Glenelg booked their spot in a third consecutive grand final with a thrilling win over Norwood, while the Redlegs' fairytale September campaign came to a devastating end.
Read all about it in this week's SANFL Wrap.
Glenelg 8.9. (57) def Norwood 7.13. (55)
Glenelg kept their hopes of a premiership hat-trick alive with a thrilling two-point win over Norwood, booking their spot in the 2025 grand final.
Up against a fiercely determined Norwood team that had the better of the play for much of the afternoon, the Bays were forced to work overtime to sneak home in the final seconds.
After a tight, combative contest in which neither side led by more than 12 points, Norwood's Tristan Binder had a chance to put the Redlegs in front with less than a minute remaining, but his shot sailed wide as the Tigers held on.
It was one of several gettable shots Norwood missed throughout the day, with the Redlegs left to rue a wasteful 7.13 in front of the sticks despite earning three more scoring shots and five more inside 50s.
In a highly contested and physical match, Glenelg's midfield stood up when needed to take control of the game, with Luke Partington (24 disposals and six clearances) leading the way with a productive display in the engine room.
Former AFL star Jarryd Lyons (17 touches and eight tackles) was prominent in much of the Bays' ball movement, while brother Corey Lyons (21 disposals) won some critical contests in the midfield.
James Bell (15 disposals, eight tackles and six clearances) offered plenty of physicality and pressure at the contest, as did Alex Martini (19 disposals and five clearances) after moving into the midfield in the second half.
Cole Gerloff (14 possessions and six tackles) had some important moments on the wing, while Cam McGree (23 hit-outs and four tackles) competed strongly in the ruck contests.
Jonty Scharenberg (23 disposals and 12 rebound 50s) was hugely influential across half-back and continually repelled the Bays from danger, while Nick Stevens (15 touches and six rebound 50s) also held up well under pressure.
Max Proud (10 disposals) showed his customary composure down back before suffering a punctured lung in a marking contest in the last term, with his intercept work a crucial factor for the Bays.
Karl Finlay played an outstanding lockdown role on Jackson Callow and kept the big Norwood man goalless, while Cooper Beecken and Brad McCarthy both competed strongly to curb their opponents in the one-on-one battles.
At the other end, Ken Farmer medallist Lachie Hosie was again the main threat in attack with two goals, although he could have had at least two more if not for some unusual inaccuracy.
Liam McBean fought through a tough match-up with Jack Heard to collect 14 touches and two goals, with the skipper working hard up the field to have an impact.
Matthew Allen kicked a vital final-quarter goal to go with 13 disposals, while Luke Reynolds kicked the opening goal of the game amid 10 touches of his own.
Small forwards Archie Lovelock and Will Chandler were also critical with their pressure at ground level and their ability to work up the ground, restricting Norwood's ball movement.
While Norwood were unable to continue their fairytale finals run, there was still plenty to like about their performance, with numerous players putting in impressive displays.
Nik Rokahr (29 disposals and seven tackles) was again industrious around the stoppages and racked up the footy, while Billy Cootee (22 touches and two goals) was damaging with his run and creativity on the outside.
Baynen Lowe (18 disposals, five clearances and a goal) spent more time through the midfield and won plenty of contested footy, as did Ben Simpson (20 disposals), who featured with his toughness in the clinches.
Finn Heard (19 disposals, nine tackles, seven clearances and 21 hit-outs) again worked tirelessly as an undersized ruck and was influential around the ground with his clearance and follow-up work.
Alec Wright (16 disposals) worked hard on the wing and offered crucial support pushing into defence, while Mitch Nicholas (15 touches) continued his emergence with another eye-catching game on the wing.
Pierce Seymour (17 disposals, eight marks and eight rebound 50s) was resolute at the back for Norwood and took several crucial intercept marks to relieve the pressure for his team.
Matthew Ling (20 disposals) and Cooper Murley (17 touches and five rebound 50s) offered plenty of run and dash from defence and launched countless attacking chains from the back half with their creativity and speed.
Jack Heard played an outstanding shutdown role on Liam McBean despite giving away significant height, while Tom Donnelly competed strongly against Lachie Hosie in the aerial battles.
Charlie Molan (18 disposals and two goals) was one of Norwood's most productive forwards on the day and took his opportunities around goal, while Jayden Gale booted one goal from nine disposals.
