SOUTH Adelaide powered home with six unanswered final quarter goals to defeat Norwood by 51 points on Sunday. In what was a bottom-of-the-table Under 18s clash, the Panthers kicked ahead during the second quarter and led by 13 points at three-quarter-time before embellishing the scoreboard.

A trio of bottom-aged Panthers did the damage, including five-goal hero Kodah Edwards. Both sides will end their campaigns during the upcoming weekend with finals out of reach, though the top four picture is yet to take its final form. More on that in the Around the Grounds segment.

SOUTH ADELAIDE 3.1 | 8.4 | 10.6 | 16.8 (104)
NORWOOD 5.2 | 5.2 | 8.5 | 8.5 (53)

GOALS:
South Adelaide: K. Edwards 5, A. White 3, H. Wadewitz 2, T. Connelly, C. Hart, K. Shortridge, T. Simpson, A. Van dyk, C. Woods
Norwood: L. Harding 3, O. Corones, J. Georgalis, E. Graham, R. Pugsley, R. Varcoe

BEST:
South Adelaide: K. Edwards, A. White, E. Duffield, N. Mulkerin, C. Woods
Norwood: D. Speyer, J. van Wyk, T. Felice, L. Johnston, L. Harding

SOUTH ADELAIDE:

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

Stats: 19 disposals, 7 marks, 5 goals

Edwards put on a scoring clinic, booting five goals to spearhead South’s win. His consecutive majors in the second quarter helped the Panthers set up a handy buffer heading into half time, and they never looked back. Edwards was typically clean at the coalface, either getting boot to ball or dishing off quickly to teammates. He did the most damage inside 50 though, reading the ball early in one-on-one situations to mark overhead and convert his chances nicely. The bottom-ager benefitted from long and direct entries, playing taller than his 183cm standing would suggest. One of his best moments was a one-handed grab at full stretch in term four, before sinking his fifth goal.

#5 Angus White
Forward/Midfielder | 185cm | 06/06/2008

Stats: 16 disposals, 6 clearances, 3 goals

Part of a high-quality Panthers midfield group, White exhibited plenty of power throughout the day. His ability to collect the ball and spin out of trouble caught the eye on several occasions, along with his kick penetration when clearing the contest. White led his side for clearances and compounded that impact with three goals – all in the first half. The bottom-ager’s best finish came after he cut off a Norwood kick inside 50, using his momentum to stride into goal and slot the ball home.

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

Stats: 21 disposals, 7 tackles, 1 goal

The third member of South Adelaide’s terrific bottom-age trio, Van dyk topped his side’s disposal count. He built into the game nicely, able to crash and bash on the inside and release teammates by hand. Van dyk also had a couple of quality moments by foot, turning onto his left side and hitting targets inboard. His clean hands and overhead marking were other standout traits throughout the day, along with strong tackle efforts. Van dyk capped off his game with the final goal, converting a left-foot snap after taking a sliding mark in the pocket.

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

Stats: 19 disposals, 8 marks, 4 tackles

At all of 193cm, Duffield was unleashed into South Adelaide’s midfield rotation on Sunday. The state Under 18 defender showcased terrific foot skills for a player his size, picking out targets going forward and when wheeling out of the contest. He also spent time forward where he provided a marking option down the line and was willing to stand under high balls. Duffield couldn’t quite hit the scoreboard with a couple of opportunities, but assisted others by foot and caught the eye with an around-the-back gather on the run in term four.

Others:

Big man Harry Wadewitz was again prominent for the Panthers, dobbing two goals and taking a couple of strong marks among his 10 disposals. Jake Wigzell notched up 18 disposals (17 kicks), eight marks and seven inside 50s operating off half-back and the wing, while Cameron Woods was named among South’s best players for his 13 disposals, five marks, and one goal.

