NOT SCORING after quarter time? Not a problem for South Adelaide as the Panthers showed why they are so highly regarded defensively by holding on by four points against the previously unbeaten Woodville-West Torrens Eagles at a wind-affected Maughan Thiem Kia Oval on Saturday.

In a top of the table clash, the crowd was left stunned by quarter time as the ladder-leading Eagles – who had not conceded more than two goals in a quarter all season – found themselves 5.3 (33) to 0.0 (0) down at quarter time to a red-hot South Adelaide side that threw down the gauntlet for the match.

Five individual goalkickers added their names to the scorecard with Lucy Northcott winning a free and opening her side’s account just two and a half minutes in, before top-age talent Lily Baxter threw down the gauntlet for a Goal of the Year contender from the pocket. Majors to Shae Archbold, Emily Brockhurst and Laquoiya Cockatoo-Motlap followed.

While Eagles coach Narelle Smith had said pre-game she had expected a more difficult time scoring given the Panthers’ knack for locking down teams, it is unlikely anyone could have seen the first quarter coming. Perhaps not even the Panthers.

But by the first break, the visitors had raced out to an incredible 33-point lead with an inside 50 differential of 14-1, albeit with a strong breeze behind them. It was now up to South to try and quell the competition’s best offence from having the same breeze in the second term.

It took until the six and a half minute mark of the second quarter, but Christina Leuzzi finally put one through the big sticks for the top of the table side, coming a minute after the Eagles added their first score – a rushed behind via Lauren Clifton from a Klaudia O’Neill – and now they were preparing to return serve.

Flying misses from Imogen Trengove and Julia Faulkner kept the pressure up, and then in a similar vein to Northcott’s free around half an hour earlier, McKenzie Dowrick earned one from the top of the goalsquare for holding and cut the half-time margin back to 19 points. There was still much to be done, especially with South now having the breeze, but the third would be about containment.

Incredibly, Woodville-West Torrens had more of the play in the third, and had the Eagles had the breeze, the damage undoubtedly would have been greater, but instead, the breeze saw O’Neill’s shot from 35m fall short – she can normally clear 50m – and another attempt from Olivia Evans from a similar range blow across the face and remain in play.

But the key hope for the Eagles was the Panthers not getting many looks, and that they did not, with the first meaningful inside 50 coming in the 14th minute of the term, but like their opponents down the other end, the visitors struggled to get a clean boot to ball under the immense pressure. A rare chance came via Layla Vizgaudis who snuck into space inside 50, turning and going but the breeze gain pushed it wide and out of the full.

At three quarter time, the scores were as they were at half-time, and now the uncertainty undoubtedly would have crept in to the South group given the scoreless drought had stretched to a close to 40 minutes by that stage. Little did the Panthers know, they had already done enough, though credit must go to the defence who were incredible throughout the last quarter.

Samantha Pratt lead the way with several intercept marks, as she, Esther Schirmer and Jaslynne Smith were steadfast under heavy heat. So much so, they barely got a reprieve as the Panthers forwards – aside from a chance in the opening few seconds from Cockatoo-Motlap – barely got a look at it.

Rosette Zerella and Evans had booted goals in the first 10 minutes of the quarter, so with half a term to play, the margin was under a kick. It is doubtful any other side could have withstood the constant barrage of inside 50s from the Eagles, but Rick Watts’ side refused to yield. When they won it, the Panthers preserved energy, slowed the tempo and killed time off the clock even if just for a few extra seconds, knowing every second counted.

With two minutes on the clock, South opted to rush a behind to make it four points, and then in an expertly executed red time, managed to largely maintain possession. It was clear scoring was not really an option so plenty ducked back to help out, though Pratt in particular was able to relieve the pressure valve time and time again. It looked to wear the Eagles hopes down as incredibly in the last minute, the Panthers found a number of uncontested marks to chew time off the clock.

Bombing the ball to the forward side of the wing, the siren sounded at the 19 and a half minute mark, and in the most incredible scenes, South Adelaide had held on despite not scoring since quarter time. The Panthers had the first eight scoring shots, the Eagles had the last nine and the final scores read 5.3 (33) to 4.5 (29). All 17 scoring shots had been made up the one end.

Pratt (10 disposals, five marks – one contested – and two rebound 50s) and Smith (12 disposals, two marks, two tackles and four rebound 50s) were huge in the win, with Taya Maxwell (17 disposals, three marks – one contested – four tackles, 13 hitouts, five clearances and four inside 50s) leading the usual young brigade of Vizgaudis and Emma Charlton, while Soriah Moon very marginally got the points over Leah Cutting in a battle of the SANFLW’s two best rucks.

For the Eagles, it was no surprise that Leuzzi lead from the front with 22 touches, nine tackles, eight clearances, five inside 50s and a goal, while young guns Lucy Moore (24 disposals, eight tackles, six clearances and four inside 50s) and Maia Freemantle (21 disposals, six tackles, three clearances and three inside 50s had big numbers alongside Marlie Fiegert (17 disposals, nine tackles, five clearances and three inside 50s. Skipper Annie Falkenberg stood up in big moments, while Zahlia Niemann did a great job in defence.

Woodville-West Torrens now faces North Adelaide at Prospect Oval in a massive Round 10 clash against the Eagles’ other main challenger, while South Adelaide searches for its eighth consecutive win against last placed Glenelg back at Noarlunga.

WWT EAGLES 0.0 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 4.5 (29)
SOUTH ADELAIDE 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 (33)

GOALS:
WWT Eagles: M. Dowrick, O. Evans, C. Leuzzi, R. Zerella
South Adelaide: S. Archbold, E. Brockhurst, L. Cockatoo-Motlap, L. Northcott

RMC BEST:
WWT Eagles: C. Leuzzi, L. Moore, M. Fiegert, A. Falkenberg, Z. Niemann
South Adelaide: S. Pratt, J. Smith, T. Maxwell, S. Moon, L. Vizgaudis