League Match Report

South Adelaide vs North Adelaide
Elimination Final - Adelaide Oval - 02/09/18

Goals: Overall, Haren, Cross 2, Brooksby, Fields, Kreuger, Rankine
Best: Cross, Brooksby, Liddle, Crabb, Summerton
Injuries:

South Adelaide's season has come to an end after being overrun by a plucky Roosters outfit on Sunday afternoon.

The two sides played out a pulsating Elimination Final battle at Adelaide Oval, but it was the boys from Prospect who came out on top after a run of goals in the fourth quarter undid the Panthers by 20 points.

Both teams enjoyed time in the lead, but South eventually succumbed to a 10.10 (70) to 14.6 (90) defeat.

South started the better side, kicking the first goal through a crafty snap around the body by Ben Haren that dribbled through a vacant goal square from 40m out.

High-flying forwards Nathan Kreuger and Lewis Hender traded goals, before Matt Rankine gave the Panthers a two-goal buffer at the first change.

However, the second quarter was played entirely on the Roosters terms.

North kicked six unanswered goals, four to former Power listed big man Mitch Harvey, before Panthers co-captain Keegan Brooksby could finally peg one back right on the siren for halftime.

All of a sudden the lead was three goals to North's favour and it looked a different game.

Panthers mentor Jarrad Wright and his coaching panel made some structural changes over the major break and his side looked a different team in the third.

Tom Fields connected from distance within a minute of the restart and the Panthers sparked into life.

Brooksby started to click with his fellow skipper Joel Cross and Nick Liddle at the restarts and repeat clearances converted into repeat scores.

Cross weaved his way through traffic to bang home his first, before Sam Overall regained the lead shortly after.

A deft touch from Liddle set up Ben Haren shortly after and in the blink of an eye South had a two-kick advantage and looked right back in the contest.

Roosters captain Max Thring did pull the sides level midway through the term, but the Panthers still had the run of the play.

Four consecutive behinds followed by Cross' second after the siren gave South a nine-point buffer heading into the final stanza.

Sadly for South, this lead would be short lived, as North piled on six goals to one in the last quarter to knock the Panthers out of the premiership race.

It was a disappointing end to an exciting first season under new head coach Wright that saw a return to the finals and several up-and-coming League players unleashed throughout the season.

Best on the day was the fearless Cross, who gathered 29 touches in his trademark relentless fashion to go with two goals.

Not far behind was the work in the centre square of Brooksby (16 touches, 37 hit-outs and a goal) and Liddle (22 possessions and six tackles).

Backmen Brad Crabb and Jake Summerton also fought admirably against North's tall forwards in a backline that was at times under immense pressure.