NORWOOD:

#14 Darcy Speyer
Midfielder

Stats: 28 disposals, 9 marks, 7 clearances

The Norwood skipper led all comers in a typically industrious outing which was full of running. He found space in slow play to build into the game, but also ran hard in transition to help give the Redlegs a bit of drive on the outside. Speyer was strong over the contested ball and was effectively able to dish out to teammates, proving relatively composed when exiting the contest. He wasn’t afraid to take ground and assessed his options when doing so before delivering on either foot.

#35 James van Wyk
Ruck/Key Forward

Stats: 21 disposals, 29 hitouts, 8 clearances

An imposing figure in the Under 18 grade, van Wyk was the most dominant key position player afield. He utilised his size to comfortably win the hitout count and stayed active to prise a game-high eight clearances. van Wyk also impacted around the ground, providing a strong marking option down the line and crashing packs when necessary. He showcased a great ability to fend opponents off and even attempted a couple of baulks, but mostly played the percentages to feed Norwood’s running outlets by hand.

Others:

Levi Johnston was arguably Norwood’s most stylish midfielder, with the left-footer notching 17 disposals in classy fashion. Ashton Hartwig (22 disposals) offered plenty of drive out of the contest, while Tom Felice (22 disposals, six marks) also tracked well up and down off the wing. Up forward, Lachlan Harding presented nicely to boot three goals, while at the other end of the ground, Luke Scott (23 disposals, seven rebound 50s) advanced the ball aggressively.

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AROUND THE GROUNDS

2024 Grand Finalist Central District kept its season alive with a 47-point win over West Adelaide. The result saw Centrals sneak into fourth spot with only one home-and-away round remaining, doubling the Bloods’ score to salute 14.10 (94) to 7.5 (47) at X Convenience Oval.

The Bulldogs’ state Under 18 stars shone, with captain Matthew LeRay (33 disposals, 11 marks) leading all comers ahead of Cameron Nairn (30 disposals, 12 marks), while Aidan Schubert (20 disposals, 14 marks, four goals) had a day out in front of the big sticks.

West Adelaide has now slid to third, with Woodville-West Torrens making the jump into second. The Eagles snuck past Glenelg by four points, with inaccuracy costing the Bays dearly. The reigning premiers survived two late Gabriel Patterson scores to win 9.7 (61) to 7.15 (57) on the road.

Patterson ended up with four minor scores, while Harvey Croker (36 disposals) and Tim Alver (32 disposals, seven clearances, 11 inside 50s) filled their boots. Jack Mumford kicked three goals for the Eagles, while Brock Jamieson led the way with 24 touches, six tackles and a goal.

Meanwhile, Sturt made it three wins on the trot after accounting for North Adelaide by 73 points at Thomas Farms Oval. The Double Blues led from the first goal, flexing their muscles to post eight to one in the opening half en route to a comfortable 14.15 (99) to 3.8 (26) victory.

Sturt had a spread of 11 individual goalkickers, including leading ball winners Jett Dahlitz (29 disposals, eight marks) and Noah Roberts-Thomson (26 and nine). Harrison Baker very nearly had a day out with 1.4 from 23 touches, with the minor premiers boasting many top contributors.

ROUND 17 RESULTS

Sturt 14.15 (99) def. North Adelaide 3.8 (26)
Central District 14.10 (94) def. West Adelaide 7.5 (47)
Glenelg 7.15 (57) def. by Woodville-West Torrens 9.7 (61)
South Adelaide 16.8 (104) def. Norwood 8.5 (53)

SANFL U18s LADDER

1. Sturt | 13-3-1 | 27 points | 58.1%
2. Woodville-West Torrens | 10-7 | 20 points | 52.4%
3. West Adelaide | 9-7-1 | 19 points | 51.3%
4. Central District | 9-8 | 18 points | 57.2%
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5. Glenelg | 9-8 | 18 points | 48.7%
6. South Adelaide | 6-11 | 12 points | 51.5%
7. North Adelaide | 6-11 | 12 points | 42.8%
8. Norwood | 5-12 | 10 points | 38.7%