South Adelaide has held onto fifth spot on the SANFL League ladder, defeating West Adelaide by 25 points after a clinical first quarter provided the platform for the win.

The fixture was originally scheduled for Richmond Oval, but heavy rainfall the previous weekend caused significant water damage to the club’s facilities, forcing the match to be relocated to Noarlunga.

Welcoming back skipper Oscar Clavarino from a hamstring issue and Seamus Mitchell from concussion, South Adelaide took the field in their Redtails First Nations jumper, designed by dual Panthers premiership player Doreena Hansen.

The inclusions delivered a timely boost for the Panthers in what was expected to be an even contest on paper, with South Adelaide flying out of the blocks.

Jack Delean got things started, converting the set shot from a neat inside kick by Angus Bradley.

Relentless forward pressure was rewarded after a clean pickup from Finn Emile-Brennan, with his handball out to vice-captain Oliver Davis setting up the Panthers’ second goal.

West Adelaide key forward Tom Scully responded for the Bloods, but it would be their only goal of the quarter as the Panthers pushed ahead.

The standout passage of play began with Arie Schoenmaker’s booming kick out of full-back to the wing, ending up with Emile-Brennan, who set sail for a terrific coast-to-coast goal.

His first quarter only got better as he fancied himself from outside 50, running off the mark to nail his second.

Eamon Wilkinson joined in the fun as everything seemed to fall in place, not before young tall Ryan Borlace brilliantly clutched onto a contested lead-up mark to convert.

From a similar position to the opening goal, Delean slotted another set shot to cap off the Panthers’ best first quarter in 2026, built off sheer clearance dominance.

The Panthers’ ability to generate scoring from turnover and sustained pressure on the ball carrier again proved decisive, particularly off the back of their forward efficiency.

It continued on after the break, Bailey Pilmore taking the ball off the spill from Delean, followed by a clever Luke Bogle finish out of a pack to stretch the lead out to 47.

South Adelaide opted for a two-ruck system to combat one of the SANFL’s emerging ruckmen in Caleb May, with Olivier Northam and Borlace sharing duties.

Borlace was nearly the beneficiary as he roved his own ruck contest and attempted an incredible snap at goal, but it missed across the face.

Made to fight, West Adelaide battled hard to tighten up their contest work and slow the game down, kicking two goals before half-time.

A quick goal to Emmanuel Ajang from the first centre ball-up of the second half threatened to blow the game open again, but two Bloods goals pulled it back.

Both sides then failed to capitalise on their opportunities, resulting in a frustrating eight straight behinds. Five of those were kicked by West Adelaide, making their task even harder.

The fourth quarter commenced with a 15-minute back-and-forth exchange, but South Adelaide held steady as Ajang and Wilkinson finished with two goals each, while Delean added three to all become multiple goal-kickers.

The goal-for-goal run was eventually snapped by Northam, who rested forward and added his name to the scoreboard. 

West Adelaide would end up matching the Panthers with 23 scoring shots, but tellingly fell by over four goals.

Davis punished the Bloods through the middle in a defining first quarter and remained influential throughout, finishing with 28 disposals, nine tackles and six clearances. 

Arlo Draper worked alongside him, leading the team with seven clearances and also playing a key role early.

The returning Mitchell and Clavarino, along with Isaac Birt, were dominant in the air, each reaching double-digit marks for a combined 33 between them.

Fresh from an appearance with the State Team, Emile-Brennan was the line breaker of the first quarter, ending with 19 disposals, six inside 50s and two highlight-worthy goals.

Borlace, playing in his first League game of the season, impressed late with a strong fourth-quarter performance, showing good hands and ruck craft to finish with seven marks and a goal.

Having won three of their last four, South Adelaide will be tested by reigning premiers Sturt in Round 8 at Magain Stadium on Sunday, 31^st May at 2:10pm.

South Adelaide continued their strong SANFL Reserves form with a comfortable 37-point win over West Adelaide at Magain Stadium.

Harry Wadewitz, Oliver Goss and Jake Gasper all dribbled home the Panthers first three goals to set up an early lead.

Their dominance on the game was reinforced in the second quarter, as they piled on seven unanswered goals either side of the first change. The surge was driven by the performances of Phoenix Hargrave and Corey Grocock, with both eager to push for selection back into the League team.

The pair hit the scoreboard, Grocock with two, while another looking for a recall in Tom Gillett joined them. Wadewitz would also kick his second of the game during this run.

It started at stoppage, as Grocock’s two goals came in quick succession from centre clearances. The connection between the midfield and forward line proved the difference.

Down by 46, West Adelaide staged a momentary fightback, though it amounted to little, with Grocock adding two more goals for the Panthers’ only majors of the third quarter.

The last quarter belonged to Goss, who picked off an errant Bloods kick inside the Panthers’ forward 50 before following up with a snap over his shoulder for his third goal to put the game out of reach.

Rebounding out of defence, the Panthers raffled it on the goal line with Gasper kicking his second. Minor scores from both teams rounded out the game.

The senior team experienced players proved pivotal for South Adelaide, led by Hargrave’s 20 disposals, seven inside 50s and one goal, alongside Grocock’s four-goal haul. Charlie Duncan gathered 12 marks and 22 disposals, 18 of them kicks, while Gillett had a big day in the ruck with 20 disposals and 30 hitouts.

Goss’ performance was hard to ignore among them though, finishing with three goals and 24 disposals to help the Panthers finish off the Bloods.

Will McCarthy and Elliott Duffield patrolled the back half, combining for 16 marks between them.

Other key contributors included Austin Hogg and Jesse Nye, who had an equal team-high four clearances.

Riding a four-game winning streak, South Adelaide turn their attention to Sturt in Round 8, with the game set for Magain Stadium on Sunday, 31^st May at 11:30am.