Brisbane hung on by a point over Aspley on Saturday. (Picture: lions.com.au)
South Australia
SANFL – Round 9
Glenelg defied all the odds as it came from 47-points down against Norwood on Sunday to win by one point and remain with an unblemished record in 2021.
Staring down the barrel of their first loss for the season, the Tigers proved yet again that they are the team to beat with the gutsy performance.
In a blistering first half, the Redlegs had all the answers, as captain Matthew Nunn ran rings around his opponents on his way to 17 disposals at half time.
Norwood kicked the first goal of the second half through Mitch Grigg, but from then on it was all the Bays as they piled on eight unanswered goals.
Following Toby Pink’s major in the 12th minute of the last quarter, there were chances aplenty for Norwood to recapture the lead, sitting just three points behind.
But a stoic last ten minutes by the Bays in defence, led by Sam Durdin as he took key marks and smothered a goal opportunity, allowed the ladder leaders to hold on to the lead which proved to be just enough.
Matthew Snook was strong for the Tigers again, finishing with 27 disposals and 11 tackles whilst captain Chris Curran finished with 26 disposals.
Nunn ended the day with 29 disposals and two goals for Norwood.
The result means that Glenelg remain top of the SANFL premiership ladder, two games clear of second-placed South Adelaide following a dominant nine weeks.
Final score: Norwood 9.13 (67) def. by Glenelg 10.8 (68)
Other results:
Central District 7.5 (47) def. by Woodville-West Torrens 11.10 (76)
North Adelaide 13.7 (85) def. Adelaide 6.9 (45)
West Adelaide 11.12 (78) def. by South Adelaide 12.9 (81)
SANFLW – Grand Final
An Ebony Marinoff-inspired Glenelg overcame West Adelaide at Thebarton Oval on Saturday to win by 23 points and become SANFLW premiers for the first time.
You can read The Inner Sanctum’s match report, here.
Patrick Goldsmith
Tasmania
TSL – Round 10
Launceston got back to its winning ways on Saturday, defeating Kingborough by 26 points in a hard-fought contest at a wet and windy Twin Ovals.
After suffering their first loss of the season to North Launceston and having the bye, the Blues returned to their one wood against the Tigers, dominating the contested ball and laying a massive 103 tackles.
It was the ugly and workmanlike win that Launceston needed to have, with coach Mitch Thorp likening the performance to his team’s Grand Final victory from last year, due to how his side’s “competitors” emerged when the rain started to fall.
The Tigers didn’t lose any fans in defeat though, they were still in the contest deep into the final quarter and reinforced their credentials as a finals contender.
Kingborough got the first goal of the game through Tom Wright, but Launceston went on to kick four of the remaining five goals for the term, with Dylan Riley nailing two to open up a handy buffer for his side.
The next two quarters were a tight and low-scoring grind as the conditions worsened.
Launceston was on top in general play, but Kingborough defended doggedly and made the most of its opportunities going forward.
While the Blues dominated at the start of the last, the Tigers only needed one inside 50 entry for Wright to kick his third and bring the margin back to nine points.
But Launceston quickly got the ball to its end of the ground, where first-gamer Liam Jones took an inspirational mark going back with the flight and kicked his first league goal.
The brave act proved to be a rallying point for the Blues who started to kick away, with Riley adding two more to his account to seal the win.
Riley was at his dangerous best with five goals, with the Launceston spearhead hinting post-match that he and Thorp have set a target of 100 goals this year (Riley’s currently on 38, nearing the halfway point of the season).
Veteran Jay Blackberry and skipper Jake Hinds led from the front in the middle, controlling the contested possession and tackle count.
Alec Wright was a controlling force off centre-half back with his 20 disposals and five marks (three contested).
Brady Rees was arguably Kingborough’s best with the way he held up and defended down back, while Lachie Clifford and Eddie Cole led the charge through the middle.
Tom Wright made the most of his chances up forward with a team-high three goals.
Final score: Launceston 11.13 (79) def. Kingborough 8.5 (53)
Other results:
North Launceston 11.13 (79) def. Clarence 6.9 (45)
Glenorchy 10.6 (66) def. Lauderdale 6.11 (47)
Bye: North Hobart
Hamish Spence
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Victoria
VFL
With the Victorian teams unable to take the field once in both the VFL and VFLW competitions due to Melbourne’s lockdown, two games still went ahead interstate.
Sydney and Southport did battle at Tramway Oval on Saturday morning in what was a see-sawing contest from start to finish.
After a slow start, with both sides only scoring a goal apiece in the first term, the match started to heat up as the Swans took just a one point lead into half time.
SANFL veteran forward Tom Fields had a strong start in front of the sticks, kicking two first half goals and finishing the match with 17 disposals, eight marks and six tackles.
AFL-listed Swans Dylan Stephens and Lewis Taylor started the second half off right for the Swans, kicking a goal apiece to drive their side to a 16-point lead at the three quarter time break.
When the game was on the line, it was former Sun Jacob Dawson who once again stood up for Southport and wrestled the game back himself.
