Under-18 Match Report: Round 3 vs Eagles

Under-18 Match Report

South Adelaide vs Eagles
Round 3 - Flinders University Stadium - 17/04/2021

Goals: Pilmore 4, Cockshell, Draper 2, Brown, Rogers
Best: Roberts, Mitton, Pilmore, Roger, Bottroff, Draper

A final term fightback falls short as the South Adelaide Under-18s suffer a sixteen-point loss against the Eagles at Flinders University Stadium on Saturday.

The Panthers, who were trailing by 34 points at three quarter time, piled on five final-term goals but this wasn't enough to fix the damage that they had suffered throughout the opening three quarters as the side would fall to a 14.9 (93) to 16.13 (109) defeat.

Matthew Roberts led the way for the Panthers with a game-high 37 touches while Bailey Pilmore finished with four goals.

The game would begin as a shootout between the two rivals, as the Eagles and Panthers would combine for nine goals during the opening term. The first of which came via the Eagles to hand the visitors an early lead.

Then Pilmore and Arlo Draper would combine for two goals in three minutes to give South Adelaide the lead for the first time of the match, but this lead would be short-lived.

The visitors booted four goals to two during the latter half of the opening term to take a narrow lead into the first change, 4.1 (25) to 5.1 (31).

Just twenty seconds into the second term, Pilmore evened the scores with his second major of the day but this would prove to be the last Panthers' goal until he followed up with his third at the tenth minute mark.

As was the case with the opening term, the Eagles would out-score the Panthers during the latter half of the second term. The visitors booted three unanswered goals to give the Panthers a 7.4 (46) to 11.4 (70) deficit at the main break.

This second quarter scoring spree would prove to be the difference between the two sides, as the Panthers would go onto narrowly outscore the Eagles in the second half but would ultimately just fall short, 14.9 (93) to 16.13 (109).

But this loss came from no lack of trying from the boys in the blue and white, with five individual players kicking their first goals of the match during the second half.

Likewise, by the time the final siren had sounded, Roberts had collected 37 disposals, 8 tackles and 5 clearances. Luke Mitton finished with 22 touches and 5 clearances, while Cooper Rogers also impressed with 23 disposals and a goal.

The South Adelaide Under-18s will look to bounce back against Central District at Flinders University Stadium on Saturday, April 24, from 9:50am.  

Show that you are #SouthProud in 2021!