South Adelaide fell short by six points to last-placed West Adelaide at Hisense Stadium, denying co-captain Jake Summerton a winning send-off in his final game.

With both sides already out of finals contention, pride was the only thing on the line. It was West Adelaide that started the contest brightly, kicking the first goal within two minutes.

A brilliant second effort from Olivier Northam in a ruck contest on centre wing resulted in a hacked kick forward by Charlie Duncan. The tumbling ball was expertly collected by Emmanuel Ajang, who converted a long-range effort under pressure to quickly respond.

Onballers Luke Bogle and Oliver Davis continued their strong individual seasons, often kickstarting South's promising attacks and providing defensive pressure through several tackles.

Precise ball movement from deep in defence sliced through West Adelaide's structure, with Davis marking in the forward pocket and converting his set shot from 30 metres out.

South Adelaide's lead increased moments later, thanks to chaotic ball movement from half-back that proved effective, resulting in a Ben Shillabeer mark and goal from the top of the goal square.

The run and carry provided by Elliot Dunkin and Finn Emile-Brennan were vital to South's ball movement, while Ajang continued to provide an athletic marking target up the ground.

Despite a promising 10-minute period from the away side, West Adelaide regained momentum and finished the quarter strongly.

Tom Scully's goal reduced the margin to just five points, while a long-range effort from Hamish Ellem nearly stole the lead back for Westies.

With moments left in the first term, Duncan had an opportunity to re-establish South's two-goal buffer, but his 35-metre set shot on a tough angle narrowly missed.

At the first break, South Adelaide held a slender four-point lead.

The second term was an arm wrestle for the first few minutes, with the ball mainly in South's forward half but without any reward on the scoreboard.

In his 100th League game, Eamon Wilkinson showcased his pressure and ability to release direct handballs after winning stoppages.

A holding free kick on the wing in the ruck contest led to a dangerous entry from Northam, which was judged best in flight by Corey Grocock, who marked comfortably on his chest.

South Adelaide looked set to kick the first major of the quarter, but Grocock's set shot from 25 metres out on a slight angle hooked left for a minor score.

In defence, Oscar Clavarino was a strong aerial presence, using his reach to take marks or disrupt contests. The tall defender was also proactive in moving the ball forward.

Callum McCarty's work rate and ability around the contest stood out, often positioning himself well to receive the ball and find South's outside runners.

After two minor scores, West Adelaide kicked the first and only goal of the term through Cade Kennedy’s long-range set shot to take the lead.

At the main break, West Adelaide's solitary goal was enough to give them a five-point advantage.

With everything to play for in the second half, South Adelaide wasted no time extracting the ball from the opening centre clearance and driving it forward for an early opportunity.

After receiving a free kick, Shillabeer wheeled onto his right foot and delivered a pinpoint pass to a leading Ajang, who converted his difficult set shot to give South the lead within a minute of play resuming.

However, the lead was short-lived. West Adelaide's pressure resulted in a forward-half turnover, with an unfortunate bouncing snap beating Duncan and opening the door for Harvey Griffiths to soccer the ball home from point-blank range.

Fast ball movement along the wing remained a consistent scoring avenue for South, with Shillabeer and Ajang linking up to find a hard-working Tom Barrett inside the forward 50. Barrett narrowly missed his set shot from a difficult angle, much to the delight of the home supporters.

Two goals in five minutes from West Adelaide saw the home side stretch out to a match-high 17-point lead, leaving South Adelaide with plenty to ponder heading into the final term.

In his final SANFL game, co-captain Jake Summerton showed why he had been such a consistent performer at the level for 150 games, getting a timely fist in against a taller opponent to stop a goal-scoring opportunity in the goal square.

Needing to take calculated risks, defender Nich Weightman played on from a mark, strolling along the wing before finding Ajang inside 50. Ajang took a strong mark under pressure but was unable to convert from outside the arc, though he remained a constant threat to his direct opponent.

Once again, fast and direct ball movement along the wing sliced through West Adelaide’s structure. Phoenix Hargrave impacted a contest to allow Will McCarthy to find Ajang in space. Eager to make amends for his earlier miss, Ajang was again unable to convert his set shot in the dying stages of the third term.

At the final break, West Adelaide had extended their lead to 16 points.

To secure a come-from-behind win, South Adelaide needed the first goal of the final term.

The home side nearly ended the comeback before it began, kicking the opening three scores of the quarter - all minor scores.

A daring play from Bogle in defence saw him kick to the middle of the ground, where Dunkin received a handball and fired the ball long down the line.

