2020 SANFL Grand Final
Woodville-West Torrens Vs North Adelaide
In a year of ups and downs, the grand final matchup boiled down to the two most consistent teams meeting for a final showdown. It was hard to pick a favorite after North dispatched the Eagles in the semis, while the Eagles had the edge during both their regular round meetings.
Adelaide Oval was bathed in sunshine and filled a vocal and appropriately spaced 17,000 fans. As the siren went, it was North first out of the blocks with a major thanks to Ramsey. The nerves of both teams were evident as they scrambled hard at the ball but struggled to keep clean possession. Nonetheless, North showed poise with Wigg and Harvey taking strong marks under pressure. The Roosters were better at moving forward into their 50 and capitalising on the few opportunities that presented via Hender and Lebois. It was not until the 21st minute that Foote broke through for the Eagles to keep them in touch, but North were firmly in control at the end of the first quarter.
Not sure what happened at the break, but the Eagles must have finished their Wheaties and came out guns blazing. Scoring nine goals to a single, they blitzed the hapless Roosters who completely lost their way in the second quarter. North played right into the defensive game of the Eagles, moving the ball sideways and at a snails pace, where it was easily intercepted, or in the worst moments – they kicked directly to the Eagles players. Foote was in devastating form all over the ground and especially in front of goal, bagging three for the quarter and causing mayhem to the Roosters whenever they were in his vicinity. A handy pair of goals from Poole within 2 minutes and singles from Goldsworthy, McNeil, Von Bertouch and Rowe highlighted the strength of the Eagles team at large and they turned a 15 point deficit into a 35 point lead at half time.
The second half was all one way traffic for the blue green and yellow. The Roosters managed just one goal in the third quarter to the Eagles three, and it looked like the stuffing had been knocked out of North. The final quarter was a scrappy, low scoring affair with the Roosters pulling back a couple of late consolation goals, but the second quarter damage proved fatal and the Eagles ran out deserving winners by a 39 point margin. North will be very disappointed with their lackluster performance, and no doubt some soul searching will be in order prior to season 2021. Congratulations to everyone at the Woodville West Torrens Club on a fantastic win and season!
No Comments