South Adelaide slipped to fourth on the ladder after a difficult afternoon at Thomas Farms Oval, going down to the Double Blues by 33 points.

The defeat also brought an end to the Panthers' eight-game unbeaten streak against Sturt in the SANFLW competition, a run that included last year's Preliminary Final win.

An even first quarter saw both sides trade goals, with Charlotte Dolan doing the hard work in and under at the top of the arc to release Jess Chyer, who finished with a low, driven kick.

It would ultimately prove to be South Adelaide’s only goal of the contest, as they went on to register 0.6 after the first change.

The forward pressure continued, but it made for little reward on the scoreboard, with set shots from Madison Brown and Dolan both registering behinds. 

Sturt’s Alexandra Ballard kicked her first of three goals for the day to help her team create a buffer.

Much of the quarter saw the home side hold field position across the ground, and that momentum carried through the rest of the match.

The opening stages of the second half were spent down the Double Blues’ end, where South Adelaide’s defence held up for as long as they could until Georgia King eventually made a breakthrough.

Soriah Moon again led from the front with several regular names absent, often pushing behind the ball to provide support.

A scoreless third term left the Panthers trailing by 19 points at three-quarter time.

Renewed effort in the final quarter saw some promising passages of play as the Panthers attempted to reel in the deficit, but their inaccuracy cost them once more.

From the out-of-bounds restart, an errant Sturt kick created an opening for Jaidee-Lee Shortridge, but her set shot from a tight angle drifted across the face of goal.

Caitlin Couch and Dolan linked up to return the ball inside 50, where Shortridge earned another look at goal, but it spilled through for another behind.

Sturt made the most of the change in possession, going up the other end to kick a goal.

Late behinds to Olivia Evans and Doreena Hansen contributed to a final tally of 1.8 for South Adelaide, as the Double Blues ran out the game comfortably.

Moon worked tirelessly and finished up with 20 disposals, ten clearances, eight tackles and 48 hitouts.

Chyer was the only goal kicker, as she picked up 19 disposals and seven marks.

Looking ahead, South Adelaide will be hoping to get back to winning ways in their Round 10 clash with Central District at the neutral venue of Stratarama Stadium on Saturday, 4^th July at 2:50pm.