South Adelaide are bound for their first SANFL Reserves Grand Final appearance in 19 years after taking down minor premiers Glenelg at Stratarama Stadium in the Second Semi Final on Saturday afternoon.

Having already defeated the Tigers away in Round 5 earlier in the season, the Panthers kicked the opening five goals to establish control and set up the win.

An early period of frantic football saw the ball sent down both ends of the ground, signalling the nerves.

It took 16 minutes for the path to goal to open up for the Panthers, with a quick and direct turnover created from half-back allowing Callum Bennett to power through the finish from one-out in the forward line. 

Fortune favoured the brave as Ben Ashley-Cooper went back with the flight to hold onto a clearance kick from a returning Max Clifton, calmly converting his chance.

He would crash a messy stoppage immediately following his goal, urging the ball forward to Ethan Johnson.

Cohen Shortridge then found room to compose himself from the tight angle, making a difficult chance look easy as he slotted the Panthers’ third.

Lachlan Scott denied the Tigers’ attack, punching through for a behind on the line to keep them goalless and hand South Adelaide the perfect start.

The bold ball movement continued in the second quarter as ruckman Cody Lowe went with the aggressive kick, finding a released Archie Van Dyk on the run, who then found Charlie Duncan inside 50.

Van Dyk measured his kick with precision to allow Duncan to mark overhead, finishing off a well-deserved goal.

Glenelg began to find clearer shots on goal as they searched for a way back into the game, but they continued to be their own worst enemy with their poor conversion.

Ticking into time-on, Cain Florance pulled down a spectacular one-handed mark, only matched by his drop punt from the boundary.

The home side endured a frustrating half, registering seven behinds without finding a goal.

It was a long time coming for Glenelg’s first goal, but they kicked the opener of the third term through Tom McKay.

Up against the run of play, Bennett kicked his second courtesy of some slick work from youngsters Van Dyk and Florance down the outer wing.

The quarter belonged to the Tigers, however, with Charlie Robinson-Cay’s double cutting the margin back to a nervous nine points with one quarter to play.

Not willing to let the golden opportunity escape them, the Panthers found another gear to send them through to the decider.

Shortridge eased the tension with a goal inside thirty seconds, using his body to nudge his opponent out of the one-on-one contest.

With all on the line, Bennett was dumped into the turf after taking a mark on the paint of fifty, earning a 25-metre penalty that brought him into range, which he duly converted.

Infrequent rain began to fall as South Adelaide flooded back to protect their lead.

An overlap handball found Jesse Nye on the run, with the midfielder kicking a decisive major off his left boot.

A goal apiece rounded out the game, as Shortridge toed through his third to cap a remarkable day of accuracy for the Panthers, finishing with 10.2 in tricky conditions.

Duncan led all comers with 25 disposals, six marks, five inside 50s and a goal.

Lowe was pivotal around the ground, picking up 19 disposals, four clearances and 36 hitouts.

Van Dyk was given the keys through the middle, showcasing his potential with 23 disposals, seven clearances and seven inside 50s.

Florance and Nye helped apply relentless pressure without the ball, laying eight tackles each.

Bennett and Shortridge both stood up when it mattered most, bringing up their third goals in the final term.

The Panthers’ 27-point triumph sends them straight through to play for their fourth Reserves premiership in the club’s 150-year history.

South Adelaide will await the winner of Glenelg and Woodville-West Torrens next week to find out who they will face in the 2026 SANFL Reserves Grand Final at Adelaide Oval on Sunday, 20^th September.