South Adelaide suffered a 37-point defeat to Woodville-West Torrens, who got to work in the heavy conditions after substantial rainfall throughout the week left Maughan Thiem Kia Oval soaked.

An injury-hit loss to the Crows in Round 9 saw Ryan Borlace and Seamus Mitchell ruled out during the game. 

Tye McManus and Lachlan Scott were brought in to fill the void, while Oli Northam returned in the ruck after nursing a knee complaint.

Mud and scattered puddles had players covered from head to toe, with pooled water splashing up from the surface and making for a contested stoppage grind.

Those conditions favoured the home side, their clearance dominance showing as the day dragged on to will the ball forward from the sloppy centre underfoot and put up a winning score.

Getting underway, the ball was locked in the Panthers’ back half, outside of an early set shot miss from Ben Shillabeer.

Emmanuel Ajang followed up to win a valuable ground ball on the counter, handing off to Riley Baldi, who went long to space from well beyond the arc, bouncing kindly for the goal.

A forgettable second quarter saw just the one goal kicked, as Zac Buck extended the Eagles’ lead amid multiple chances, with a rushed behind to the Panthers reducing the margin to 16 points at the main break.

The game opened up after half-time and was ultimately decided as Woodville-West Torrens created a buffer through superior ball movement. 

South Adelaide was often caught out by slow transitions, and although the weather remained relatively clear, the conditions still suited wet-weather football.

Oliver Davis and Arlo Draper did what they could to win the ball back, but the Panthers’ forward structure was repeatedly disrupted by a hardened Eagles defence. 

They went down the other end to kick three of the four goals recorded in the third term.

The Panthers’ only goal came when the Eagles’ defence was swamped by a pack of players and the ball was turned over, with Luke Bogle awarded a free kick for South Adelaide’s first goal since the opening quarter.

Frustrations boiled over at the three-quarter-time siren, with a scuffle breaking out before players were separated for the last change.

Baldi picked out Shillabeer, who ran back with the flight to take a strong mark and snapped a simple goal, but it would prove to be the Panthers’ last.

Woodville-West Torrens ran out the game to assert themselves on top of the SANFL League ladder.

Harley Sparks backed up his solid performance from last week to go one better, never giving in with 34 disposals, eight marks, seven clearances and a phenomenal 14 tackles.

Davis likewise did the hard work with 24 disposals, ten marks and nine tackles, as did Draper with 25 disposals, seven clearances and ten tackles.

Isaac Birt was often the connecting piece when the Panthers looked to rebound the ball, picking up 22 disposals and seven marks.

Will McCarthy and Oscar Clavarino were reliable in having to face the brunt of the Eagles’ attacks.

Goals were rare to come by on the day, as singles went to Baldi, Bogle and Shillabeer.

With the bye ahead, South Adelaide will have the opportunity to reset before returning to play Norwood in Round 12 at Magain Stadium on Sunday, 28^th June at 2:10pm.

A hard-fought and untidy affair saw Woodville-West Torrens claim a two-point victory over South Adelaide, handing the Panthers their second loss of the SANFL Reserves League season.

Little separated the two sides in the first half, with South Adelaide taking a one-point lead into the main break, but a three-goals-to-none third quarter from the home side left the Panthers with plenty of work to do.

Angus Bradley kicked the opening goal after reading the spill at the top of the goal square to squeeze one through, before going on to be a driving force through the midfield.

The Panthers won the second quarter off the back of Tom Gillett, snapping a clever goal out of the ruck for his first.

He added a second later in the term, running onto a deep entry from ruck partner Cody Lowe. Credit also belonged to Ben Ashley-Cooper, who threw himself at the contest and helped keep the ball alive for the assist.

After taking a lead into half-time with 3.3, South Adelaide’s forward efficiency evaded them in the second half, kicking 2.6 and finishing with 28 more inside 50 entries than Woodville-West Torrens.

Clearances fell in favour of the Eagles, and that advantage translated into scoreboard pressure during the all-important third quarter.

Goals to Corey Grocock and Gillett brought the margin back to within a goal midway through the last, but it would remain there until the final siren.

A frantic last-minute shot from the pocket by Harry Wadewitz travelled all the way to the line but was agonisingly rushed through.

Gillett narrowly missed a tough chance to put his side in front earlier in the quarter but could hold his head high with a standout performance of 17 disposals and three goals.

Bradley finished the day with a commanding 31 disposals, eight clearances, six tackles and a goal.

Nich Weightman made a confident return from suspension with 15 disposals and seven marks, while Michael Smith similarly covered the ground well with 22 disposals and six marks.

South Adelaide will have time to review the loss during the bye week, preparing to host Norwood in Round 12 at Magain Stadium on Sunday, 28^th June at 11:30am.