South Adelaide has booked its spot in this year’s Hostplus SANFLW premiership decider following a commanding 45-point Preliminary Final victory over Sturt at Magain Stadium.

The win sets up a mouth-watering Grand Final clash against Woodville-West Torrens at Stratarama Stadium, with the Panthers aiming to claim back-to-back premierships for the first time since 2019.

South started brightly, with the opening goal built on the back of fierce tackling pressure. A lunging effort from Doreena Hansen allowed Hope Taylor to gather cleanly and snap truly.

The heat didn’t let up, with Layla Vizgaudis winning the next centre clearance and launching the ball forward once again.

Hansen continued to influence early, collecting and sending a long ball to a one-on-one contest that led to a last-touch out-of-bounds free kick to Lucy Northcott deep near the boundary.

Rather than take a low-percentage shot, the dangerous forward centred the ball to the top of the square. Although it went unmarked, Emily Brockhurst was quick to gather and snap, narrowly missing to the left.

Emma Charlton and Melissa Anderson led the way in the contest, laying relentless tackles that kept the Sturt on-ballers pinned and under pressure.

Despite dominating territory, South had to defend on several occasions. The aerial strength of the ever-reliable Tiffany King and Jaslynne Smith ensured numerous contests were halved or won.

Sharp ball movement through the corridor helped the Panthers break through Sturt’s press, with Lily Baxter finding Northcott in space.

Northcott made no mistake with her finish from 35 metres, capping off an outstanding opening term in which South held Sturt scoreless and took a 14-point lead into the first break.

The early stages of the second quarter were an arm wrestle, but the skill and composure of South Adelaide’s prime movers began to shine through.

Caitlin Couch, after marking just outside the arc, quickly turned and drilled a pass inside 50, only for a desperate spoil from Sturt to momentarily ease the pressure.

That relief was short-lived. Charlton intercepted a loose defensive handball, danced past an opponent and slotted a classy long-range goal to further South’s dominance.

Baxter’s poise forward of centre was crucial during several attacking chains, while Lauren Clifton continued her strong late-season form with clean hands and composure around stoppages.

Marley Tape and Hope Taylor’s sheer will in the contest created a promising forward entry within 30 seconds of effort, though a Sturt free kick briefly stemmed the flow.

Again, it didn’t last long. South forced a turnover on the wing and surged forward, with Charlotte Dolan delivering a smart kick into the middle. Esther Schirmer gathered, streamed through the corridor and delivered a pinpoint pass to Charlton, who marked 35 metres out directly in front.

With Sturt’s defenders momentarily out of position, Baxter drifted into the forward pocket and marked unattended. Her set shot just cleared the line, stretching the margin further late in the term.

At half-time, South’s control across all three lines was evident on the scoreboard. Sturt remained scoreless, and the Panthers held a commanding 26-point lead.

South’s momentum carried into the second half. Charlton nearly added another major within two minutes of the restart.

The Panthers’ backline continued to stand tall, with Samantha Pratt, Smith, King, Schirmer, Tape and Dolan combining brilliantly to deny Sturt any genuine looks at goal.

In the ruck, Tamika May and the returning Soriah Moon provided silver service to their midfielders with clever taps to advantage, allowing repeated breaks from stoppage.

Sturt’s inability to move the ball cleanly out of defence again proved costly. A last-touch free kick resulted in Baxter lowering her eyes and finding Vizgaudis just inside the 50-metre arc.

Too far out to score, Vizgaudis delivered to a leading Shae Archbold in the pocket, who finished superbly to all but seal the result.

Archbold wasn’t done yet, adding two more goals in the term to take her tally to three and stamp South’s ticket to the big dance.

At the final change, the Panthers led by 46 points, with Sturt still unable to register a major.

With the outcome beyond doubt, the pressure of the contest began to ease. Sturt finally troubled the scorers with three behinds in the final term, but their elusive first goal never came.

A late free kick in the forward 50 presented Northcott with the chance to round out a clinical afternoon, but her set shot drifted wide. She may have missed, but South didn’t miss out.

The siren brought an end to Sturt’s season, while South Adelaide now turns its attention to the ultimate challenge - a premiership showdown with the Eagles.

The two standout sides of the Hostplus SANFLW season will face off in the Grand Final at Stratarama Stadium on Sunday, 27 July at 2:15PM.