Central District came from the clouds to record a remarkable qualifying final win over Sturt, Glenelg powerfully swept aside Woodville-West Torrens in the elimination final, while the Eagles said goodbye to three retiring champions.
Read all about it in this week's SANFL Wrap.
Glenelg 19.17.(131) def Woodville-West Torrens 8.12.(60)
Glenelg eased their way past Woodville-West Torrens to book a spot in next week's semi-final with a thumping 71-point victory at Adelaide Oval on Sunday.
The Tigers were at their sparkling best as they dispensed with the Eagles, with all parts of their game in top shape ahead of a do-or-die battle with Sturt.
The Bays' pressure around the contest was immense from the first bounce, denying the Eagles any time or space and forcing them into costly turnovers.
Despite losing the hitouts 53-16, Glenelg proved too strong at the contest, eventually winning clearances by nine and inside 50s by 21.
As has been their trademark over the past couple of years, Glenelg were more clinical with the ball in hand and moved the Sherrin with precision, giving their forwards quality chances to hit the scoreboard.
The shattering loss brings the Eagles' 2024 campaign to an end after a faltering back half of the season, having won only one of their last nine games.
It also brings to a close the careers of Eagles champions Luke Thompson, Matthew Goldsworthy and Jarrad Redden, who were farewelled with a guard of honour as they left the field for the final time.
The Eagles were also hampered on the injury front, with skipper Joe Sinor stretchered off in the first term after receiving a heavy knock while going back with the flight, while Cameron Fleeton didn't appear after half time and Josh Morris went off early in the last term.
Meanwhile, Glenelg look primed to continue their premiership defence, with winners all over the park doing their bit as the Tiger train starts to roll.
Former Sydney forward James Bell (25 disposals, seven clearances and a goal) was a dynamo through the midfield, while Matthew Allen (22 disposals and three goals) was a constant threat both up forward and in the midfield.
Corey Lyons (27 disposals and five clearances) and Matthew Snook (23 disposals and eight tackles) were consistent throughout, while Cole Gerloff (22 disposals and a goal) had some important moments.
Chris Curran (21 disposals and five inside 50s) continues to grow into his new wing role, while Billy Stretch (17 touches and two goals) was influential on the other wing.
Glenelg enjoyed a healthy spread of goalkickers, with Will Chandler (three goals) a dangerous attacking option, while Luke Reynolds (three goals) and Liam McBean (two goals) were reliable commodities inside 50.
Darcy Bailey (14 touches and four rebound 50s) was composed in defence, while Jonty Scharenberg (17 disposals) was important with his drive out of the backline.
Max Proud (14 disposals and six marks) was excellent behind the ball, moving on to the dangerous Connor Ballenden after half-time and largely nullifying his influence.
After enduring some difficult moments with Ballenden early, Oscar Adams blanketed the Eagles' Jack Wheare in the second half, while Will Gould played a solid game on Lukas Cooke.
First-year recruit Luke McKay (20 disposals and a goal) was a positive for the Eagles, moving through the midfield and showing great attacking flair.
Defender Sam Rowland (18 disposals and six clearances) moved into the midfield and looked comfortable in the clinches, while James Rowe (19 touches and five clearances) was clean with the ball as always.
Adam D'Aloia (20 disposals and four clearances) tried hard, while Zane Williams (17 touches and a goal) played mostly on the wing and provided some spark.
Luke Thompson (18 disposals and nine rebound 50s) was resolute in his final game, while Jordan Moore did a reasonable lockdown job on Liam McBean.
Jack Firns lined up on the wing alongside Curran in patches early, before being pushed back to defence where he battled hard.
Josh Morris (15 touches and seven rebound 50s) was an attacking weapon from half-back, while Zac Buck (16 disposals) blended defence and attack nicely.
Ruckman Jarrad Redden ended his distinguished career with one more sterling performance, collecting 38 hitouts as he provided excellent service to his midfielders.
