THE SANFL Under 18s home-and-away season hit the halfway mark with a midweek round, as the state squad prepares for its National Championships opener on Sunday. A quartet of lopsided results were dished up in Round 9, with the lowest margin being 47 points.

>> Scouting Notes: South Australia U18 vs. U20

Groups are beginning to appear on the eight-team ladder. Glenelg and Central District both picked up wins to remain clear atop the table with 8-1 records. Sturt has jumped into third, sitting level at 6-3 with North Adelaide, while Woodville-West Torrens (4-5) heads the chasing pack.

>> SCROLL for the Round 9 results & ladder

The only real upset of the round saw West Adelaide topple the Roosters by 49 points for its first win of the season. A five-goal third quarter was crucial to the Bloods’ breakthrough victory in what was a standalone game at Hisense Stadium on Tuesday night.

Blake Oudshoorn-Bennier led all comers in a losing effort with 29 disposals, while big man PJ Carlin booted three goals. The latter’s haul was matched by a trio of Bloods in Mitchell Marsh, Noah Baker, and Jordan Brown, as Samuel Burbridge (26 disposals, 12 tackles) continued his strong form.

Central District maintained its winning form, defeating Norwood by 56 points on the road. The Bulldogs piled on eight goals to one in an impressive first half and never looked back to post their eighth victory in a row, only denied top spot by Glenelg’s superior percentage.

With usual spearheads Tallan Rosenzweig and Charlie Nicholls on representative duties, Enrique Mazzeo dined out with five goals in the win. While Dougie Cochrane could only manage five behinds from 25 touches, Tom Cochrane brought his kicking boots to snare four majors.

The Bulldogs were also served well by state squad members Ryan Lane-Ellis (23 disposals, nine marks) and Joshua Reichelt (13 disposals, one goal), while Jake Hill was a standout for Norwood – topping the disposal charts with 27 touches and five clearances.

Over at Stratarama Stadium, Glenelg maintained its hold on top spot with a resounding 85-point win over Woodville-West Torrens. The Bays established leads at the first two breaks but kicked away with the result on the back on 12 second half goals to the Eagles’ three, including seven to one in term four.

Patrick Hutchins (six goals) and Ned McCarthy (four) combined for exactly half of the victors’ score, while bottom-ager Jevan Phillipou snared two majors from 25 disposals to be the Eagles’ sole multiple goalkicker and leading ball winner.

Tigers quartet Archer Rouvray (27 disposals, 10 marks, one goal), Charlie McAuliffe (25 disposals, seven tackles, one goal), Tim Alver (24 disposals, six clearances, one goal), and Kallan Bevan (24 disposals, seven clearances) filled their boots in the dominant win.

Sturt registered its third win on the trot after downing South Adelaide by 47 points at Karen Rolton Oval. The Double Blues trailed at the first break but clicked into gear with 12 goals to three across the remaining quarters to double the Panthers’ score and jump into third.

Key forward Sam Waltham bagged his second five-goal haul in as many rounds to spearhead Sturt’s victory, as Sam White snared three majors. Kobee Dabinett (32 disposals, 13 clearances) and Jackson Moody (26 and 11) were prolific, while Cohen Shortridge (24 disposals, two goals) stood up in the losing side.

There will be no SANFL Under 18s football this weekend as the state squad kicks off the National Championships at Thebarton Oval on Sunday. The competition returns for Round 10 on June 1, with four games scheduled for what should be a super Saturday of action.

ROUND 9 RESULTS

West Adelaide 14.9 (93) def. North Adelaide 6.8 (44)
Norwood 4.5 (25) def. by Central District 12.13 (85)
South Adelaide 7.5 (47) def. by Sturt 14.10 (94)
Glenelg 18.16 (124) def. Woodville-West Torrens 6.3 (39)

STATE SQUAD MEMBERS

Central District:
Ryan Lane-Ellis – 23 disposals, 9 marks, 4 tackles, 6 inside 50s, 4 rebound 50s
Joshua Reichelt – 13 disposals, 4 tackles, 3 inside 50s, 1 goal

Glenelg:
Luke Candy – 11 disposals, 2 marks, 2 inside 50s, 1 goal

North Adelaide:
Blake Oudshoorn-Bennier – 29 disposals, 6 marks, 5 clearances, 6 inside 50s
Taj Murray (Allies) – 10 disposals (all handballs), 31 hitouts, 2 clearances

Sturt:
Ned Atkinson – 13 disposals, 4 marks, 7 tackles, 1 goal

Woodville-West Torrens:
Rome Burgoyne – 9 disposals, 3 marks, 3 tackles,
Logan Hughes – 9 disposals, 2 marks, 3 inside 50s, 2 behinds
Jevan Phillipou – 25 disposals, 6 marks, 4 tackles, 5 clearances, 2 goals

>> FULL SQUAD: 2024 South Australia Under 18s

SANFL U18s LADDER

1. Glenelg (8-1, 64.2%)
2. Central District (8-1, 62.7%)
3. Sturt (6-3, 52.0%)
4. North Adelaide (6-3, 49.1%)
—
5. Woodville-West Torrens (4-5, 49.3%)
6. South Adelaide (2-7, 46.5%)
7. Norwood (1-8, 41.0%)
8. West Adelaide (1-8, 35.5%)