Sturt earned a crucial win against Norwood over the weekend, Central ended their three-game losing run and Glenelg took top spot with a hard-fought win over North.
Read all about it in this week's SANFL wrap.
South Adelaide 8.14.(62) def Adelaide Crows 8.7.(55)
South Adelaide fought off a spirited Adelaide outfit to claim its second win of the SANFL season and move further away from the foot of the ladder.
Despite playing the better footy for much of the day, South's inaccuracy in front of goal kept Adelaide in the game and almost cost them the win.
Enjoying a dominant third quarter in which the ball was largely parked at their end of the ground, South were unable to kill off the contest, with scores reading 7.12 to 5.3 at the final break.
Kicking three unanswered goals on each side of three quarter time, Adelaide reduced the deficit to just eight points heading into time-on.
South steadied with a fine goal from recruit Finn Emile-Brennan from the pocket, rendering Charlie Edwards' goal after the siren for Adelaide inconsequential.ย
Fielding an inexperienced squad featuring two debutantes, it was South's younger brigade that showed plenty of promise in a sign of what the future might hold.
First-year midfielder Tom Wheaton was named the breakthrough player of the round after collecting 16 disposals and two goals, while Elliot Dunkin was also influential across half-back with 31 disposals and seven rebound 50s.
Key forward Sam Hindes was impressive in his first game, making several smart leads inside 50 and kicking two goals, while fellow debutant Bailey Pilmore caught the eye with his ability to find space up forward and finished with 1.3.
Jacob Collins was another bright spot in the midfield as he racked up 23 disposals and four clearances, as was Nic Schroder in defence, who locked away Lachie Gollant and kept him to just one goal.
Angus Bradley also put in a solid performance as a high half-forward, working up the ground and finding 19 disposals and four inside 50s.
These young players were well supported by senior players such as Kobe Mutch, who had a huge influence on the game with his 32 disposals, 24 of which came in a massive first half before receiving some attention from Zac Taylor after the main break.
Veteran Hayden Sampson was prolific with his 30 touches and six inside 50s, while Ollie Davis played a key role in the middle and was often opposed to Luke Pedlar.
Cameron Kirkland never stopped running on the wing and was an important connector in South's transition play as he gathered 18 disposals.
Jake Summerton was prevalent throughout the contest, taking several strong marks in defence, while Sam Skinner negated Adelaide's Toby Murray and was a strong aerial presence.
For Adelaide, Reilly O'Brien was dominant in the ruck, amassing 20 disposals and 32 hitouts, while Luke Pedlar played the entire game in the midfield and found 26 disposals and nine clearances in a sublime display.
Nick Murray continues to progress nicely in his recovery from an ACL injury, piloting the backline with 22 disposals and nine marks while also keeping Damon Freitag to just two goals, one of which was scored on another opponent.
Ned McHenry got more involved the longer the game went, while new AFL draftee Toby Murray showed his versatility, kicking two goals in attack, winning nine hitouts in the ruck and also spent time in defence locking down on Sam Hindes.
Dan Curtin showed plenty of spark as a rebounding defender, taking the game on at every opportunity to set up several attacking chains.
Zac Taylor played another terrific game in the Adelaide midfield, racking up 18 disposals and nine clearances, while Charlie Edwards found four clearances and also pushed forward for two majors.
Woodville-West Torrens 7.12.(54) def by Central District 8.12.(60)
Central District got their season back on track with a gutsy six-point win against Woodville-West Torrens on Saturday.
Coming off three consecutive defeats and clinging to a place in the top five, Central conceded the first three goals of the contest and trailed at every break before storming home in a spirited performance.
The Bulldogs' defence was key to the victory, keeping the Eagles to their lowest score of the season and shutting down their usually potent attack.
Both sides were inaccurate in front of the sticks, but the Eagles were left to rue several missed chances in a goalless last quarter, with Max Beattie and Zane Williams both fluffing crucial chances.
Centrals' win was made all the more meritorious given their injury troubles throughout the day, with key ball-winner Kyle Presbury going down in the first term while George Kendall and Dayne Posthuma both left the field with injuries in the last quarter.
A win for Woodville-West Torrens would have seen them move to the top of the ladder; instead they now sit fourth having lost both games against the Bulldogs this season.
Magarey medallist Harry Grant returned after an injury layoff and was crucial in the win, finding 26 disposals and seven clearances as he added much-needed grunt at the stoppages.
Kade Ditmarr was another key contributor with his 17 touches and five clearances, as was Jai Larkins with 24 possessions and five clearances.
Captain Jarrod Schiller spent much of the game up forward and kicked two goals, including a clutch set shot late in the last that proved to be the game-winner.
Jake Gasper was also lively in the front half with two goals, while Aiden Grace proved a handful for Eagles full-back Jack Firns and could have finished with a bag if not for errant kicking, booting 1.3.
Beau Thomas delivered one of his most impressive displays at league level, taking several big contested marks including a massive pack mark inside 50 late in the piece that took crucial seconds off the clock.
At the end Jez McLennan (28 disposals and nine marks) and Billy Illes (19 disposals and seven inside 50s) were pivotal rebounding weapons that started many of Centrals' attacks.
George Kendall was superb in his duel against Patrick Weckert, keeping the young Eagle to just three possessions with his strength in the aerial contests.
Posthuma was a welcome return to the Bulldogs' backline and kept first-game Eagle Jack Wheare under control for much of the game.
