Despite a gallant effort, South Adelaide were unable to cause an upset and progress to this year’s grand final, with West Adelaide securing a 44-point Preliminary Final win at Thomas Farms Oval.

South Adelaide started the contest brightly, with Zemes Pilot winning the first centre clearance of the match, causing plenty of chaos for the West Adelaide defence.

While no one could take the mark, Max Gregor gathered cleanly below his knees and fired out a direct handball to Jayden Jameson, who snapped truly on his right to get his side off to a flyer.

Hudson Boal continued where he left off from the semi-final win against North Adelaide, leading the way in the midfield through his relentless ball hunting and clearance work.

South had a chance to double their goal tally when Tyler Harris timed his run off the back of the stoppage, but his long-range effort on the run was always drifting wide for a behind.

The miss mattered little, as South’s frontal pressure forced a turnover at half-forward. Jayce Potter dumped a deep entry towards Joel Wigzell, who received a free kick.

Wigzell snuck his right-foot snap just inside the post, continuing South Adelaide’s prolific start and extending his side’s lead to 13 points.

Deklan Warren used his strength to out-body his direct opponent in the ruck contest, giving him time and space to deliver quality hit-outs to his on-ball brigade.

South’s purple patch continued, with Nathan Flesfadar intercepting on the wing after a strong chase from Hewston Fitzgerald, before firing a pass to the leading Wigzell inside forward 50.

Although Wigzell’s set shot fell short, Darcy Campbell-Kearney read the pack better than anyone, roving and snapping from point-blank range to increase the lead to 19 points.

West Adelaide needed a desperate response—and they got one. Four straight goals to end the first term saw a 19-point deficit turn into a six-point advantage, much to South’s frustration.

As the second quarter began, West Adelaide had clearly seized the momentum and made it count on the scoreboard.

Two goals in the opening five minutes increased the margin to 18 points, sounding alarm bells in the Panthers’ camp.

Dale Shearer, Sam Walsh and Salvatore Zito battled manfully in defence despite West’s quality forward entries, while Potter continued to use his foot skills to pierce through the Bloods’ structure.

South struggled to halt West’s momentum, with the Bloods adding two more majors to make it eight unanswered goals.

It took a brilliant solo effort from Pilot in the 18th minute to register South’s first score of the quarter. The talented utility gathered the ball one-handed, brushed aside a defender and launched from long range—just sneaking it through for a behind.

It would prove to be South’s only score for the quarter, leaving them with a mountain to climb after the Bloods’ four-goal-to-none term extended the margin to 34 points at the main break.

The first goal of the third term was always going to be vital to South’s chances—but West’s ninth straight goal dealt a cruel blow.

Boal continued to battle hard around the contest, while Oliver South and Caleb Hyland looked to work themselves into the match with strong effort and defensive pressure.

Percy Burgoyne’s second goal brought up an unwanted milestone—10 unanswered goals for West Adelaide—but the Panthers refused to lie down.

Moments later, South finally broke the drought. Oliver South fired out a handball to Wigzell, who snapped truly for his second and cut the margin to 41 points.

South threatened to go back-to-back when Pilot won the next centre clearance and found Wigzell again—but his snap was offline.

It didn’t matter for long, as Oliver South found space in the forward pocket and converted to give South their first consecutive goals since the opening quarter.

Just like earlier in the match, however, West responded—this time through Burgoyne, who slotted his third to again halt South’s momentum.

Despite the sizeable margin, the Panthers kept fighting. Campbell-Kearney added his second after combining cleverly with Oliver South and converting on the run from distance.

At the final break, South trailed by 33 points and needed a huge final quarter to mount a comeback.

To kick-start the unlikeliest of turnarounds, South desperately needed the opening goal—but the early stages of the term proved to be an arm wrestle.

As they had all day, West found a goal when it mattered most - converting the first major of the quarter to put one foot in the grand final.

South continued to defend with determination, with Zito launching a desperate spoil and Walsh willing himself to touch a shot on the line for a rushed behind.

Quick ball movement along the wing presented a chance for Oliver South, but he was unable to convert his second major.

Ultimately, Laurence Andriani’s first goal all but sealed the match, extending West Adelaide’s lead to 47 points.

Both sides struggled in front of goal late, with five straight behinds following before Burgoyne capped off a standout performance with his fourth major.

Two late goals from Pilot added some respectability to the final score, but it was West Adelaide’s dominant second quarter that laid the foundation for their 44-point victory.

As the siren sounded on South Adelaide’s season, the club would like to thank its loyal supporters for their unwavering support throughout a proud and successful season.