Adelaide held off a fast-finishing Glenelg in epic encounter, the Bulldogs kicked their highest score in nine years, while Port Adelaide registered their first win of the season.
Read all about it in this week's SANFL Wrap.
Sturt continued their undefeated start to the 2025 campaign with a comprehensive 41-point victory over arch rivals Norwood at The Parade on Thursday night.
The Double Blues were clinical from the opening bounce and arguably could have won by more, such was their dominance.
Aside from a quick three-goal burst from Norwood to start the third quarter, the visitors were never challenged and put their foot down with a five-goal last quarter that sealed the contest.
Even without captain James Battersby for the first time in 149 games, the Sturt midfield took complete control, winning clearances by 19 and inside 50s by a staggering 27 in a powerful display of football.
Former Essendon midfield-forward Will Snelling led the way with an incredible 40 disposals, 21 tackles and eight clearances as his superior work rate and ability to find the ball shone through.
He was well supported by Tom Lewis, who finished with 27 touches, eight tackles and an astonishing 14 clearances, proving unstoppable with his toughness at the stoppages.
Ex-Docker Mitch Crowden (32 disposals and six clearances) found plenty of the ball, while Jared Dakin (20 touches and two goals) did plenty of damage with ball in hand.
Amos Doyle (37 hit-outs and four clearances) and Daniel Fahey-Sparks (23 hitouts and four clearances) combined to dominate the ruck battle against rookie Marco D'Anunnzio.
Luke Edmunds was superb in defence as he shut down Norwood spearhead Jackson Callow, while state defender Will Coomblas patrolled the defence expertly and curtailed the influence of Tristan Binder.
Charlie Fryer stepped in for his first game of the season and took Jack Saunders out of the contest, while Rory Illman made life difficult for Norwood first-gamer Jacob Newton.
At the other end, Oliver Grivell, Josh Hone and James Mathews all booted two majors as the Blues spread the workload nicely inside forward 50.
On a disappointing night for Norwood, the hosts can take solace in the performance of several players who have made terrific starts to the year in difficult circumstances.
Billy Cootee (31 disposals, eight inside 50s and a goal) worked tirelessly for the hosts, while Nik Rokahr (28 touches and seven tackles) put in another fine display.
Indicative of how Norwood's season has started, it was the defenders who racked up plenty of the footy as it tended to live in their half of the ground.
Jack Heard (26 disposals and eight marks) was again superb under extreme duress, as was Pierce Seymour (26 touches and seven marks), who worked overtime as the loose man in defence.
Cooper Murley (23 possessions and seven rebound 50s) and Matthew Ling (19 disposals) continually repelled Norwood out of defence.
Jackson Callow (two goals and five marks) did his best with limited opportunities as the Redlegs' most likely forward on the night.
Woodville-West Torrens advanced to a 2-1 start to the 2025 campaign with a comfortable 38-point win against West Adelaide on Good Friday.
The Eagles led by as much as 62 points early in the last quarter before Westies managed to put some respectability on the scoreboard with the last four majors of the game.
West Adelaide showed some fight early and kicked three goals in the opening 14 minutes, but the visitors took control with six consecutive goals across the final change to see off the Bloods.
Pleasingly for coach Sam Jacobs, Woodville-West Torrens shared the load across the board, with a host of strong contributors on the day.
Kobe Mutch (29 disposals, eight inside 50s and a goal) continued his bright start to the year, while James Rowe (29 disposals and a goal) and Zane Williams (25 possessions and a major) were prominent with their speed and creativity.
Kade Herbert (18 disposals and eight tackles) saw more midfield time and put in one of his best league performances, while Sam Rowland (18 disposals and six marks) was typically reliable.
Emerging ruckman Jordan Lukac (14 disposals and 26 hitouts) was again impressive in the ruck battle with his athleticism and ability to follow up at ground level.
Max Beattie (24 touches and six rebound 50s) is thriving in his new half-back role, as is veteran Joe Sinor (23 disposals and six marks), with his calm decision-making a feature.
Max Litster (23 possessions and seven marks) was hugely influential in his intercepting role in defence, continually thwarting West Adelaide's attacks.
Former Brisbane Lions big man Connor Ballenden (nine marks and three goals) spearheaded the forward line with his strong marking, while Daniel Sladojevic (two goals) and Jack Hayes (19 disposals and 10 marks) provided good support.
