Round 5 Preview

Courtesy of Chris Kendall, SportsBeat and the SANFL.

2015 SANFL ROUND FIVE PREVIEWS

Norwood v Glenelg (Coopers Stadium) – Friday 7.10pm
HEAD TO HEAD: NWD 149, GL 90, Drawn 1
LAST THREE ENCOUNTERS:
2014 Rnd 11: Nwd 25.16 (166) d Gl 7.6 (48)
2014 Rnd 5: Nwd 10.10 (70) d Gl 8.5 (53)
2013 Rnd 20: Nwd 9.9 (63) d Gl 8.5 (53)

Second hosting bottom to kick off round five, after contrasting fortunes in terrible conditions last week. The Redlegs overcame a slow start against Port to run away with an impressive win, led by Bob Quinn Medallist, Peter Persinos’s best game for the club with four goals. Their run broke the game apart after an early arm wrestle and turned around the mindset from a flat previous week. Glenelg broke out to a 20 point lead at three quarter time against Adelaide, but were being reeled in fast with scores level when power was lost to the area and the ground was plunged into darkness. For the first time in modern SANFL history, a senior match result was declared without full time being played, but a draw almost seemed fitting given the swings and roundabouts of the game.
There is no question that the Tigers are capable of very good football that can match it with most teams when they back their judgement and use their speed, but as the last twelve minutes showed last week, they retreat into a defensive style too easily when the opposition surge at them. Against a team they have not defeated for over four years, they cannot afford any sort of mental lapses whatsoever if there is any chance of bringing about the upset. The junkyard dog defence, conceding an average of 65 points a game, will be difficult for Glenelg to penetrate and I suspect that Clint Alleway would need at least six goals if they are to snatch the points. Overall however, class, home ground advantage and more effective general ball use should give Norwood the victory
COVERAGE: www.lifefm.net
TIP: Norwood 37-48






Port Magpies v Woodville/West Torrens (Alberton) – Saturday 2.10pm
HEAD TO HEAD: Port 36, W/WT 33
LAST THREE ENCOUNTERS:
2014 Rnd 10: Port 18.16 (124) d W/WT 15.11 (101)
2014 Rnd 3: Port 15.19 (109) d W/WT 8.3 (51)
2013 Rnd 14: W/WT 14.14 (98) d W/WT 13.9 (87)

The shortest road trip in SANFL, as the Eagles make the 3.6km trip up Port Road to tackle a Magpies outfit that has not presented them with major issues at Alberton, with the visitors winning six of their last seven there. Their journey to Elizabeth last week netted them the points, as they controlled the contest from the opening bounce to register a commanding victory. After starting strongly against Norwood, the Magpies stopped to a walk, failing to score a goal for over 50 minutes before slumping to a 21 point defeat. Losing Paul Stewart in the opening minutes stymied their rotations but they seemed all at sea – so to speak – in the torrential conditions for much of the night.
While they still form an imposing lineup, the Magpies don’t look quite as dominant this year as 2014, and the Eagles will certainly fancy their chances here to build on their league leading percentage and move to the top two. The move of Matthew Goldsworthy to defence has been an early masterstroke for coach Michael Godden, and he will almost need a Magpies defensive forward matchup to negate his run and precise disposal. Luke Wilson could be a solid starting point, with his pace and poise able to create some headaches, but the Magpie attack also needs to maximise their opportunities. Ten scoring shots from 39 inside 50’s last week was a poor reward for the likes of Sam Gray and Steven Summerton and coach Garry Hocking will hammer home the point at training this week. In a real flip of the coin, will just lean to the Eagles.
RADIO: Life FM
TIP: Woodville/West Torrens 1-12








Sturt v North Adelaide (Peter Motley Oval) – Saturday 2.10pm
HEAD TO HEAD: ST 131, NA 116, Drawn 5
LAST THREE ENCOUNTERS:
2014 Rnd 16: ST 17.8 (110) d NA 13.13 (91)
2014 Rnd 5: ST 16.13 (109) d NA 7.6 (48)
2013 Rnd 19: ST 10.11 (71) d NA 8.5 (53)

