League Match Report

South Adelaide vs Woodville-West Torrens
Trial 2 - Hickinbotham Oval - 17/03/18

Goals: Fairlie 2, Brooksby, Overall, Rose, Liddle, Davis, Cross, Moyle, Whittlesea
Injuries: Haren (ankle)

South Adelaide's League team fell just short of knocking off Woodville-West Torrens in their final trial game on Saturday afternoon.

In a see-sawing affair, the Panthers could not put the finishing touches on a final term comeback, succumbing to a 10.9 (69) to 9.18 (72) loss at Hickinbotham Oval.

South came agonisingly close to snatching a last minute win, with some desperate defending preventing a forward entry finding Sam Overall running into an unprotected goal and Keegan Brooksby unable to reel in a contested mark for shots on goal that could have reclaimed the lead in the dying moments.

Both sides will also being ruing their inaccuracy early in the game that could have changed the complexion of the match from the get go.

Similar to the day's earlier Reserves match, the Eagles enjoyed the advantage of a strong breeze in the first term, but could only manage one goal from eight scoring shots, while South struggled to exit their defence against the breeze.

Co-captain Keegan Brooksby was dominant at the stoppages and around the ground, getting his hands to everything in the air.

South got the scoreboard ticking over with the wind at their backs in the second, but also struggled to find their radar in front of goals and a clean set of hands to kick it to going forward.

The home side took a three-point lead into the halftime break, but could have easily had a more significant buffer.

Joseph Haines was a standout, showcasing his athleticism with several strong aerial attacks, while young winger Mark Noble continued to prove he can get his hands on the footy.

The Eagles were again wasteful with the breeze in the third term, spraying 3.6 for the quarter, but ultimately took an eight point advantage into the final term, with the Panthers managing just three scoring shots of their own.

The game opened up in the final term. Connor Fairlie kicked his second within moments of the restart and both sides began to score freely.

Brooksby continued to assert his presence at the stoppages, while Joel Cross and Nick Liddle's class was evident throughout.

Big-bodied midfielder Anthony Biemans also again impressed with his attack at the footy and physical presence around any congested play.

Ultimately the Eagles defended well against several Panthers half chances that could have swung the result.

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