A six-goal second half powered South Adelaide to a spirited seven-point win against Port Adelaide at Magain Stadium, snapping an eight-game losing streak.

The South Adelaide Football Club was proud to take part in this year’s Sammy D Violence Prevention Round, thanks to the incredible team at The Sammy D Foundation.

Players wore blue armbands to show support for the Foundation and to send a clear message that violence has no place in our communities.

The opening stages of the first term were a tight arm wrestle, with both sides generating forward entries but failing to trouble the scorers.

Strong tackling pressure allowed South to rebound from half-back, with Angus Bradley kickstarting a promising attack.

Bradley’s long pass in front of Emmanuel Ajang was dangerous. but an awkward bounce saw it fall to Bailey Pilmore. A quick handball over the top saw Ajang stroll in and kicked the game’s opening goal.

South Adelaide’s ball movement looked threatening. Debutant Tye McManus had an early chance to find a leading forward, but his kick fell short.

Luke Bogle was first to the ground ball, collecting cleanly and snapping quickly—just missing to the near side for a minor score.

Port Adelaide capitalised minutes later. After a patient build-up, Christian Moraes roved a deep entry and finished easily.

A diving intercept mark from Dakota Sterzl temporarily halted Port’s momentum, but a spoil and turnover on the wing led to another chance.

Lachlan Charleson's set shot fell short, but Jack Lukosius would mark on the line and immediately find Ivan Soldo, with the ruckman converting from 25 metres to give Port the lead.

Olivier Northam battled strongly in the ruck and offered plenty around the ground. His long kick favoured Eamon Wilkinson in the pocket, but the dribbling effort went wide.

Around the contest, Ben Ashley-Cooper and Oliver Davis were influential, with Ashley-Cooper showcasing his strong tackling ability.

Following a behind from Port, South transitioned coast-to-coast through the middle. Several clean possessions ended with Will McCarthy finding Damon Freitag, who marked and strolled into an open goal to level the scores.

Despite several chances, South couldn't take full advantage late in the term. Two misses from co-captainSam Skinner meant they took a slender lead into the first break.

South opened the second term with fierce pressure, highlighted by Isaac Birt’s gut-running effort on the wing. He won the ball and found Skinner on the lead. The skipper wasted no time, sending it deep inside 50 to Ajang, who juggled a contested mark but pushed the set shot wide.

Both teams struggled to convert until Charleson showed composure to snap truly and put Port ahead by four points.

South’s rebound continued to trouble Port, with quick hands moving the ball forward again. Ajang attacked the ball hard, halving a crucial marking contest at half-forward.

McManus pounced on the loose ball, streamed inside 50, and kicked his first goal in League football. The crowd roared, but Port responded immediately, regaining the lead just before half-time.

Port made the perfect start to the third term, with Lukosius marking and converting from 25 metres out barely a minute in.

Northam continued to impose himself in the ruck, drawing a holding free kick and quickly moving the ball forward. It ended with Ashley-Cooper launching a long-range shot, but the tumbling effort was rushed through for a behind.

Oscar Clavarino was a rock in defence, dominating the aerial contests and nullifying Port’s forward entries.

South moved the ball with speed, as Ajang broke away down the wing and found Skinner inside 50. Instead of taking the shot from a tough angle, Skinner unselfishly passed to Wilkinson, who marked but missed the set shot.

It didn’t matter. South soon forced a turnover, with Skinner marking strongly and converting to reduce the margin to three points.

Skinner kicked his second moments later, after a deep entry from Birt and a free kick at the top of the square, giving South the lead again.

Elliot Dunkin’s run off half-back was crucial, slicing through Port’s structure with precision kicking. Port replied through Ollie Lord, but Freitag quickly responded for South to regain the lead.

The big forward proved a tough match-up, outmarking his opponent and kicking his third of the day.

As the final break neared, Northam won the centre clearance and sent the ball forward. Ashley-Cooper gathered and sent a high ball inside 50.

Wilkinson outmuscled his opponent and clutched the mark on his chest. His goal pushed the lead out to a game-high 16 points. South held firm to take momentum into the final term.

Once again, Port struck early. Jeremy Finlayson had a chance within the first minute but pushed his set shot wide. Lukosius converted his second to bring the margin back to nine, and it could’ve been even closer if Jack Whitlock had kicked truly minutes later.

Port kept coming, and Jackson Mead’s experience shone through as he finished a slick passage to bring the margin back to a single point.

Nich Weightman took a clutch intercept mark low to the ground and launched it forward, resulting in a contested grab to Ajang. However, his long-range shot drifted wide and was rushed.

South locked the ball inside 50, with immense forward pressure leading to an intercept by Will Splann. He weaved past his opponent and sent it deep.