While no mark was taken, Hargrave remained composed over the tumbling ball, gathering it and finding Ajang all alone near goal. Ajang strolled in to kick his third of the match.

However, West Adelaide responded moments later through Scully, regaining their three-goal buffer.

Scoring became difficult following Scully’s goal, with Emile-Brennan's long-range behind the only score for over 10 minutes.

With time running out, an errant kick in defence gave Shillabeer a chance to reduce the margin to two goals, which he took with no mistakes from his set shot.

One goal quickly became two, with Ryan Borlace’s quick snap setting the stage for a grandstand finish with minutes to go.

A defensive mark from Summerton gave South one last chance to share the premiership points.

Summerton’s long kick down the line was brought to ground, but Shillabeer’s gather and hacked ball forward kept it moving. However, the ball was intercepted by Jonti Schuback.

The siren sounded moments later, securing a six-point win for West Adelaide.

With the season concluded for both sides, South Adelaide thanked its loyal fans for their unwavering support. We encourage everyone to continue backing the Reserves and U16s as they embark on their finals campaigns this weekend.

A six-goal opening term set the tone for a dominant team performance from South Adelaide, who strolled into the finals with a 90-point demolition of West Adelaide at Hisense Stadium.

South Adelaide couldn’t have started the contest any brighter. Onballer Jacob Collins received a slick handball from Harvey Lambert and snapped truly within 30 seconds of play.

The early dominance around the stoppage continued for South, leading to a second goal in as many minutes from Tom Gillett, who converted his set shot from a tight angle.

West Adelaide struggled to get their hands on the ball, and when they did, their errors opened the door for further scoring opportunities for the Panthers.

An errant kick across the face of goal gifted Cohen Shortridge an easy chance. The goal sneak made no mistake from 30 metres out, increasing South’s lead to 18 points.

The margin continued to grow as manic pressure from Callum Bennett forced another turnover from West Adelaide, with Tom Beaumont nailing a one-step finish from distance.

South Adelaide players continued to work hard for each other, creating high-quality scoring opportunities, backed by selfless acts of teamwork.

One example came when Shortridge, on the verge of a second goal, unselfishly found Bennett in a better position, who duly converted.

After nearly 20 minutes without a score, West Adelaide registered a behind. However, this minor score quickly resulted in an end-to-end transition, with Damon Freitag scoring an easy goal from point-blank range.

Riley Hill’s goal gave the home side a rare moment of celebration, but by then, the task was already looking too steep for Westies.

At the first break, South Adelaide held a healthy 34-point lead after a six-goal blitz.

West Adelaide hoped for a reversal of fortunes in the second term but once again found themselves under pressure.

Lachlan Gill continued his prolific season in the midfield, showcasing his ball-winning ability and precise delivery by foot across the ground.

Two quick goals from Freitag saw his tally rise to three for the match, pushing South’s lead out to 46 points.

Dakota Sterzl and Hugo Hoeck provided plenty of drive from behind the ball, while the reliable Max Clifton remained resolute in defence.

For West Adelaide to get back into the contest, everything had to go right. They created several chances but could only convert five behinds for the quarter.

South Adelaide, by contrast, was far more efficient in front of goal, with Cody Lowe, Shortridge, and Freitag (his fourth) landing cruel blows heading into halftime.

At the main break, South Adelaide had extended their advantage to 61 points.

The dominance continued into the second half, with Bennett using his composure to find Brad Jefferies all alone inside forward 50, where the midfielder converted under no pressure.

Gillett remained a difficult match-up, providing silver service to his midfielders and being a constant threat in attack, nearly adding to his goal tally in the third term.

After four goals in the first half, Freitag’s day got even better, with the tall forward making a 55-metre set shot look easy.

Despite the result being all but secure, Collins maintained his energy, laying several tackles and leading the way in clearances.

Sam Foley also impressed at stoppages, with would-be tacklers unable to stop the Tasmanian from kickstarting forward forays.

As three-quarter time approached, Shortridge converted his third of the afternoon, giving South Adelaide an 80-point lead at the final break.

After two goalless quarters, West Adelaide finished the match with an improved showing, kicking three majors in the final term to make it a competitive finish.

However, South Adelaide still won the quarter, with Collins, Freitag (his sixth), Gill, and Bennett putting the cherry on top of an emphatic team performance.

As the siren sounded on West Adelaide’s season, South Adelaide’s 90-point win gave the Panthers a massive confidence boost as they locked in a top-two finish and a home final.

South Adelaide will host North Adelaide in their Qualifying Final at Magain Stadium on Saturday, 30 August, at 10:30 am.