INACCURATE goalkicking has cost South Adelaide an upset victory over SANFL Under 18 ladder leader Sturt on Saturday, as the Panthers went down by six points at Magain Stadium.

The hosts owned possession in the first half and dominated the midfield battle with 33 clearances to 19, but were unable to translate it onto the scoreboard in the 7.14 (56) to 9.8 (62) defeat.

The result sees Sturt lock up the minor premiership with two home-and-away rounds left to play, while South Adelaide remains stranded in seventh place, three wins adrift from the top four.

Eight members of the South Australian Under 18 squad took the field, including club-tied talent for this year and prolific midfielders for 2026. They feature in the latest Scouting Notes instalment.

SOUTH ADELAIDE:

#1 Jesse Nye
Midfielder | 176cm | 23/03/2007

Stats: 29 disposals, 7 marks, 8 tackles, 7 clearances

It was a typically industrious outing from Nye, who was among the game’s liveliest midfielders. He was super slick at ground level and looked to drive his legs on the way forward, completing his surging plays with punchy left-foot kicks. The diminutive South skipper tracked well both ways, but was dangerous in the attacking phase as he found space out the back to help connect inside 50. Nye set the standard for his side in that regard and wasn’t afraid to get stuck in at the coalface.

#3 Kodah Edwards
Midfielder/Forward | 183cm | 25/07/2008

Stats: 22 disposals, 6 marks, 10 tackles, 3 goals

Edwards compounded his impact at the contest by hitting the scoreboard, ending with 10 tackles and three goals. He was super clean both below his knees and overhead, collecting the ball one-touch before looking to barrel forward. While prone to dumping his clearing kicks, Edwards straightened up nicely in front of goal on a day where his side struggled to convert. A great competitor, the bottom-ager’s tackling pressure was a feature both at stoppages and when rotating forward. Edwards’ third major came with the last kick of the day, capping his performance nicely.

#7 Archie Van dyk
Midfielder | 188cm | 28/07/2008

Stats: 32 disposals, 7 marks, 6 tackles, 6 inside 50s

It’s never a surprise to see Van dyk top South Adelaide’s disposal charts, and he did so with his third 30-plus disposal outing for the season. The bottom-ager racked up touches on the outside, providing a useful link in the chain to help his side transition the ball. He also applied great pressure and took a terrific contested mark at the top of forward 50 to showcased different sides to his game. Van dyk favoured kicking the ball and used both feet to do so, although can continue to sharpen up his ball use on the run. Otherwise, he knows where to find the footy and how to win it.

#16 Elliott Duffield
Key Forward | 193cm | 20/06/2007

Stats: 8 disposals, 3 tackles, 2 behinds

Having established himself as a key defender in the state setup, Duffield switched out for a permanent role up forward. He was faced with a tough matchup against fellow South Australian representative Blake Thredgold, who made him work for his promising moments. Duffield was desperate to win the ball in the early stages and went on to present nicely up the ground, although found it difficult to stick his marks. He ended up with two minor scores; one from a set shot on the boundary, and the other a soccer attempt where he perhaps had more time than he thought.

Others:

Aside from Edwards, Kody Shortridge was the only other Panther to kick multiple goals. He finished with 2.2 from 13 disposals (all kicks), operating off the wing and up forward. Bottom-aged state squad member Angus White was also impactful with his nine touches, booting a goal to go with his five inside 50s and three clearances. The likes of Brady McDonald (21 disposals) and Harrison Davey (16) provided rebound from defence, while Thomas Simpson found possessions around the ground and ruck Harry Wadewitz impressed with 17 hitouts and six clearances.

STURT:

#30 Louis Kellaway
Midfielder/Forward | 180cm | 16/03/2007

Stats: 27 disposals, 9 marks, 5 inside 50s, 2 goals

Sturt was soundly beaten in midfield as Kellaway went to work without usual partner-in-crime Noah Roberts-Thomson. He also spent plenty of time up forward, providing a link option between the arcs to feed teammates and give flow to Sturt’s ball movement. He wasn’t as precise as usual with his ball use on the run or under pressure, but got his side moving to the outside in short bursts of possession. Kellaway assisted two goals directly and kicked a pair of his own, including one in the final quarter which came with his big lift to help drag Sturt over the line.

