MRS Property Reserves Match Report Round 4: South vs Sturt

MRS Property Reserves Match Report

South Adelaide vs Sturt
Round 4 - Flinders University Stadium - 18/07/20

Goals: Elmes, Freitag, Illingworth, Kerinaiua, Machin, Whittlesea
Best: Freitag, Juckers, McKinnon, Hoffman, Davies, Biemans
Injuries: Nill

The South Adelaide Reserves were unable to mount a final term fightback and they fell to a 22-point loss against Sturt at Flinders University Stadium on a blistery Saturday.

Despite finishing the match with a strong wind advantage, the Panthers were not able to capitalise and instead suffered a 6.7 (43) to 9.11 (65) loss.

The Panthers had their work cut out for them early, as the fourth-placed visitors began the match with the wind at their backs and booted five unanswered goals to lead 0.0 (0) to 5.5 (35) at the first break.

The second quarter saw South Adelaide get their chance to play with the strong wind advantage, and after repeated forward entries, it was Henry Kerinaiua's clever snap while under pressure that gave the Panthers their first goal of the day.

South Adelaide then continued to make the most of the wind advantage with another goal before a late Sturt bump allowed Damon Freitag to boot his first goal of the match at the nineteenth minute mark of the second term.

Meanwhile, both Jesse Mckinnon and Danny Juckers were impressive in the blue and white as the Panthers looked to claw themselves back into contention.

Then in the dying stages of the quarter, a goal from the boundary by Jackson Elmes saw the Panthers head into the main break trailing, 4.2 (26) to 5.6 (36).

The third term saw the Panthers once again have to defend heavily as Sturt booted the first two goals of the quarter.

However, a mark dead in front of goal saw South Adelaide boot the game's first and only goal into the wind.

But even a goal against the breeze was not enough to combat the strong wind advantage, and despite some desperate defending, Sturt managed to boot two more unanswered goals which sent the Panthers into the final change facing a 5.2 (32) to 9.11 (65) deficit.

The final term saw Anthony Biemans, who was playing his first match of the 2020 season, attempt to break the game open and the Panthers came close to, but hit the post twice.

At thirteenth minute mark, a strong contested mark by Tom Whittlesea saw the Panthers get a much-needed goal, but with Sturt in a full-defensive lockdown, South were unable to get any more goals, and the siren sounded to hand them a bitter 6.7 (43) to 9.11 (65) loss.

The Panthers now face West Adelaide at Flinders University Stadium on Saturday July 25, from 11:30am.

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