League Match Report

South Adelaide vs Adelaide
Round 11 - Hickinbotham Oval - 17/06/18

Goals: Liddle 4, Cross 3, Rankine, Szust, Davis, Brooksby 2, Heaslip, Haren, Helyar, Fields, Elmes, Noble, Brown
Best: Liddle, Cross, Brown, Davis, Brooksby, Heaslip
Injuries: nil
Crowd: 1087

South Adelaide has registered their largest winning margin of the season after a 112-point dismantling of Adelaide during their White Ribbon clash at Hickinbotham Oval on Sunday afternoon.

The Panthers were impressive from go to whoa as they outclassed a depleted Crows outfit in a comprehensive four quarter performance.

The hosts put their foot down early and never looked back, as they stormed to their third win on the trot and leapfrogged into third position on the SANFL Macca's League ladder.

While it was the Crows opening the scoring through development player Dom Costanzo, South would pile on the next 12 goals without an answer before Adelaide could kick their second major in the seventh minute of the third term.

The old firm in Nick Liddle and Joel Cross ran riot throughout the afternoon, gathering an incredible 75 possessions, 15 clearances and seven goals between them.

Working off of the stoppage dominance of Keegan Brooksby, who registered 45 hits (20 to advantage) despite sharing ruck duties with Alex Aurrichio (35 hit outs), the Panthers got their hands on the footy 200 times more than their opponents, racking up 413 total disposals to 213, with 15 players registering 18 possessions or more.

Alongside Liddle and Cross, emerging midfielders Abe Davis (30 touches, eight clearances and two goals) and Ben Heaslip (29 possessions and a goal) were also heavy hitters on the day.

Meanwhile, young defender Tyson Brown continues to grow as a rebounding defender. Given more licence to attack off of halfback since Matt Rose went down with a shoulder injury, Brown has enjoyed a strong recent run off form and added 25 touches and a goal to his 2018 record in another strong display.

Dominating the stoppages and possession count, South got the ball inside 50 early and often (55 forward entries to 29) and accurate conversion in front of goals helped them record their largest winning margin since Round 20, 2006.

Adelaide fought admirably despite the growing deficit and increasing casualty ward that left them with no rotations for the final term. AFL-listed pair Curtly Hampton (23 touches and 13 tackles) and Lachlan Murphy (16 and 10) could hold their heads high after competing all afternoon.

However, their effort and intent was equally matched by the Panthers, who did not let up until the final siren.

Despite the margin already sitting at 76 entering the final frame, South kept their foot down and slotted eight goals straight in the final term to register a record margin over Adelaide.

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Especially pleasing for the Panthers was the contribution of home grown debutants Coby Helyar and Jackson Elmes.

Elmes, from Victor Harbor in the GSFL, was a late inclusion for big-bodied Anthony Biemans (hamstring tightness) and made an immediate impact as he kicked his first league goal in the opening minutes.

Dudley United (KIFL) product Helyar also enjoyed a special moment in the final term as his first League major helped his side raise the bat and bring up the triple figure margin with a coolly converted set shot.

Post game, Jarrad Wright expressed how impressed he had been with South's young players stepping up and contributing this season, with Helyar and Elmes becoming the fifth and sixth player debuted from the club's junior programs this season.

Wright also declared the club was in an enviable position to be enjoying positive results on the field and also have several players competing for spots in the League side.

Even more positive was the clean bill of health reported after the game, with the Panthers also possibly welcoming back Nathan Kreuger, Liam Fitt and Biemans next week, with Tom Whittlesea and Rose also waiting in the wings.

After enjoying the comfort of Hickinbotham Oval for three of the last four weeks, South now prepare for the largest road trip in the SANFL as they trek to My Money House Oval to tackle Central District in the Mayor's Cup this Saturday, June 23.

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