stadium. The Panthers, who have recovered to 2-5 in the last fortnight, led at every break but were made to hold off constant pressure from the undermanned Tigers.

The result marks a terrific turnaround for South, who had already been defeated by Glenelg twice this season – in Rounds 2 and 3. Nonetheless, the Bays remain top of the ladder, level on points with Central District but boasting a superior percentage.

There were five state Under 18 squad members afield between the two sides, with four belonging to the victors. In our featured SANFL Under 18s match for Round 7, we took noted all of their performances before looking at each result around the grounds.

SOUTH ADELAIDE:

#1 Jacob Sheean
Key Defender | 197cm

Stats: 21 disposals, 5 marks, 6 rebound 50s

The rock in South Adelaide’s defence, Sheean was always there to mop up and rebound the ball. He relied on his kicking to repel on the way out, with his one handball being a turnover which led directly to Glenelg scoring. Otherwise, the Panthers’ skipper relieved pressure and moved into all the right spots to intercept the Bays’ attacks, reading the play nicely.

#11 Phoenix Hargrave
Midfielder/Forward | 182cm

Stats: 23 disposals, 8 marks, 2 goals

Hargrave is extremely consistent in his output and won this week’s MVP award on the back of such form. The hard-nosed midfielder showcased his clean set of hands with one-touch work at ground level and some gutsy overhead marks, playing above his 182cm standing in the latter regard. He helped settle the Panthers with a big grab and goal in term three, before putting the cherry atop his solid performance with the final major of the day.

#13 Dakota Sterzl
Wing/Forward | 188cm

Stats: 12 disposals, 3 marks, 1 goal

There’s a bit to like about Sterzl, who started up on the wing before slotting into South’s forward line. He displayed good aerial range at 188cm, plucking a few solid overhead marks both behind and forward of the play. The top-ager also hit the scoreboard with a classy snap goal in term one and utilised his slick left-foot kicking at different points.

#34 Ryan Borlace
Ruck/Forward | 197cm

Stats: 14 disposals, 12 hitouts, 5 clearances

A developing ruckman with high upside, Borlace had his moments on Saturday. His best was a spurt of agility inside forward 50, where he reeled in the bounced in ball before stepping around an opponent and running into the open goal. He showcased a strong leap at the centre bounces and was a viable outlet between the arcs, albeit still raw with his work at ground level.

Others:

The Panthers were served well by a slew of midfielders, including Cohen Shortridge. He worked hard to rack up 22 disposals, 10 marks and a goal, while Oliver Goss rotated through the middle for a return of 21 touches, 10 marks and two majors.

Jesse Nye was productive on the outside, linking well with fellow left-footer Shortridge to post 16 disposals (15 kicks) and a goal. Elsewhere, Harry Wadewitz supported Sheean behind the ball with six marks and as many rebound 50s from 16 touches.

GLENELG:

#16 Angus Clarke
Defender/Forward | 188cm

Stats: 17 disposals, 9 marks, 1 goal

Glenelg’s lone state squad member in Round 7, Clarke was utilised at either end of the ground and showed why he has earned his first chance in the national pathway. He was composed on the last line of defence, if not a little casual at times, but thrived in slow play where he could utilise his penetrating kicking. Clarke made great decisions and launched the ball over South’s setup, before displaying a strong set of hands and one-on-one craft up forward. He even slotted a set shot goal in the final quarter after beating Sheean inside 50.

Others:

The Bays’ midfield was humming and won the overall clearance battle 32-24, thanks largely to the likes of Kallan Bevan (22 disposals, 10 clearances, one goal) and imposing ruck Reed Francis Nia-Nia (16 disposals, six clearances, 21 hitouts).

Oliver Betterman joined Bevan in ticking up over 20 touches and was productive, while skipper Archer Rouvray (18 disposals, six marks, one goal) proved particularly effective in the forward half along with rotating wingman Tom Corcoran (17 disposals).

Glenelg had two multiple goal kickers in Harry Plews and Brody Embuscado, who snared two apiece among a handful of players to have hit the scoreboard. At the other end of the ground, Jack Wisneske kicked it 15 times in 18 disposals as a key distributor.

—

AROUND THE GROUNDS

Central District opened Round 7 with a thumping 82-point win over West Adelaide, drawing the Bulldogs level with Glenelg atop the ladder. A 14-goal first half catapulted Centrals to the comprehensive victory, which ended up with a lopsided scoreline reading 16.12 (108) to 4.2 (26).

Bulldogs key forward Tallan Rosenzweig tore the game to shred with six goals from 19 disposals and 11 marks. The likes of Tom Cochrane (23 disposals, one goal) and Brodie Brooks (21 and three) both hit the scoreboard from strong disposal hauls, while Brodie Wills led the way with 25 touches.

Ayden Hodgson was Westies’ most prolific player with 31 disposals and 13 marks, though was ably supported by Jonty Koehne (20 disposals, one goal) and Lucas White (19 and one). The Bloods remain winless after seven rounds and will next host ladder leader, Glenelg.

Woodville-West Torrens returned to the winners list with a 31-point road win over Norwood. The Eagles were inaccurate, but kicked away with four goals to one in the final quarter to seal the 9.16 (70) to 5.9 (39) victory, and put three consecutive losses behind them.

Eagles Zac Schwarz and Harry Dodd combined for 63 disposals, with the former posting 10 clearances and 10 inside 50s, while the latter had seven marks and seven inside 50s. Jevan Phillipou (27 disposals, two goals) also stuffed the stats sheet as the victors’ lone multiple goal kicker.

Jeff Rozenbilds stood up in the loss with 25 disposals and five inside 50s, with the likes of Luke Scott (22 disposals, eight rebound 50s) and Darcy Speyer (21 disposals, one goal) also prominent. Ruck James Van Wyk made his presence known too with 17 hitouts and seven clearances.

Sturt pulled off an upset to stay within touching distance of a the top four, defeating North Adelaide by 23 points at Prospect Oval. The Double Blues trailed by two points at half time but piled on five goals to one in the third quarter to set up the 11.7 (73) to 7.8 (50) win.

Despite going down, North laid claim to the top three ball winners afield. Bottom-ager Blake Oudshoorn-Bennier led all comers with 29 disposals and 10 marks, while Liam Grubb (27 disposals) and Tom Tasker (21 disposals, seven inside 50s) also got amongst it.

Tall forward Sam Waltham spearheaded the victors’ attack with three goals and eight marks. Meanwhile, defender Felix Katsaros managed 24 disposals (21 kicks) and nine rebound 50s, while Harley Barker had it 20 times and ruck Alex Dodson took five marks to go with 27 hitouts.