League Match Report

South Adelaide vs Glenelg
Round 1 - Hickinbotham Oval - 30/03/18

Goals: Heaslip 3, Moyle, Davis, Brooksby 2, Whittlesea, Rose, Overall, Cross, Noble
Best: Cross, Davis, Heaslip, Summerton, Liddle, Overall
Injuries: nil

It was a very Good Friday for South Adelaide as they put away Glenelg in their traditional Easter clash to kick off season 2018.

The Panthers shook off a halftime deficit and set up a 14.8 (92) to 7.12 (54) victory thanks to six unanswered goals to start the third term.

It was a fantastic start to Jarrad Wright's time at the helm in Noarlunga, with his side showcasing their skills in front of around 3,000 cheering fans enjoying the perfect conditions at Hickinbotham Oval.

The Tigers started the more potent of the two sides, with small forwards Josh Koster and Terry Milera giving South headaches in the early goings.

New Glenelg mentor Mark Stone, a former assistant coach at Fremantle, had his Tigers playing a similar dour defensive style to Ross Lyon's Dockers and the pressure around the ground suffocated any cohesive movement from South during the early goings.

By the major break Glenelg held a three-point lead, but their were positive signs for South as they kicked the last two goals of the term through Ben Heaslip and Matt Rose and the Bays never truly looking likely to get the scoreboard ticking over.

The Panthers came out firing after the break, rapidly kicking six unanswered goals and shooting out to a 33-point advantage.

Co-captains Keegan Brooksby and Joel Cross were fantastic during the Panthers goal splurge.

Former Gold Coast Sun Brooksby dominated the stoppages, on his way to 38 hit outs for the game, and contributed two goals for the term, including a spectacular, if not fortunate, left-footed snap from in front of the REDARC Electronics Scoreboard.

Missed Brookers' brilliant goals? Re-watch it all on the South Adelaide Digital Pass!

Meanwhile, Cross shook off his fair share of targeted attention throughout the afternoon to collect a game-high 27 disposals and a goal.

The fourth quarter followed a similar script, with fellow standouts Abe Davis and Ben Heaslip helping push the final margin to 38.

The Panthers greatest weapon were their efficiency and care with the ball. The home side generated 16 more inside 50s despite only getting the Burley in their hands 17 more times for the afternoon.

Former Sydney Swans rookie Davis' versatility was on display throughout the afternoon, often cutting off Glenelg's attempts to rebound out of the defence and also contributing two goals himself.

Meanwhile, young gun Heaslip helped himself to three goals playing across half forward, including a classy gather and snap in the final term.

Four-time Knuckey Cup winner Nick Liddle (23 touches and eight tackles) played with his usual toughness, while Sam Overall's marking and pressure was excellent up forward.

Heading into Round 1 the Panthers named a new look side, with nearly a third of the team having played less than 10 SANFL Macca's League games or being new to the club.

Pleasingly, all of South's new faces contributed on the day.

Jake Summerton played an excellent role in defence restricting what may prove to be one of the most potent forward lines during the season.

Fellow recruits Anthony Biemans (10 touches and 10 tackles) and Tom Whittlesea (11 disposals and a goal) worked themselves into the game well.

Meanwhile, Mark Noble and Robert Irra showed they weren't out of place at League level with 19 and 10 possessions respectively.

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