Sturt’s reputation as last quarter specialists added another notch to their 2015 belt with a barnstorming finish over West last week, with Michael Coad and Ben Hansen combining for 3.2 as the Bloods were restricted to one behind. North were never really in the hunt against South, with only accurate kicking (8.1) keeping them in the game for any length of time. With only one player above 20 possessions (Marlon Motlop), their ball use had to be precise but costly turnovers from defence allowed the Panthers into the game and sent the Roosters to seventh and a league worst percentage.
The Double Blues have generally held sway over the past few seasons, winning four of the last six games, and in theory, most roads lead to that continuing here. Their defence is growing as they become accustomed to their roles, with Guy Page, Christian Calabrese and Tom Harms combining well with their run and carry to transition quickly into attack. North coach Ken McGregor will be working the structures at length during the week to find some more smaller goalkicking options, particularly with showers forecast for the day. Their taller forwards tend to be dragged out wide to minimise their conversion rate, so working the ball down the corridor will also be high on the training agenda this week. The home team’s solid record here looks on track to continue.
RADIO: 5RPH
TIP: Sturt 13-24






South Adelaide v Adelaide Reserves (Hickinbotham Oval) – Saturday 7.10pm
HEAD TO HEAD: SA 0, ADEL 2
LAST TWO ENCOUNTERS:
2014 Rnd 13: ADEL 14.12 (96) d SA 7.9 (51)
2014 Rnd 8: ADEL 17.8 (110) d SA 13.11 (89)

The Panthers stormed to the top of the SANFL ladder after defeating North last week, with some of the lesser lights coming to the fore. Patrick Kerin and Brede Seccull continued their impressive starts to the season to take some of the focus from the more regular gamebreakers. Adelaide will rue their second and third term against Glenelg, when 1.8 in terrible conditions robbed them of the chance for their first points of 2015. Luke Carey and Jake Lever were very impressive in defence, while Harrison Wigg’s growth in a similar role continued, but there does need to be more consistency in attack from the talls.
The Eagles and South are the only two teams that Adelaide is yet to taste defeat against, and Panther mentor Brad Gotch will have that statistic filed away as motivation for a group that can hold top position with a strong win here. Quick rebound from defence will be a key to breaking open Adelaide on the counterattack but going wide around the flanks has brought South undone at both previous encounters. This will push impetus on the midfield to create options to move the ball quickly through the middle and into an attack that will look to the smaller options, such as Peter Rolfe and Nick Murphy to mix things up and stretch a generally very tall Adelaide defence. Expect a high scoring encounter that should lead to the Eagles remaining the only team yet to defeat Adelaide in the latter’s short SANFL history.
RADIO: 5RPH
TIP: South Adelaide 13-24










West Adelaide v Central District (City Mazda Stadium) – Sunday 1.10pm
HEAD TO HEAD: WA 53, CD 73, Drawn 1
LAST THREE ENCOUNTERS:
2014 Rnd 13: CD 13.11 (89) d WA 8.8 (56)
2014 Rnd 5: WA 15.8 (98) d CD 4.10 (34)
2013 Rnd 20: CD 10.15 (75) d WA 7.3 (45)

Defeated in round four, but in very different circumstances, both clubs will be aiming to regroup quickly here. West rued poor kicking early and leaving themselves open to being swamped late by a rampant Sturt, who restricted the Bloods to a single behind in the last term despite another superb performance from Chris Schmidt with 33 possessions. Central were never in the hunt against the Eagles, handing the visitors their first win at Elizabeth in 11 years, but coach Roy Laird would be heartened with some of the new recruits such as Chris Jansen and how they are settling in.
In general, the Bloods are showing much more willingness to take the game on this year and spread quickly on the counterattack and the benefits are noticeable, with the second highest league average score per game of 85 points. Conversely, Central’s league second lowest average of 65 points per game does open further concerns about their ability to regularly kick winning scores. They will be sweating over the return of Bryce Retzlaff and Trent Goodrem from injury to improve this area quickly and with both not being far away, it does place pressure on the remaining forwards to step up to hold their roles when the others return. West will view a rare TV slot as an opportunity to showcase their reinvigorated style and prove that their transformation is not temporary and should prevail in an intriguing contest.
TV: Seven
TIP: West Adelaide 13-24