#36 Jett Dahlitz
Defender | 187cm | 11/08/2007

Stats: 35 disposals (30 kicks), 10 marks, 11 rebound 50s

Dahlitz led all comers in his usual role as Sturt’s main defensive distributor. The dashing top-ager started out with a costly turnover from the kick-in, but got his game going with repeat running efforts and spurts of speed on the rebound. Dahlitz ventured high up the ground and competed well to force intercepts, including many among his 10 total marks. While hit-or-miss at times, his flat kicking was a weapon when dictating play and he showed good game awareness late in the piece to milk the clock and kick long to a contest.

#45 Blake Thredgold
Key Defender | 194cm | 27/08/2007

Stats: 13 disposals, 4 marks, 3 rebound 50s

Reliable as ever in the backline, Thredgold matched up on Duffield and gave him nothing throughout the day. He defended tightly on the lead and made good early reads to intercept in the air. Thredgold’s brave aerial feats were complimented by percentage plays to snuff out danger with minimal fuss, and he generally used the ball efficiently on the way out. Whether on the last line or high up the ground, he provided support for teammates by knowing exactly where to be and what to do. He often drifts forward or into the ruck in close games, but was required down back.

Others:

Jackson Moody was second string to Kellaway in Sturt’s midfield, picking up 24 disposals and six marks. The likes of Ryan Davies, Griffin James, and Jaxen Perry kicked goals at vital stages, finishing with two each to put the necessary scoreboard pressure on South Adelaide. At the other end of the ground, Kalen Russell looked calm and composed with his 13 touches before limping off the ground late on. Wingman Eli Anders also showed some dash with his 12 disposals.

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AROUND THE GROUNDS

Apart from the South-Sturt fixture, there were blowouts galore in Round 16. West Adelaide jumped into second spot after trouncing Norwood to the tune of 126 points, while Central District restricted North Adelaide to a single goal in its 95-point triumph. Woodville-West Torrens also won big, putting pressure on the fourth-placed Glenelg in a 58-point thumping.

Eagles forward Jack Mumford put in a massive shift, kicking 3.4 from 22 disposals and 14 marks. His exploits came despite two Glenelg ball winners comfortably leading the disposal charts, with Harvey Croker (38) and Isaiah Clothier (32) filling their boots in the loss.

Over at Hisense Stadium on Saturday, Nicholas Dessmann did the damage with six goals for West Adelaide. Jock Millar also chimed in with four majors, while Mitchell Marsh got on the board with 2.2 from 18 touches. Norwood’s Luke Scott led all comers with 31 disposals and nine marks.

A pair of contested marking machines also put up big numbers for Central District. Jack Ryan booted 4.3 from his 10 marks (six contested), while mainline ruck/forward Aidan Schubert managed 3.2 to go with his nine marks, 17 hitouts and seven clearances. Bottom-ager Jack Gordon led the disposal count with 28, while North ruck Ethan Herbert (29 hitouts, seven clearances) stood tall.

ROUND 16 RESULTS

Glenelg 6.9 (45) def. by Woodville-West Torrens 15.13 (103)
West Adelaide 22.8 (140) def. Norwood 2.2 (14)
North Adelaide 1.4 (10) def. by Central District 15.15 (105)
South Adelaide 7.14 (56) def. by Sturt 9.8 (62)

SANFL U18 LADDER

1. Sturt | 12-3-1 | 25 points | 56.9%
2. West Adelaide | 9-6-1 | 19 points | 52.5%
3. Woodville-West Torrens | 9-7 | 18 points | 52.5%
4. Glenelg | 9-7 | 18 points | 48.7%
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5. Central District | 8-8 | 16 points | 56.6%
6. North Adelaide | 6-10 | 12 points | 44.0%
7. South Adelaide | 5-11 | 10 points | 50.5%
8. Norwood | 5-11 | 10 points | 39.0%