CK's Round 8 Previews

by Lee Fri May 23, 2014 3:17 pm

Thanks to the SANFL and Sportsbeat

2014 ROUND EIGHT SANFL PREVIEWS
Norwood v Woodville/West Torrens (Coopers Stadium) – Friday 7.40pm
HEAD TO HEAD: Norwood 36, W/WT 27
LAST THREE ENCOUNTERS:
2013 Rnd 22: Nwd 11.17 (83) d W/WT 5.14 (42)
2013 Rnd 3: W/WT 14.6 (90) d Nwd 7.12 (54)
2012: Rnd 22: Nwd 9.2 (56) d W/WT 5.5 (35)

Norwood are gradually working to get their season back on track after a regulation victory over the Adelaide reserves. Despite a sluggish opening term, the Redlegs moved the ball very impressively in the second half, with Michael Newton reaping the rewards from the dominant midfield in bagging eight majors. The Eagles looked in trouble at one point in the second term, but from then, it was one way traffic as they slammed on 20 goals to six in the final three quarters to notch a 76 point win. The twin towers in attack, Andrew Ainger and Michael Wundke combined for 13 goals, but otherwise, it was a performance noted for how even the spread was around the ground.
Matches between these teams tend to be fairly one sided – only once in the last nine games has the margin been less than 21 points – but this looks a very even match on paper. One area where Norwood do look vulnerable, however, is in defence, particularly with the Eagles averaging 97 points a match. The key to restricting this will be through the midfield, where they will need to apply the clamps to the likes of James Boyd, Angus Poole and Nathan Batley, as well as creating their own opportunities to attack. It’s hard to see Newton afforded so much space again this week, so the Redlegs will need to create some new scoring options. Overall, though, the balance looks in favour of the Eagles here.
RADIO: 5RPH
TIP: Woodville/West Torrrens 25-36

Central District v Sturt (Playford Alive Oval) – Saturday 2.10pm
HEAD TO HEAD: CD 64, St 56
LAST THREE ENCOUNTERS
2013 Rnd 23: CD 19.14 (128) d St 15.13 (103)
2013 Rnd 7: CD 20.12 (132) d St 15.15 (105
2012 Rnd 22: CD 15.13 (103) d St 9.4 (58)

The sterling Double Blue season rolled on as they crushed a disappointing West Adelaide by 79 points last week. Richard Tambling’s class again shone through en route to 30 disposals and six clearances, while Ben Kane’s penchant for cutting up West continued with three goals. Their run from defence was particularly impressive, going coast to coast a number of times to goal, and their spread was excellent. Central had their chances to knock over Glenelg, but just could not land the killer blow in a see-sawing struggle, despite a combined 43 touches from the Schiller’s. Skill errors at crucial moments still hurt the Bulldogs, as coach Roy Laird still searches for the right combination around the ground.
Central have held sway in these encounters over the last few years, winning six of the last seven of these matches, but would really need to lift in all facets of the game to continue that streak here. While their team tackling levels have been strong, it should be noted that of the 58 team tackles last week, four players failed to register one, which would not impress Laird. The hallmark of Sturt has been their speed of ball movement into attack, so the delivery through the middle will need to be stifled considerably if the scoring opportunities are to be curbed. Despite history being on the Dogs side, the current situation looks too heavily weighted in favour of Sturt potentially moving to second on the ladder.
RADIO: Life FM
TIP: Sturt 25-36

North Adelaide v Port Magpies (Prospect) – Saturday 2.10pm
HEAD TO HEAD: NA 87, Port 174
LAST THREE ENCOUNTERS:
2013 Rnd 16: NA 15.9 (99) d Port 3.8 (26)
2013 Rnd 8: Port 13.8 (86) d NA 9.15 (69)
2012 Rnd 22: NA 13.12 (90) d Port 9.8 (62)

