A seven-goal final quarter from Glenelg broke South Adelaide hearts, as the home side snatched a dramatic come-from-behind win at Stratarama Stadium.

With just 10 minutes left, South looked destined to secure a remarkable away win over a premiership contender. But three late goals helped the Bays escape with the points in a thrilling finish.

Many expected Glenelg to fine-tune their premiership push by putting on a polished display and overpowering the much-improved Panthers, but that wasn’t to be the case.

Two early goals in the opening five minutes to Luke Reynolds and Liam McBean may have sparked concern for South, but they refused to be overwhelmed.

Elliot Dunkin’s penetrating kick from full back sparked a promising attacking chain for the visitors, with Oscar Clavarino marking strongly before quickly handballing to the running Angus Bradley.

The in-form midfielder wasted no time finding debutant Cohen Shortridge on the wing. Taking the space ahead of him, Shortridge set his sights on a first League goal. Although his attempt fell short, Tommy Barrett gathered cleanly in the square and snapped truly for South’s first of the afternoon.

Oliver Davis and Callum McCarty worked tirelessly around the contest, playing key roles in clearance wins and driving South forward.

Glenelg’s dangerous forward line continued to trouble South’s defence, with Lachie Hosie finding space on the lead and converting from 40 metres on a tight angle.

South again responded under pressure, stringing together a sequence of quick handballs in congestion to break the Bays' press and find Davis in space. His deep entry hit the leading Corey Grocock, who capitalised with a composed set shot after a strong month in the reserves, trimming the deficit to nine points.

The Panthers pressed for a late major, but a rushed behind eased the pressure for Glenelg, who saw out the term with an eight-point lead.

South came out with intent early in the second quarter. When skipper Sam Skinner was infringed in a marking contest at half-forward, the ground opened up.

Although Skinner’s spearing pass missed its target, the follow-up pressure forced a turnover, allowing Barrett to mark unopposed 40 metres out directly in front. He made no mistake, doubling his tally and rewarding earlier defensive efforts from Will Splann.

While Glenelg responded quickly, South kept pushing. A long-range miss from Eamon Wilkinson was soon forgotten after a damaging rebound from Charlie Duncan at half-back.

The ball eventually found Finn Emile-Brennan, who streamed down the wing. Though his forward entry missed the target, he intercepted a loose handball in defence and found Shortridge, who slotted his first League goal to cut the margin to a point.

South’s defence held up impressively against Glenelg’s firepower. Clavarino and Kyle Marshall absorbed high entries, while Dakota Sterzl, Dunkin and Duncan provided constant rebound.

However, Glenelg’s ball movement saw them kick three of the next four goals to restore a two-goal lead - but South would finish the half with a flurry of its own.

A four-goal burst in the final 10 minutes from Emmanuel Ajang, Olivier Northam, Sam Skinner and Barrett flipped the script, handing South an 11-point lead at the main break. Barrett was proving a nightmare for Glenelg’s defence, with his pace, positioning and polish delivering a first-half hat trick.

The momentum rolled into the third quarter. Davis and McCarty linked up to pump the ball long to Skinner, who pulled down a contested mark and converted his third goal inside 45 seconds.

But Glenelg responded as good sides do, kicking back-to-back goals to bring the margin back to a single kick.

Northam continued to throw himself into contests, with one such effort leading to a goal for Grocock, who converted a set shot to steady the ship. Moments later, Grocock had the chance to join Skinner and Barrett on three goals, but his long-range shot faded wide.

South’s pressure remained relentless. A series of strong tackles from Shortridge, Grocock and Barrett led to a turnover and goal for Freitag, who snapped truly under pressure.

Another tackle from Grocock earned a free kick. Though his set shot fell short, Skinner nearly pulled down a contested mark before Barrett soccered the ball off the deck for his fourth.

Hosie kicked his third late in the quarter to reduce the margin to 16 points, keeping the Bays within striking distance at the final break.

South Adelaide were 30 minutes from their biggest win of the season—but Glenelg weren’t done.

The Bays burst out of the blocks with three goals in as many minutes to open the final term, erasing the deficit and putting South under serious pressure.

Every possession became a battle. Duncan’s releasing kick to Shortridge held in the air, but the debutant stood tall, taking a courageous grab under pressure.

Tom Wheaton’s tireless running provided an outlet down the line, and Wilkinson sent a long kick deep into the forward line. Though Glenelg scrambled to clear, Splann intercepted the dump kick.

A 25-metre penalty brought Splann into scoring range, and the defender coolly converted to nudge South back in front.

McBean booted his fourth to reclaim the lead, only for Skinner to answer with a classy snap from the boundary to give South the advantage once more.

With 16 minutes played, the intensity soared. Neither side could afford an error. After a six-minute stalemate, the umpire awarded McBean a ruck free kick inside 50. The tall forward calmly slotted his fifth to deliver a cruel blow.

Glenelg followed up with another centre clearance, resulting in a handball to Hosie, who snapped his fifth to give the Bays breathing room.

South kept fighting, but the gap proved too great. Hosie’s sixth goal in the dying moments sealed the win and shattered South Adelaide hearts.

