South Adelaide @ Central Districts 
Round 13 - X Convenience Oval - 02/07/2022

Goals: Sampson 3, Gunther 2, Bogle, Dunkin, Kraemer, Overall
Best: Sampson, Brooksby, Summerton, Dunkin, Haines
Crowd: 1,113

Day to Forget: South Adelaide suffered a 1-point loss to Central District at X Convenience Oval on Saturday.

The Panthers struggled to shake the Bulldogs off throughout the day – and it showed most when they came barrelling home to score the difference-making point within the dying seconds of the game, 10.5 (65) to 10.6 (66).

Highlights from a harrowing day included the performances of Hayden Sampson, who had 27 disposals and kicked 3 goals; and Elliot Dunkin, who had 23 disposals, took 8 marks, and laid 7 tackles.

The Panthers were wearing their beautifully designed 2022 Ongoing Journey Guernseys for the first time; unfortunately, the result was not as stunning.

Minutes into the opening term, Sampson got things going for the Panthers with a goal on the run. Then Luke Bogle made the Bulldogs pay for a costly kick across goal to extend the early lead to double digits.

The Panthers looked lively. But scoring dried up quickly. A major score wouldn’t occur again until the quarter entered stoppage time – when a costly free-kick handed the Dogs their first. However, South still entered the first break grasping a narrow 2.3 (15) to 1.1 (7).

Unforced errors, turnovers, and costly free-kicks helped prevent the Panthers from increasing the margin. However, on the flip side, a crucial mark in the backline by Jake Summerton helped prevent the Dogs from snatching the lead. 

And Sampson struck again – this time from a forward stoppage – to secure his second goal of the day. Unfortunately, Mitch O’Neill was concussed in a gutsy collision late into the quarter, which ruled him out for the remainder of the match.

A man down, the Panthers also began to trail as the Dogs took the lead late to hand South a halftime deficit of 3.4 (22) to 4.1 (25).

The third term started promising for the Panthers. Dunkin crumbed and snapped a rare goal, while Sam Overall took a strong grab and then joined the goalkickers’ list a minute later.

Another lapse in concentration by South, which saw them give away a costly free-kick, allowed the Bulldogs to peg a goal back. But this time the Panthers continued to run with the momentum.

Some great forward pressure soon saw Ben Heaslip join the goalkickers, then Nic Kraemer followed suit by finishing off an eye-catching end-to-end play.

However, the Panthers lost another man late into the term – with Oliver Davis limping off the field.

Holding a 7.5 (47) to 6.3 (39) lead: the Panthers continued to extend their lead with goals by Harrison Gunther, and a third by Sampson.

However, with 2 players down – both midfielders at that – the side began to tire. With the Bulldogs spurred on by the home crowd, they came storming home. And the blue and white failed to hold them out for extra few minutes.

The heartbreaking 10.5 (65) to 10.6 (66) loss has made things hard for the Panthers. The match summed up South’s season to this point: so close yet so far. It has been a season full of exhilarating close victories and bitter nail-biting losses.

The most bitter of all however, has been the injuries.

O’Neill and Davis join a talented list of injured and unavailable players, which currently includes the likes of Gibbs, Rose, Brownless, Kantilla, Menzie, Birt, Griffiths, and Garthwaite.

However, this isn’t the first time that the Panthers have had to win to keep their final dream alive. They have found themselves in similar positions over their last few seasons which – although looking dire at the time – have ended in finals stints.

South Adelaide – who sits 2 games out of finals with 6 to play – now faces rival Glenelg in a must-win clash at Flinders University Stadium on Saturday, 9 July, from 2:05pm.