Small forward Sam Nicholls (two goals) was lively with his speed and pressure, while Luke McKay used the ball well to finish with two majors of his own.
West Adelaide had midfield bull Sam Frost (30 disposals and seven clearances) lead the way with his ferocity at the contest, while Kobe Ryan (25 touches and four clearances) worked hard to find plenty of the ball.
Former Port Adelaide forward Tom Scully was a shining light for the home team, working through some heavy attention from Lukas Cooke to boot four goals along with some big marks.
Rookie Riley Hill (two goals) showed some positive signs with his sharpness around goal and cleanliness with ball in hand.
Callum Park (26 touches and 10 rebound 50s) and Jonti Schuback (22 possessions and 10 marks) were both busy across half-back and provided plenty of rebound from defence.
Liam Delahunty (18 disposals and 12 marks) was resolute in defence with his aerial work, while Adam Bunworth worked hard to negate the impact of the Eagles' small forwards.
Central District tallied their highest score in nine years on route to an emphatic 76-point thumping of North Adelaide at Prospect Oval on Good Friday
Having ranked seventh for scoring in 2024 despite making the preliminary final, the Dogs' new offensive focus clicked into gear as they put 23 goals past a helpless Roosters outfit.
While the game proved an arm-wrestle early, Central were able to move the ball with ease across the afternoon and continually set up quality shots inside 50.
The visitors also boasted a greater depth of contributors in the midfield, helping the Bulldogs to a stunning 49-25 clearance advantage and 19 more inside 50s.
Harry Grant (30 disposals, seven clearances and seven inside 50s) played a starring role in the engine room, while Leyton Chisolm (20 touches and five clearances) and Kade Dittmar (17 disposals, 11 tackles and 12 clearances) won the ball at will.
Mani Liddy (24 touches and three goals), Wilson Barry (19 possessions) and Kyle Presbury (19 disposals) found plenty of the ball and had an impact.
Ruck recruit Kobe Annand (14 disposals, 29 hitouts and eight clearances) continued his impressive start to life in Bulldogs colours, while Kai Pudney (24 disposals) was industrious on the wing.
Feasting on a glut of quality inside 50 entries, the Bulldogs' forwards all cashed in and took their chances in front of the sticks.
Aiden Grace recovered from a quiet outing against Glenelg to boot four goals, while Jake Gasper was lively with three majors.
Beau Thomas burst out of the blocks with three first-quarter goals to get his team off and running, while Nick Lange, Jack Tomkinson and Luca Whitelum all booted two goals.
George Kendall (15 disposals and five rebound 50s) put in a terrific performance at full-back, as did Rhett Montgomerie (18 touches and 13 marks) with his consistent intercept marking.
Star WAFL recruit Angus Schumacher (23 disposals, seven clearances and two goals) was again North's best player and a shining light on an otherwise bleak afternoon.
Fellow recruit Zavier Maher (20 disposals and five clearances) battled valiantly in the midfield as he continues to assume more responsibility in the Roosters' lineup.
Harrison Wigg (17 disposals and eight rebound 50s) was tireless on the wing, while captain Alex Spina (19 touches and six rebound 50s) worked hard in defence.
Jack McCann (15 disposals and seven marks) and Kyle Pfrengle (19 possessions) both had positive moments but were ultimately overpowered by sheer weight of numbers.
Adelaide clinched a four-point win over Glenelg in an epic heavyweight encounter at the Bay on Good Friday to maintain their unbeaten start to the season.
The two strongest sides in the SANFL slugged out one of the highest quality matches seen in recent memory, with neither team willing to give an inch.
Both outfits enjoyed periods of strong momentum and looked like deserving winners, leaving the contest on a knife's edge.
Adelaide led by 17 points midway through the last quarter and appeared set for victory, but were forced to withstand a ferocious Glenelg fightback as they gradually eroded the deficit.
The previous free-flowing, fast-moving footy suddenly disappeared as the pressure increased and both sides flooded the contest with extra numbers.
The Tigers peppered their forward line and goals to Matthew Allen and Luke Reynolds reduced the margin to under a goal in time-on, but were unable to find the winner in the chaotic final moments.
Last-minute SSP recruit Lachlan McAndrew again pushed his case for AFL consideration with another standout ruck performance, amassing 51 hitouts and two contested marks against state ruckman Cameron McGree.