Trying to read North’s formlines is one of the harder tasks of the 2014 SANFL season. Some quarters they can look like world beaters and capable of really pushing for the premiership, and other quarters, they seemingly go missing en masse and struggle to score successive goals. No such problems for Port, who continue to charge through the season with ease. Averaging 124 points a game while conceding less than 67 points, many games are nearly over by half time as the Magpies push relentlessly through most obstacles in their path.
While North have won five of the last six matches between these sides at Prospect, it’s hard to see this continuing, barring a massive change in attitude plus injuries for Port. There looks to be a very heavy reliance on Jay Shannon and Nick Amato around the ball, and Luke Mitchell in attack, while many of the next level players are still to find their consistency. The challenge for North coach Ken McGregor is to both shut down the Magpies and get the Roosters up and running early to try and gain a break over Port. Whether they have enough options to both create and contain will be the major question here, but all things point to the Magpies continuing on their ominous way.
RADIO: 5RPH
TIP: Port Magpies 61-72

West Adelaide v Glenelg (City Mazda Stadium) – Saturday 2.10pm
HEAD TO HEAD: GL 105, WA 112, Drawn 2
LAST THREE ENCOUNTERS:
2013 Rnd 12: WA 19.16 (130) d Gl 8.8 (56)
2013 Rnd 6: WA 18.7 (115) d Gl 10.5 (65)
2012 Rnd 17: WA 12.16 (88) d Gl 11.2 (68)

While the season is only eight rounds in, the loser of this team could be close to be discounted from finals consideration, with both clubs sitting at 2-5. West would be viewing the tape of last week’s loss to Sturt at length to dissect how they could be blown away almost from the opening bounce. Despite some key injuries, they looked very flat and disinterested at times and while the second half was better, it still puts them on the back foot against a team that really toughed it out last week to down Central. The most encouraging medium term sign was how many of the younger players, such as Darcy Bailey and Jacob Carger stepped up in the crucial stages to play important roles.
West have generally been very sound at home in these encounters, and would ordinarily start solid favorites, but there was some real spirit last week for Glenelg that could spark their season into gear. Even with the oldest SANFL debutant in history, James Jones (33), their midfield was able to get first use with his clever ruckwork but he will face a sterner test this week against Daniel Webb. Riley Milne, averaging 21 disposals in defence, will also have a real point to prove against his former Glenelg teammates, and his run and carry will be vital in rebounding. The key here lies in whether the smaller forwards for both clubs can create enough opportunities from crumbing to provide the wildcard factor. West look to have a couple more options in this facet to provide the balance.
CHANNEL 7
TIP: West Adelaide 13-24

South Adelaide v Adelaide (Hickinbotham Oval) – Sunday 2.10pm
FIRST ENCOUNTER
After starting the season strongly, South met their match last week in the Port Magpies. In saying that, they had some very impressive passages, particularly a second quarter where they outscored Port 4.0 to 2.1 and used their trademark run and carry to near perfection. Keegan Brooksby’s breakout season in ruck continued with another top performance, while Tom Fields’ rebound in defence again proved vital. Adelaide started strongly against Norwood but seemed to be worn down after half time. Part of the situation with top-up players can mean the fitness levels start to tell late in games and this has been symptomatic with Adelaide at times this year. The output of the higher level players such as Andy Otten and Luke Thompson has been consistent, however, and at times, the group has gelled to produce strong football.
At home, South has proven very formidable opponents, using the wide flanks and wings of Noarlunga strongly, where their pace runs many teams off their feet. If Lachlan Boyd returns from injury as projected, that will provide further support in attack and open up more space for Peter Rolfe to work into. The Panthers will be very wary of focusing too heavily on their own side of things and underestimating an Adelaide combination that can still combine well at times. One challenge they find is getting enough regular goals from their taller forwards, and South have proven adept this year at negating opposition attacks. All things considered, the Panthers look set to return to their winning ways.
RADIO: 5RPH
TIP: South Adelaide 25-36