Dawson would finish with a monstrous 41 disposals and 17 clearances, while also kicking two second half goals to inspire the Sharks to a come from behind 15-point victory.
Playing in the midfield and on the wing, out of favour Swan Nick Blakey put his hand up for senior selection, ending the day with 28 disposals and five inside 50s.
The win propels Southport to the top of the VFL ladder, and though this week’s fixturing is still not set in stone, it’ll take a lot to knock them off top spot.
Final score: Sydney 10.13 (73) def. by Southport 12.16 (88)
The other game of the weekend saw Brisbane mount a final quarter comeback of their own, holding on to win by a point over fellow Queenslanders Aspley.
Matt Hammelmann added another five goals onto his season tally, quickly firming as the best tall forward in the VFL competition.
The game finished dramatically after a touched off the boot call by the umpire left the Hornets missing the final goal of the match by just milliseconds.
Final score: Aspley 14.13 (97) def. by Brisbane 14.14 (98)
Western Australia
WAFL – Round 9
Claremont superstar Jye Bolton made one hell of a statement for the Tigers after being overlooked in the AFL mid-season draft. The midfield dynamo collected a staggering 49 disposals and kicked a goal as his side triumphed by 27 points over West Coast in round nine.
The Eagles have been a side decimated by injuries to the AFL-listed players.
Enter Connor West.
The smooth-moving midfielder was West Coast’s first selection at the mid-season draft last Wednesday, and was a class above in his debut for his new side after coming across from West Perth. The flying mullet had 29 disposals, seven tackles and kicked a goal.
Their other selection, Will Collins, struggled in his debut game with eight disposals. The defender will take time to develop in the Eagles system but has time on his side to do so.
For the Tigers, their midfield proved far too strong from the outset. Holding a nine point lead at the first change, their lead increased by the quarter thanks to the dominant work in the middle and spread of the load up forward.
Bailey Rogers and Lachlan Martinis were standouts for the hosts with 37 and 30 touches respectively, while five players including youngster Callan England kicked two goals for the hosts.
It was a good showing from West Coast, who is yet to win a game in 2021 from its eight attempts.
Meanwhile, it was derby day in the WAFL, with nearly 6000 people turning out to watch East Fremantle lose out to South Fremantle. Star Bulldog Haiden Schloithe was on the receiving end of a hard tag, but it proved beneficial for his side who got a hard earned victory in a game played at finals-like intensity.
Round 10 will be the first bye round for the WAFL with only two games scheduled to be played.
Final score: Claremont 14.9 (93) def. West Coast 9.12 (66)
Other results:
Perth 1.5 (11) def by Subiaco 16.13 (109)
Peel Thunder 7.17 (59) def by Swan Districts 10.7 (67)
East Perth 11.10 (76) def by West Perth 19.5 (119)
East Fremantle 8.10 (59) def by South Fremantle 11.8 (74)
Jasper Chellappah
WAFLW – Round 14
The saying goes that 13 is an unlucky number for a reason, and on the weekend, it was true for Swan Districts.
After 13 straight wins, the flag favourites had their first loss of the season after reigning premiers Peel Thunder defeated them by 21-points at David Grays Arena.
There were worrying signs early on for the Swans, as they struggled to contain the Thunder’s repeat inside 50s, three of which led to unanswered goals from Kaitlyn Hayes, Ella Roberts, and Kira Phillips. But the Swans’ ceaseless pressure was rewarded with a goal from Sarah Wielstra on the quarter time siren.
The first quarter scoreboard pressure lingered, as Swan Districts missed opportunities later on in the game. Kloe Taylor kicked their final goal of the day in the second term, and the behinds began to pile on.
Despite inaccuracy, Swan Districts chipped away at the lead, getting within two points before Kate Bartlett kicked her first. At half time, Peel were on 4.0 (24), while the visitors scoreline read 2.5 (17).
From there, Peel’s defence, including Cassie Davidson and Tanisha Anderson, was strong, and held Swan Districts to a single point after half time. Aisha Wright and Bartlett kicked a further two goals to conformably secure the win.
Dockers’ superstar Sabreena Duffy was monumental in Peel’s victory, while Mikayla Hyde and Stephanie Cain did all they could to keep Swan Districts in the game.
Also delivering noteworthy performances were Abbey Gelmi from Swan Districts and Ebony Bilcich from Peel.
With one round until finals, the top four is beginning to find its shape.
The race for third place has ramped up as Subiaco secured a one-point win over Claremont putting them both in the running with 28 points each, while East Fremantle’s finals hopes are over despite their 70-point victory over the winless South Fremantle in the League’s inaugural Pride Cup.
Next week, Subiaco plays East Fremantle at Leederville Oval, and Claremont will be challenged against reigning premiers Peel Thunder at home. South Fremantle close out the round against Swan Districts.
Final score: Peel Thunder 6.3 (39) def. Swan Districts 2.6 (18)
Other results:
East Fremantle 13.7 (85) def. South Fremantle 2.3 (15)
Claremont 4.3 (27) def by. Subiaco 4.4 (28)
Rebecca Ruthven
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