Billy Dowling (23 disposals and two goals) put in one of his best state league performances that will have AFL selectors taking notice.
Charlie Edwards (24 disposals and five marks) put in another impressive display across half-back, while Brodie Smith (22 touches and five tackles) proved a dangerous weapon with his precise kicking.
Harry Schoenberg (22 possessions and six tackles) worked hard in the midfield, while Lachie Murphy (19 disposals and 10 tackles) continues to relish increased time around the contest.
Marquee SANFL-listed recruit Blake Drury enjoyed a superb afternoon at the office, collecting 25 disposals, nine clearances, seven inside 50s and eight tackles in a standout midfield performance.
Captain Jack Madgen was moved forward in the absence of Toby Murray and kicked three goals, while Chris Burgess fought hard to finish with two majors.
In a game that could have gone either way, Glenelg had no shortage of contributors who nearly dragged their team across the line.
Returning AFL star Jarryd Lyons (21 disposals, seven clearances and a goal) played primarily through the midfield and was prominent with his work in traffic and ability to find the footy.
Younger brother Corey (23 disposals and seven clearances) was also influential at the coalface and continually won first possession for his team at the stoppages.
Luke Partington (23 disposals) and James Bell (19 touches and seven inside 50s) also had an impact as the game went on.
Captain Liam McBean stood tall with four goals, including three in the space of 12 minutes in the second term to help rally his side, while Luke Reynolds also booted four goals and Lachie Hosie finished with two.
Max Proud (19 disposals and four rebound 50s) fought strongly to negate Chris Burgess and also had an impact with ball in hand, while Liam Wisdom and Oscar Adams were both solid in defence.
Brad McCarthy (18 touches and five rebound 50s) and Jonty Scharenberg (23 disposals) provided plenty of rebound from half-back and stood up well under pressure.
Port Adelaide registered their first win of the 2025 SANFL season with a highly entertaining 21-point victory over South Adelaide at Alberton on Friday night.
After losing their first eight games to start the 2024 campaign, the Magpies will be relieved to have an early win on the board as they continue to show signs of improvement.
Both teams played some quality football throughout the evening, but a barnstorming eight-goal third term broke the game open for the home side.
Port's off-season recruiting moves are paying dividends early in the season, with North Melbourne VFL recruit Jack Watkins again starring with 36 disposals, seven clearances and a sensational running goal in the third term.
Captain Nick Moore kicked a career-high four goals to go with 23 disposals and five inside 50s as he spent more time up forward.
Draftee Joe Berry responded positively to his AFL demotion with a dynamic performance that netted 23 disposals and two goals as he received some opportunities around the footy.
Dante Visentini (21 disposals, 25 hitouts and five clearances) and Ivan Soldo (18 hitouts) combined to easily control the ruck duel and give their midfielders first use of the footy.
Hugh Jackson (20 disposals and six clearances) put in a strong game through the midfield, while Tom Anastasopoulos (18 disposals) and SSP recruit Josh Lai (16 disposals) both had some positive moments.
Jeremy Finlayson pushed his case for an AFL recall, spending much of the night in attack to finish with 2.3 from 13 disposals and seven marks, while draftee Jack Whitlock booted two goals.
Logan Evans (19 disposals and six rebound 50s) and Dylan Williams (16 touches) were important playmakers off half-back with their ball use out of defence.
Jed McEntee (12 disposals and a goal) made a successful return from a lengthy injury lay-off and spent some time around the stoppages.
After being tagged out of the game against West Adelaide, Ollie Davis returned to form with 28 disposals and 13 clearances to lead the Panthers' midfield brigade.
Ex-Swan Jaiden Magor (25 touches and five clearances) played his best game back in Panthers colours, while Brad Jefferies (21 disposals) and Luke Bogle (18 touches and seven clearances) were also serviceable.
Snubbed draftee Phoenix Hargrave was another major shining light for the visitors, showing his skill and class in traffic to collect 16 disposals, four clearances and two goals.
Oscar Clavarino (18 disposals and seven marks) and Sam Skinner (12 touches and seven marks) held up well in the key defensive posts and competed strongly in the aerial contests.
Corey Grocock continued his bright start to the year with another three goals, while Noah Howes stamped his impact with three majors of his own and a couple of big contested marks.
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