Budget Previews for Round 21

[Wedgie]

PANTHERS MUST MAINTAIN PRESSURE

If South Adelaide can win its remaining three minor round matches, it will play finals.

It’s as simple as that for the Panthers, who face North at Prospect this weekend ahead of games against West at Noarlunga and Glenelg at Adelaide Oval.

And while South has plenty to play for, so too do the Roosters who are still a chance of grabbing the minor premiership and direct entry to the Second Semi-Final.

At Alberton, Port knows it cannot afford to stumble against lowly Sturt if it wants to play off in the major round, while Norwood needs to shrug off its dashed finals hopes as it hosts Westies at The Parade.

To cap off Round 21, Central and Glenelg will battle it out under the Hamra Homes Oval lights, with the winner to inch closer to a prized top-three finish. The match is of particular importance to the Bays, who only have one game left to play (vs South in Round 23) after their Doggy duel.


MAGPIES vs DOUBLE BLUES
Could things get any worse for Sturt? The poor old Blue boys have been humiliated in their past four outings and now face a desperate Port line-up which is hungry for a percentage-boosting win to enhance its precarious finals chances.

Sturt will take little consolation from the fact it has managed just two victories from its past 17 attempts against the Magpies, with the clubs’ most recent contest (Round 14 at Adelaide Oval) resulting in a 75-point success for Port.

With games against the Eagles and North to come, this is an absolute must-win for the Maggies. And they’ll want to win well!


ROOSTERS vs PANTHERS
Get ready for a goal spree! North and South are the two highest scoring teams in the comp (the Roosters average 122 points per game; the Panthers average 119), so expect plenty of flag waving from the goal umpires at Prospect.

South must maintain its winning form if it’s to break into the top five, and will take heart from a strong recent record on North’s home ground where it has won on six of its past seven visits.

Both coaches will no doubt implement their free-running, risk-taking approach to the match, which really could go either way.


REDLEGS vs BLOODS
Yes, Norwood is still a mathematical chance of making the major round, but let’s face it, only the most optimistic supporters would still be talking finals footy now.

The Redlegs do finish the minor round with games against Westies and the Double Blues, which they’d expect to win comfortably, but they need a host of other results to go their way. It won’t happen.

For the Bloods, a win this weekend would give their long-suffering fans something to smile about, but despite triumphing in their past three games at Coopers Stadium, another loss is on the cards.


BULLDOGS vs TIGERS
How much will Glenelg’s four-point defeat to North last week hurt its season? Instead of sitting a game clear in third spot, the Tigers’ place in the finals is unclear – a loss to Central and there’s a very real possibility they could miss the major round altogether!

Fresh from the bye, the Bulldogs know what it takes at this point of the season and would love to follow up their 68-point belting of the Bays in Round 12 with another victory.

If Glenelg is to win this game, it must overcome one of the longest current losing streaks in the League … the Tigers haven’t won at Elizabeth since April 18, 1992!



Courtesy of The South Australian Football Budget
Story by Kieran Hall

PS The mispelling is a ongoing in forum joke for those curious.

[MST]

"Sturt will take little consolation from the fact it has managed just two victories from its past 17 attempts against the Magpies, with the clubs’ most recent contest (Round 14 at Adelaide Oval) resulting in a 75-point success for Port."

Umm, I don't think so.

I think that may be a stat based on Sturt's Win-Loss in the last 17 at Alberton.

Our record against the Maggies over the last 6 or 7 years would still be in our favour.