After this weekend’s bye, South Adelaide will need to be at their best when they host undefeated Sturt at Thomas Farms Oval on Saturday, 2 August at 2:10pm.

South Adelaide have endured a second consecutive heartbreaker, going down to Glenelg by five points in a gripping top-of-the-table clash at Stratarama Stadium.

The Tigers burst out of the gates, kicking the first three goals of the match before the Panthers managed to settle.

Desperate to respond, South looked to their backline for resistance, with Jacob Sheean standing tall in defence—spoling strongly and launching a promising counter-attack.

Hayden Kernahan’s hopeful ball forward to Ben Shillabeer resulted in an aerial stalemate, but Glenelg’s weight of numbers allowed them to reset. However, a disastrous back-pass across goal was picked off by Ryan Borlace, who pounced—but his snap only registered a behind.

Lachlan Gill and Oliver Goss were lively around the contest, while Ben Ashley-Cooper brought plenty of physicality with strong and effective tackling.

After a sluggish start, South began to work their way back into the match. Austin Hogg’s missed opportunity mattered little, with the Panthers breaking their goal drought moments later.

Cody Lowe’s deep entry drew several high flyers, but it was Shillabeer who stayed down, gathering cleanly and strolling into an open goal—his first since returning from a lengthy injury layoff.

A clever dink from ruckman Tom Gillett launched another Panthers attack, with Shillabeer gathering the bouncing ball and snapping truly for his second.

Turnovers continued to hurt Glenelg, with Tye Gander soaring for a strong intercept mark at centre-half forward before finding Gillett on the lead.

Gillett made no mistake from a tough angle 35 metres out, levelling the scores as the siren sounded to end the first quarter.

The arm wrestle continued in the second term, but once again it was Glenelg who struck early, finding the opening goal within a minute.

As the ball bounced around on the wing, it was Ashley-Cooper who showed greater desperation, winning a crucial contest and sending the ball forward to Gillett, who was infringed by his direct opponent.

His set shot drifted wide, but South continued to apply pressure. The Bays were often their own worst enemy, committing several unforced errors across half-back.

Ethan Johnson capitalised on one such turnover, intercepting a poor kick and setting up Shillabeer to lace out the dangerous Gillett on the lead. This time, Gillett made no mistake, slotting his second and again levelling the scores.

Momentum swung once more, with Glenelg producing a devastating four-goal burst in just four minutes, opening up a 24-point lead and leaving South searching for answers.

Desperate to claw one back before the main break, South worked the ball forward. With Glenelg well set behind the ball, Shillabeer could only send in a high, shallow entry—but Borlace took a courageous full-stretch mark.

With time running out, Borlace quickly dished off to Gillett, who took a contested grab and finished with a classy checkside for his third, cutting the deficit to 18 points at half-time.

The third quarter proved to be a tight and physical contest, with neither side able to break through early. South’s defensive trio of Dayne McGary, Sheean and Lachlan Scott stood firm, denying Glenelg’s tall forwards.

Gander’s relentless work rate was on display as he pushed from contest to contest. A clever toe-poke forward eventually led to a Glenelg defender being pinged for diving on the ball, giving Gill a set shot and a 25-metre penalty to boot—making the goal a certainty.

South kept the pressure on. Tom Worthleytook a courageous mark under pressure and found Gill, whose long-range attempt narrowly missed.

Direct movement from defence and trusting their talls to compete was working for South. A free kick for a push in the back gave Borlace a chance, and his long bomb bounced through, reducing the margin to just five points.

Lowe’s agility and strength in the ruck were crucial in controlling territory, while Hogg and Ashley-Cooper continued to dominate the tackle and clearance count.

Both sides squandered late chances, and at the final change Glenelg clung to a slender five-point lead.

The first goal of the final quarter was always going to be pivotal—and Glenelg struck first, extending the margin to two goals.

But South refused to roll over. A ruck free kick allowed Lowe to send the ball deep, with Hogg marking strongly and converting from 35 metres.

Moments later, Shillabeer booted his third, levelling the scores and setting up a thrilling finish.

Ultimately, it was a moment of brilliance from Latrelle Sumner-Pickett that split the sides—his long-range set shot from the boundary prompting a roar from the Bays faithful.

A Glenelg behind extended the lead to seven, and although South continued to push, time was against them.

As the clock ticked past 20 minutes, Gillett threatened to snatch back momentum but his snap went wide. A strong defensive mark from Sheean gave South one last chance.

His darting pass found Patrick Chay, who launched it forward to a packed forward line. The ball spilled, but Lowe’s follow-up effort fell perfectly to a diving Shillabeer, who had a chance to level the scores with less than a minute to play.

In his first game for South since 2023, Shillabeer had the chance to be the hero—but his set shot drifted near side for a behind.

The Panthers had one final opportunity. With seconds remaining, Sheean bombed the ball deep once more. It came off hands and fell to Shillabeer again, but his hurried snap under pressure rolled out of bounds.

Glenelg took the last-touch free kick and held on, sealing a thrilling five-point victory and leaving South Adelaide devastated by another close loss.

After a well-earned bye, South Adelaide will look to bounce back and return to the winner’s list when they face Sturt at Thomas Farms Oval on Saturday, 2 August at 11:30am.