Tom Wheaton rose above the pack and clutched a contested grab under pressure. His composed finish extended the margin to eight points.

Port pressed hard, kicking two behinds to make it a one-goal game in the final minutes.

South needed one more score to seal it, and they got it through debutant Tom Barrett. Breaking from a stoppage, he found Ajang in the pocket.

Ajang’s snap missed, but it proved to be enough. As the siren sounded, South held on for a hard-fought and emotional seven-point win.

South Adelaide will now look to make it two in a row when they host Central District at Magain Stadium on Saturday, 5 July at 2:30pm.

A ruthless South Adelaide outfit put North Adelaide to the sword with a commanding 97-point victory at Magain Stadium, led by a six-goal haul from forward Cohen Shortridge.

South made a fast start, with Finn Emile-Brennan using his precision by foot to find Shortridge in the forward pocket. The ball fumbled loose, but Shortridge managed to get boot to ball from point-blank range to open the scoring.

Phoenix Hargrave, looking to regain form after a quiet spell in the League side, made his presence felt early. The classy midfielder showcased his ball-winning ability and work rate around the contest.

North Adelaide’s poor ball use cost them dearly, highlighted when Harvey Lambert intercepted a kick-in, allowing Shortridge to soccer through his second and stretch the lead to 13 points.

There was little respite for the Roosters, with South Adelaide linking up effectively between the arcs and consistently finding targets inside forward 50.

Inaccuracy kept the margin in check, however, with both Lambert and Hargrave missing gettable chances—Lambert even slipping during his set shot.

Defender Dayne McGary continued his strong individual form, showing composure and aerial strength with several marks along the wing.

Shortridge’s hot start rolled on, capitalising on a 25-metre penalty to slot his third.

The warning signs were flashing for North Adelaide when Hargrave strolled out of the next centre clearance and found Tom Gillett, who drilled a long-range goal on the run.

Things worsened for the visitors when Blake Rodrigues delivered a dangerous inside-50 ball that saw Shortridge soccer through his fourth.

Moments later, a fortuitous bounce landed in his lap, and he coolly slotted his fifth. His teammates could hardly believe it.

At quarter-time, South Adelaide held a commanding 39-point lead.

South picked up where they left off after the break, with Cody Lowe marking and quickly playing on to find Corey Grocock in a dangerous position.

The forward, after a strong start to the League season, made no mistake from his set shot to continue the Panthers’ dominance.

North managed to generate some momentum, kicking two behinds and a goal to offer a brief response—but the task ahead remained enormous.

Although scoring slowed in comparison to the first quarter, South still moved the ball efficiently, with Emile-Brennan’s foot skills helping open up the field.

Tye Gander’s clean pick-up off the deck allowed Lambert to stroll inside 50 and kick a composed goal.

That would be the final major of the half, as South took a 41-point lead into the main break.

Hargrave remained a standout, using his vision and clean disposal to find Sam Foley in space early in the third quarter. Foley, enjoying a consistent season, finished truly to extend the margin.

South transitioned the ball with ease through the corridor, and Gander, surprised by the space afforded to him, hit up Grocock close to goal. His second goal pushed the margin beyond 50 points, and the signs were ominous.

In tight, Lachlan Gill thrived. His strength and composure under pressure allowed him to feed outside runners, giving South repeated opportunities in transition.

The contest entered a holding pattern after five straight behinds—three to South, two to North—but that soon changed.

After a somewhat fortunate high-contact free kick, Shortridge stepped up to kick his sixth, all but sealing the result.

South struck again in quick succession, with Emile-Brennan bursting from stoppage and drilling a stunning long-range goal from 55 metres.

By three-quarter time, the Panthers had opened up a 66-point lead.

With the result beyond doubt, both sides produced flashes of promise early in the final term, though accuracy deserted them.

Ethan Johnson continued to work hard, joining Gill, Emile-Brennan, and Hargrave among South’s top ball winners.

After ten goalless minutes, Zavier Maher gave North something to cheer about with their second—and ultimately final—goal of the match.

Hargrave’s forward entries remained influential, setting up Grocock once again. Despite some earlier inaccuracy, Grocock made no mistake from close range to bring up his third.

South’s dominance continued, with Oliver Goss snapping cleverly from a tight angle and Ryan Borlace finishing on the run to stretch the lead to 78 points.

When Johnson found himself alone at the back of a contest and kicked truly from point-blank range, the result was well and truly beyond doubt.

The Panthers refused to ease up, with late goals to Lambert and Gander, pushing their final tally to six majors for the term.

As the final siren sounded, South Adelaide secured a powerful 97-point win, boosting their percentage and retaining top spot on the ladder at the end of the round.

South Adelaide will look to make it seven wins from their last eight matches when they take on Central District at Magain Stadium on Saturday, 5 July at 11:50am.