South Adelaide’s valiant fightback was ultimately undone by a dominant second half from Woodville-West Torrens, who powered home to a 35-point win at Maughan Thiem Kia Oval.

The Eagles surged away after half-time, piling on seven goals to two, following a spirited second quarter from the Panthers that briefly gave the visitors the lead at the main break.

In his milestone 100th SANFL League game, dual premiership Eagle Jack Hayes got the home side off to a flying start, kicking the first goal inside 50 seconds.

From there, the Eagles controlled the opening term with clean hands and superior forward efficiency. 

South Adelaide brought plenty of heat around the ball but couldn’t match the hosts' composure under pressure. 

The Eagles slammed through the first six goals, stretching the lead to 37 points before the Panthers finally responded. 

A defensive mark from Emmanual Ajang led to an end-to-end passage, finished off by Noah Howes from point-blank range, giving South their first goal late in the quarter. 

Still, the Eagles took a commanding 31-point lead into the first break.

South’s response in the second quarter was impressive. Led by midfielders Tom Wheaton, Oliver Davis and Callum McCarty, the Panthers lifted their intensity around the contest. 

Their forward pressure began to pay dividends, with Phoenix Hargrave converting a difficult set shot to kickstart the comeback. 

South’s momentum continued as Cody Lowe kicked truly after a slick passage of play, and Liam Fitt added another to keep the scoreboard ticking. 

A composed chain through the middle led to Lowe’s second goal - another beautiful set shot - reducing the margin to just 10 points.

South’s defence, marshalled by Sam Skinner and the returning co-captain Jake Summerton, continued to repel attacks and transition the ball with purpose. 

Fresh off a strong performance in the reserves, Angus Bradley showcased his speed along the wing and delivered a ball inside 50 towards an eager Brad Jefferies. 

A free kick downfield allowed Jefferies to compose himself and bring the Panthers within a kick as half-time fast approached. 

South eventually took the lead for the first time in the match after Luke Bogle’s opportunistic soccer goal gave his side an unlikely three-point advantage at the main break, capping off a six-goal term.

With the scoring end in their favour, the Eagles came out strongly after half-time. While they registered a trio of behinds early, they eventually capitalised with three unanswered goals. 

South Adelaide found it difficult to move the ball cleanly, struggling with pressure and blustery conditions that made kicking difficult. 

The ruck battle proved to be an arm wrestle. Olivier Northam showcased his ability to win clearances around stoppage, but his direct opponent continued to keep him honest around the ground.

Jaiden Magor and Elliott Dunkin were often the most dangerous options on the outside of the contest, with the latter using his penetrative kicking to get over the Eagles’ defence. 

Although not through lack of trying, the Panthers were held scoreless for the term, while the Eagles reclaimed a 22-point advantage heading into the final quarter.

South needed an early goal in the last term to keep their hopes alive, and after a strong tackle by McCarty and a deep inside-50 entry, Howes was awarded a free kick and converted from close range to bring the margin back to 16 points. 

But the Eagles responded immediately, with James Rowe slotting a goal to steady the ship. From there, Woodville-West Torrens flexed their muscle. 

A coast-to-coast play resulted in a superb finish from Max Beattie, and two more goals followed as the home side stretched the lead to a game-high 41 points.

South continued to fight, and Howes capped off his strong performance with a third goal late in the quarter, but the contest had long been decided.

Despite a promising second quarter, South Adelaide were outclassed by a clinical Woodville-West Torrens side that boasted experience and polish in key moments. 

The Panthers will now look to regroup ahead of a clash with Glenelg at Magain Stadium on Saturday, 31 May at 2:30pm.

A stunning six-goal final quarter has seen South Adelaide storm home to a brilliant 32-point come-from-behind victory over Woodville-West Torrens at Maughan Thiem Kia Oval.

Looking to leapfrog the Eagles into second spot on the ladder, South came out firing, dominating territory and forward entries in the opening minutes. 

Tye McManus almost delivered the opening goal with a clever snap that was rushed through on the goal line, and Charlie Duncan later hit the inside of the post with a long-range effort. 

Despite South’s overwhelming forward pressure, it was the Eagles who struck first on the scoreboard, making the most of limited opportunities to kick the first goal of the match.

South continued to push forward, with Ryan Borlace marking strongly after a smart entry from Harvey Lambert, only to miss his set shot - the Panthers' fourth behind for the term. 

Meanwhile, the Eagles remained clinical, adding 15 unanswered points to push their lead to 18. 

Ben Ashley-Cooper worked hard around the ball and had a late opportunity to trim the margin but missed to the near side on the run. 

South looked dangerous rebounding off half-back, with Duncan and Finn Emile-Brennan using their kicking skills to slice through the Eagles’ defensive structure. 

Nonetheless, South trailed by 16 points at quarter time.

The Panthers were again wasteful early in the second quarter, registering their sixth behind for the match.

However, the breakthrough finally came when Bailey Pilmore capitalised on a turnover from a kick-in and calmly slotted South’s first goal.

Moments later, Pilmore doubled his goal tally with a clever snap after gathering a loose ball in space. 

South’s midfield began to lift, with Lachlan Gill busy around the stoppages and Cameron Kirkland providing strong run and carry from the wing. 

After a stoppage deep in attack, Emile-Brennan tried to find a leading Borlace, who collected the misplaced pass and handballed to Kirkland for a composed snap to bring the lead to three points. 

Minor scores to Damon Freitag and Emile-Brennan closed the gap even further before the Eagles snatched a late goal against the run of play to extend their lead to eight points at the main break.

The hosts landed the first blow of the second half with an early goal to stretch their lead to 14 points. 

South, needing a spark, found one through Tye Gander, who took a strong contested mark and converted after missing an earlier chance. 

However, the Eagles responded with two quick goals to re-establish their buffer. 

Duncan’s ball use continued to be a highlight, repeatedly finding targets around the ground, while Jay Chapman and Emile-Brennan also added drive from half-back.

Pilmore kept South in touch with his third goal, thanks to a free kick and 25-metre penalty, cutting the margin to three goals heading into the final quarter.

The fourth term belonged entirely to South Adelaide. Within a minute, Borlace gathered a ground ball and burst inside 50 to slot a goal that immediately reduced the margin. 

South Adelaide’s pressure ramped up significantly. Ashley-Cooper delivered a strong fend off and found Gill by hand, who snapped truly from long range to bring the margin under a goal.

At the other end, Dayne McGarry continued to control the skies with several intercept marks, underlining his push for League selection. 

Then, in a game-changing moment, McManus pounced on a loose ball in the goal square and soccered it through to give South the lead for the first time since the first term.

Behinds to Gander, Kirkland and Blake Rodrigues kept the pressure on, before Kirkland intercepted a poor Eagles clearance and calmly slotted his second goal to give South breathing space. 

The win was sealed with late goals to Cohen Shortridge and Freitag, as the Panthers piled on six unanswered goals to run out 32-point winners.

It was a ruthless and energetic final term from South Adelaide, who now look ahead to a top-of-the-table clash with ladder leaders Glenelg at Magain Stadium on Saturday, 31 May at 9:40am.