SANFL Reserves & League Round 6

West Adelaide 12.9.81

Central District 13.7.85

Conceding a goal with 3-seconds remaining in the game resulted in a disappointing 4-point loss to Centrals on the weekend at Hisense Stadium.

In a hot first quarter, Ruckman Caleb May (18 disposals, 31 hitouts, and 2 goals) gave our midfielders opportunities to surge the ball forward 19 times but we kicked six behinds for our efforts. Centrals took advantage of our inability to defend quickly and counter to register the first goal of the game. But our ability to efficiently move the ball inside F50 eventually led to back-to-back goals by in-form forward Lachlan Tredwell. In a first for the season, we won the first quarter.

The second term was characterised by some inconsistent contest and defence from our team, allowing Centrals to win more contested possession and kick 4-goals to put us under pressure. A clever goal to small forward Riley McMillan kept us within reach and strong defending by emerging talents Lachlan Slattery (12 disposals, 4 R50), Hamish Dow (13 disposals, 6 R50), and Jack Sullivan (14 disposals, 4 R50) contained to deficit to 8-points.

To the boys credit, we responded with a 6-goal to 3-goal third-quarter. Big man Ray Harding (10 disposals, 4 clearances) moved into the Ruck and gave the likes of Harvey Bock (14 disposals, 5 clearances), Jed Obst (15 disposals, 5 clearances) Oscar Kregar (9 disposals, 5 F50s, 1 goal) more looks at winning possession. Tredwell converted his third goal for the game, followed by goals to dangerous small forwards Jonty Koehne and McMillan for his second goal. May pushed forward to kick his first for the game and Harding followed up with a classy goal, as we set up a 3-point lead going into the final term.

Moving into the final term, our contested work had improved but we were still slow to defend at times, allowing Centrals to move the ball with ease. We made some adjustments to our forward set up to win the game, which allowed us to kick three of the next four goals to start the fourth-quarter. Hansen kicked truly and Tredwell kicked his fourth goal for the match to give us the momentum. Caleb May took as strong mark as a deep forward and converted, setting up a hand 3 goal lead. But to Centrals credit, they kept fighting and won crucial clearances in the last 10 minutes of the match to kick 2 goals and keep them in touch. A spectacular goal to Kregar again gave us a buffer but Centrals quickly responded to cut the margin to within a kick. We failed to manage the final moments of the game, and Centrals kicked a goal with 3-seconds to go to take the win.

We are far from a finished product but there are lots of signs that have what it takes to compete each week.

Best players include: Ray Harding, Harvey Bock, Jed Obst, Caleb May, and Lachlan Slattery

Goals:

Lachlan Tredwell 4.1

Caleb May, Riley McMillan 2

Judd Hansen, Ray Harding, Jonty Koehne, Oscar Kregar 1

We now manage a 14-day break before taking on Glenelg at Stratarama Stadium.

Sam Elliott

Reserves Coach

Round 6 – West Adelaide (9.7.61) Vs Central District (18.9.117)

Firstly, on behalf of the club and our playing group, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all our West Adelaide mothers. On this Mother’s Day round, we acknowledge and appreciate your ongoing love and support—it means the world to our players and the entire club.

Unfortunately, Saturday’s performance against Central Districts was well below the standard we expect of ourselves. We were beaten soundly through the midfield, and while our contest and effort were at times acceptable, our fundamentals were extremely poor.

We were unable to absorb any real pressure. Some of our decision-making and skill execution simply weren’t at the level required to compete. The scoreboard reflected that harshly, with a 56-point deficit from turnover alone—largely due to our inability to move the ball cleanly, make smart decisions under pressure, and consistently execute the basic fundamentals of football.

At halftime, we had only recorded 9 inside-50s. With that kind of supply, we could’ve had prime Roger Luders, Adam Richardson, and Darren Bradshaw all stationed in our forward line and it still wouldn’t have made a difference. The issue started up the ground and ran deep.

Tom Scully was one of the few bright spots, competing strongly forward of the ball when given the opportunity. Outside of Tom, it was difficult to identify anyone who truly won their position on the day.

There is plenty for us to review, learn from, and address on the track this week.

– Adam Hartlett, SANFL League Coach.

Goals: Tom Scully (3.2), Harvey Griffiths (2.0), Isaac Johnson (1.0), Dylan McCormick (1.1), Joel Parker (1.0), Jesse Thackeray (1.0).

Best On Ground: 1. Tom Scully, 2. Isaac Johnson, 3. Kobe Ryan