South Adelaide have recorded a hard-fought four-point win over league-leaders Woodville-West Torrens at Maughan Thiem Kia Oval, despite being held scoreless after quarter-time.

Adding to the occasion, South Adelaide became just the third team to play 100 SANFLW games, after joining the competition in 2018.

The Panthers started the top-of-the-table clash brightly, kicking the first goal of the match after Caitlin Couch’s intercept resulted in a mark in the goal square to the dangerous Lucy Northcott.

Woodville-West Torrens struggled to gain ascendancy around the contest, with Layla Vizgaudis starting promisingly and reading the tap work of Soriah Moon brilliantly.

Vizgaudis nearly extended South’s lead after receiving a slick handball from Doreena Hansen and launching a shot from 40 metres out, only to miss to the near side.

Moments after that behind, Hansen fumbled an opportunity to mark 25 metres out directly in front. She nearly made amends seconds later, but her snap was always going wide.

The Eagles continued to put themselves under unnecessary pressure with their inability to exit defensive fifty, as South Adelaide locked the ball inside a dangerous area.

Lily Baxter’s intercept and brilliant shot on the run near the boundary gave South a much-deserved goal and extended their lead to 14 points.

The home side were overwhelmed by South’s strength in the ruck, with Taya Maxwell using her agility and positioning to earn free kicks.

Maxwell’s skill by foot was also on display, finding a leading Shae Archbold, who remained composed and nailed her first of the afternoon.

Things continued to go South Adelaide’s way, with the lead stretching to 27 points after Emily Brockhurst danced around her direct opponent in the goal square to snap truly.

Despite her small stature, Emma Charlton showed great courage to go back with the flight under a high ball on the fifty-metre arc.

Charlton then used the ball expertly by foot to find Archbold in space, but she dropped the mark. Archbold made up for the error by handballing to Laquoiya Cockatoo-Motlap, who found space and drilled South’s fifth goal of the quarter.

At the first break, South Adelaide had produced a brilliant opening term, keeping the ladder leaders scoreless while kicking five goals themselves.

Needing a strong response, the Eagles began the second term positively, registering several promising forward entries and putting South’s defence under pressure.

Esther Schirmer, who became the fifth Panther to reach the 50-game milestone, was resolute in defence, spoiling several promising entries from the Eagles.

After repeated forward pressure, the home side finally broke through for their first goal of the match, reducing the margin to 26 points.

Momentum had clearly swung in the Eagles’ favour, and South’s defence was beginning to feel the heat. A free kick for holding in the goal square resulted in the home side’s second major.

The experienced Jaslynne Smith continued to marshal the backline and provide rebound where possible, but the ball lived inside the Eagles’ forward fifty for much of the term.

By the main break, the home side had cut the Panthers’ lead to 19 points, but a sizeable buffer still remained.

The third quarter proved to be an arm wrestle, with scoring opportunities scarce for both sides.

Moon, Charlton and Mel Anderson led the way in the tackle count, making it extremely difficult for the Eagles’ midfield to find clean disposal from stoppages.

Despite not having a prolific day statistically, Northcott continued to compete as a marking option down the line, often halving contests with her refusal to be beaten.

South’s forward entries were rare in the third term, as the Eagles dominated territory but could not convert it into scores.

A strong contested mark from Maxwell provided one of South’s few forward forays, but her long ball to Brockhurst in the pocket was spoiled over the boundary line.

The Panthers kept the ball inside their attacking fifty with immense pressure, but several last-ditch smothers from Eagles defenders denied a crucial goal.

Hope Taylor’s mark and composure to find Vizgaudis 40 metres out on a tight angle gave South a rare set-shot opportunity, but her long-range effort sailed out on the full.

With neither side managing a score in the third term, the stage was set for a frantic and entertaining final quarter, with South desperate to defend their 19-point advantage.

Woodville-West Torrens came out firing, kicking the first goal within three minutes to send nerves through the South Adelaide camp.

There was plenty of heat around the contest, and Couch rose to the challenge, throwing herself in and getting her hands dirty.

Debutant Chloe Meyers showed positive signs during several dangerous forward entries, linking well with the defensive unit to set up strong structures behind the ball.

The Eagles’ dominance began to show on the scoreboard, and when Olivia Evans kicked her first for the afternoon, the margin was reduced to just one straight kick.

South Adelaide were defending for their lives. The home side continued to surge forward, but Sam Pratt took a crucial intercept mark with three minutes to play.

The relief was short-lived, as a free kick and subsequent 25-metre penalty brought the Eagles to the fifty-metre arc, giving them a golden chance to snatch victory.

Pratt once again defended the deep entry brilliantly, but the ball trickled out of the back of the contest. However, Schirmer kept her composure and handballed to Litonya Cockatoo-Motlap, who rushed the behind.

That minor score would prove to be the final score of the match, with South Adelaide hanging on during the frantic final two minutes to secure a brilliant four-point away victory.

South Adelaide now have the opportunity to finish Round 10 on top of the ladder when they face Glenelg at Magain Stadium on Saturday, 31 May at 12:10pm.