Sturt earned direct qualification to the grand final with a powerful win over Glenelg, Norwood kept their dream September run going after knocking off the Crows, while Adelaide suffered a straight-sets finals exit.

Read all about it in this week's SANFL Wrap.

Adelaide Crows 10.10 (70) def by Norwood 15.14 (104)

Norwood booked their spot in this week's preliminary final with an impressive 34-point win over Adelaide on Sunday that saw the Crows exit finals in straight sets.

Despite going in as underdogs once again, the Redlegs started brightly with three of the first four goals and never relinquished their lead in an outstanding display of football.

To their credit, Adelaide rallied on several occasions and continued to challenge the Redlegs' lead, but were unable to produce their customary fast ball movement consistently enough throughout the day.

Coming up against an Adelaide midfield stacked with AFL-listed talent, Norwood's engine room stood up superbly to take control at the stoppages and give their counterparts minimal time or space to work in.

After a quiet opening half, Billy Cootee showcased his quality in a stellar second half, finishing with 25 disposals, seven inside 50s and a goal as his speed and polish with the footy proved telling when the game was on the line.

Nik Rokahr (23 disposals and six clearances) again worked tirelessly at the stoppages to continually win first possession for his team, while skipper Jacob Kennerley led from the front with 17 disposals and two classy goals on the run.

Having spent more time forward in recent weeks, Baynen Lowe (23 disposals and two goals) returned to the midfield and had a huge impact with his burst from stoppage, while Ben Simpson (17 touches) was tough in the clinches.

Finn Heard (16 disposals, seven clearances and a goal) produced another lion-hearted effort as an undersized ruckman against Lachie McAndrew, with his follow-up work at ground level proving valuable.

Mitch Nicholas (19 disposals) played one of his most prominent games on the wing and epitomised Nowood's attitude with a brilliant run-down tackle on Sid Draper in the third term.

Jayden Gale enjoyed a dream afternoon up front for the Redlegs, booting a career-high five goals that included a sensational snap from the south-western pocket in the second quarter.

Charlie Molan (two goals) took his opportunities as a dangerous small forward, while Tristan Binder also kicked two goals despite some close attention from AFL-listed James Borlase.

Pierce Seymour celebrated his 100th league match in fine style, amassing 19 disposals, 10 marks and seven rebound 50s as he continually halted Adelaide attacks with his intercept marking.

Tom Donnelly played a valuable lockdown role on Crows tall Chris Burgess and limited his impact, while Jack Heard competed valiantly against Kieran Strachan despite giving away significant size.

Fifth-gamer Balyn O'Brien also fought strongly in his match-up against Tyler Welsh and kept him goalless, while Cooper Murley (19 disposals and five rebound 50s) was productive across half-back with his run and dash.

Despite the loss, Adelaide again had several players across the park press their case for AFL selection with noteworthy performances.

Midfielder Harry Schoenberg (26 disposals, 10 clearances and a goal) was the standout for the Crows, with his work rate and damage away from the stoppages sure to impress AFL selectors.

Lachie Murphy (21 touches and eight clearances) was shifted from the forward line to the midfield and was one of the Crows' most productive contributors, while Chayce Jones showed his versatility in gathering 18 possessions and eight rebound 50s.

Luke Nankervis (21 disposals) worked hard to find plenty of footy on the wing, and Lachie McAndrew (38 hit-outs) used his extra height in the ruck to win some quality taps for his midfielders.

James Borlase (15 disposals and five marks) was again prominent in defence and won some crucial one-on-one contests. Jordon Butts played a terrific shutdown role on Jackson Callow and kept him to just three touches.

Charlie Edwards (16 disposals) and Blake Drury (20 disposals) both had positive moments across half-back and launched numerous attacks from the backline.

Chris Burgess recovered from a slow start to finish with three goals in a valiant effort, while Kieran Strachan also finished with three goals and challenged the Norwood defence with his height and back-up ruck work.

Sturt 15.12 (102) def Glenelg 8.12 (60)

A commanding second-half performance propelled Sturt to a 42-point victory over Glenelg and direct qualification to the 2025 SANFL grand final.

Despite having the game on their terms throughout the afternoon, Sturt found themselves 12 points in arrears at the main break as Glenelg made the most of their limited opportunities.

However, the Blues soon kicked into gear with 11 goals to two after the main break to showcase their quality and win, easing up.

Sturt's frightening midfield power was on full display as their depth simply overwhelmed their Glenelg counterparts and ensured a 62-33 inside 50 count in their favour.

Former Bomber Will Snelling (29 disposals, seven clearances and 11 tackles) was again prolific at the stoppages as he continually racked up the footy and got the ball moving Sturt's way.

Newly-crowned Magarey Medallist Tom Lewis (26 disposals and two goals) put in another damaging performance that included two incredible snaps on goal that lifted his side.

Angus Anderson (27 disposals and seven tackles) also worked tirelessly in the clinches and won plenty of important contests, while Nick Sadler (19 touches and five clearances) rotated between the wing and midfield superbly.

Ex-Power speedster Martin Frederick (15 disposals) made a welcome return from injury on the wing, and Luke Giacometti (18 possessions and a goal) worked hard on the other wing.

Amos Doyle (13 disposals, 25 hit-outs and four clearances) controlled the ruck duel throughout and got involved around the ground as well.

Damaging half-back Casey Voss (33 disposals, 13 marks and six rebound 50s) enjoyed a stellar performance down back as the main architect of Sturt's attacking ball movement from defence.

Flynn Perez (21 touches) was also busy across half-back and blended attack and defence seamlessly, as did Henry Carey with his 17 possessions and four marks.

Zac Becker (16 disposals and seven marks) was important in negating Glenelg forward Luke Reynolds, while Luke Edmonds returned to the line-up and played a key role in keeping star big man Liam McBean to just one major.

Charlie Fryer competed well in his one-on-one duels with Riley Holder, while Alex Holt was diligent in his match-up against Bays' livewire Latrelle Sumner-Pickett.

Josh Hone overcame a quiet first half to have a big impact with four goals from 14 disposals. Sam Conforti was also dangerous around goals with two majors from 12 touches.

Former Lion Connor McFadyen chipped in with two goals, while Daniel Fahey-Sparks kicked one to go with 15 hit-outs as a reliable back-up ruckman.

While the Tigers were not quite at their best, star midfield recruit Jarryd Lyons (24 disposals, six inside 50s and eight clearances) stood tall for his team with another quality performance through the midfield.

James Bell (nine tackles and five clearances), Matthew Allen (14 touches and four clearances) and Luke Partington (14 possessions) all battled hard at the contest but were ultimately out-gunned.

Dependable veteran Max Proud held up superbly down back to finish with 17 disposals and nine marks. Jonty Scharenberg continued his outstanding form with 16 possessions and six rebound 50s.

Nick Stevens (16 touches and nine rebound 50s) put in another solid display and continually repelled the Tigers from defence, while Alex Martini competed well in the one-on-ones to keep Josh Hone quiet early.

Ken Farmer Medallist Lachie Hosie was again the main threat in attack for Glenelg, kicking 4.4 from 10 disposals and eight marks as he proved difficult to stop with his quick leads and strong marking.

Captain Liam McBean fought through a tough match-up with Edmonds to collect 14 disposals and 1.3, with the skipper unusually inaccurate in front of goal.

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