Connor Ballenden (two goals and seven marks) battled fiercely in the air, while Matthew Goldsworthy was lively in his last match with three goals.
Sturt 5.9.(39) def by Central District 8.2.(50)
Central District produced a stirring second-half comeback to pull off one of the upsets of the season in defeating Sturt by 11 points on Sunday.
After kicking just one goal in the opening half and trailing by 30 points early in the third term, the Bulldogs suddenly burst into life and kicked the final seven goals of the game to eventually overrun the Blues late in the last quarter.
The Dogs finished full of running, keeping Sturt scoreless in the last term and to their lowest score of the season.ย
The result sends Central through to the second semi-final against Norwood next weekend, with the winner straight through to the grand final.
Meanwhile, Sturt's 13-game winning run has come to an end, with the Blues to now face Glenelg in a do-or-die semi-final.
Sturt's notoriously stingy defence was in full swing early on, denying the Bulldogs any space to find an option going inside 50 and repelling almost everything that came their way.
But as has been the case on several occasions this year, the Blues failed to capitalise on the scoreboard, wasting numerous chances to leave the door open for their opponents.
Central made the most of this fortune, nailing every opportunity to kick seven goals without a blemish after half-time to make Sturt pay for their inaccuracy.
As the Dogs slowly built some momentum, Sturt began to tire and space started opening up for the Bulldogs' playmakers who took full advantage.
Their pressure at the contest in the second half was outstanding, winning important first possessions and getting the game on their terms.
Crucially, Central's pressure denied Sturt their chip-marking game, restricting them to just 46 marks as they struggled to move the ball with any fluency.
The Doggies' defence was sublime in the second half, winning critical intercepts both in the air and at ground level with smart positioning and immense work rate.
In such a rousing comeback, Central unsurprisingly had key contributors all over the ground, with their matchwinners standing up when needed most.
With Magarey Medallist Harry Grant out of the team, Kade Dittmar stood up superbly, claiming 19 disposals, 10 tackles and 12 clearances in a herculean display.
2025 AFL Draft prospect Dyson Sharp (21 disposals and five clearances) rose to the occasion in his first league final, while Wilson Barry (17 touches and seven clearances) played one of his best games for the season.
Kyle Presbury (16 disposals and six tackles) had some big moments through the midfield, while Kai Pudney (13 touches and six tackles) played his part on the wing.
Aiden Grace (three goals) was a livewire up forward and lethal in front of the sticks, while Isaiah Dudley (12 touches and a goal) and Jai Larkins (14 disposals and a goal) were constant attacking threats.
Rhett Montgomerie (18 disposals and eight marks) was influential with his aerial work and kept Oliver Grivell almost entirely out of the game, while Jez McLennan had some key moments across half-back.
George Kendall was huge in locking away Connor McFadyen after half-time and took some crucial intercept marks in the last quarter, while Brinn Little kept Dan Fahey-Sparks quiet and was strong in the air.
Billy Iles (19 disposals) was an important attacking weapon out of defence and also curbed the influence of James Mathews, while Dayne Posthuma played a key role in shutting down the dangerous Josh Hone.
Despite ultimately coming up short, Sturt had several players stand up with lion-hearted performances that fans can take solace in.
The star midfield trio of James Battersby (21 disposals and 11 clearances), Will Snelling (23 touches and 19 tackles) and Tom Lewis (23 disposals and six clearances) could not have fought any harder for the cause and cracked in all day.
Amos Doyle (44 hitouts) and Daniel Fahey-Sparks (27 hitouts and three clearances) convincingly won the ruck duel, while Steven Slimming (20 disposals and a goal) was tireless in his efforts on the wing.
Will Coomblas (14 disposals and nine rebound 50s) steered the defence expertly with his reading of the play and aerial prowess, while Luke Edmunds was solid in negating Hugo Munn.
Connor McFadyen threatened to tear the game apart in the first half but was one of the main culprits in front of goal, finishing with 1.4 to let Central off the hook early.