Despite the loss, Woodville-West Torrens had plenty of contributors and showed enough to suggest they will be around the mark when September arrives.
Connor Ballenden was a massive presence yet again, kicking three goals and taking four towering contested marks as he continually provided a strong marking target down the line and inside 50.
Sam Nicholls proved a dangerous threat around the goals, kicking two majors and ensuring Billy Illes remained accountable throughout the contest.
Luke McKay played mostly forward of the ball and could have had a big day if not for inaccuracy, kicking 0.3 and keeping star intercept defender Rhett Montgomerie on his toes for the entire day.
Adam D'Aloia was a wrecking ball through the midfield again, claiming 25 disposals and 10 clearances, while Zane Williams (27 disposals and seven inside 50s) and James Rowe (19 disposals and a goal) were both important contributors.
Luke Thompson was typically dependable in defence with his 21 disposals and seven rebound 50s, as was Josh Morris who collected 17 touches.
Jordan Moore was effective in blanketing Hugo Munn and keeping the big man goalless, while Jarrad Redden won the ruck duel with his 31 hitouts and three clearances.
Glenelg 12.12.(84) def North Adelaide 10.12.(72)
Glenelg surged to the top of the SANFL ladder with a 12-point win over North Adelaide at the Bay on the King's Birthday Monday.
After enduring a slow start to the season, the Tigers have now won their past five games and are starting to reclaim the form that saw them win last year's premiership.
They were made to work for it by a determined North Adelaide outfit, who mounted several challenges throughout the day but could not hold the momentum for long enough.
While playing some decent football in recent weeks, North have been unable to get their season going, now sitting 4-5 and still outside the five at the halfway mark of the year.
Both teams made good use of a strong breeze favouring the southern end, with 15 of the game's 22 goals kicked to that end.
North had first use and kicked the first three majors to take a 21-point lead into the first break, before Glenelg responded in the second term with six goals to one to take the lead at half-time.
Matthew Allen again played a starring role for the Tigers and was a major difference between the two teams, finding 22 disposals, seven inside 50s and two goals in a damaging display.
Riley Holder continued his good form in the ruck, following up his ruck work at ground level to collect 19 disposals and seven clearances.
Corey Lyons (18 disposals and seven clearances) and Matthew Snook (20 disposals and six clearances) were constant threats through the middle, while Jake Walker again caught the eye with his burst from stoppage, winning five clearances.
James Bell spent more time in the forward line and kicked two goals, as did Liam McBean and Luke Reynolds who worked tirelessly all day to provide scoring options.
Chris Curran (19 disposals and 10 rebound 50s) was a key distributor out of defence, while Darcy Bailey and Jonty Scharenberg (both 19 disposals) both played important roles.
There were several positives to take away for North Adelaide, including the form of Charlie Dinning, who relished more midfield time to rack up six clearances and five inside 50s.
Harrison Magor also spent more time around the ball and found plenty of it, finishing with 29 disposals and four clearances.
Campbell Combe (17 disposals and five clearances) and Harrison Wigg (31 disposals and four clearances) were key contributors through the middle.
Mitch Harvey continued his revival as a key forward to boot two goals and take the lead in the Ken Farmer Medal race.
Nigel Lockyer was busy in the forward line and kicked three goals, including a monster 70-metre bomb that sailed through on the breeze on the cusp of three quarter time.
Captain Alex Spina was outstanding in defence, collecting 24 disposals and 13 rebound 50s as he expertly patrolled the backline.
Sturt 9.11.(65) def Norwood 5.7.(37)
Sturt climbed into the top three with a stirring win over old rivals Norwood at a packed Unley Oval on the King's Birthday Monday.
With almost 7,000 fans in attendance, Sturt claimed its fourth successive win and sent Norwood tumbling from top spot with its second loss in as many weeks.
The Redlegs led by a point going into the final term, but were held scoreless from then on as Sturt piled on four unanswered goals to win easing up.
Before then the game had been a dour struggle between the competition's two best defensive teams, with neither side able to break away from the other until the final term.
Sturt's midfield was dominant from the outset, consistently winning first possession and getting the ball moving their way, resulting in a lop-sided 55-30 inside 50 count.
The deadly trio of captain James Battersby (21 disposals and seven clearances), Will Snelling (27 disposals and eight tackles) and Tom Lewis (20 disposals and 13 tackles), were simply too powerful and overwhelmed the Redlegs in the end.
Sam Conforti had a huge impact on the game, kicking three goals including two in the decisive final quarter that helped Sturt control the momentum.
Connor McFadyen also played a key role in the win, finding 18 disposals and kicking two goals as he worked up the ground as a marking target down the line.
Casey Voss was seemingly everywhere in the defensive half for Sturt, amassing 26 disposals and eight rebound 50s as he proved impassable.
Will Coomblas enjoyed another stellar outing in defence as he killed off almost every Norwood attack in his area and kept Connor McLean to just six touches and a goal.
Understated defender Rory Illman roamed the defence with intent and was a big reason why Norwood could not exit its own defence, taking several important intercept marks.
Guy Page was excellent in completely blanketing Norwood's Jayden Gale, restricting him to just four disposals and no impact on the game.
Harry Boyd once again led the way for the Redlegs in the ruck, finding 16 disposals, 45 hitouts and a game-high eight clearances.
Skipper Jacob Kennerely spent more time in the midfield and battled hard to earn his 16 disposals and six clearances, as did Ben Simpson (19 touches and five clearances) and Henry Nelligan before he went off injured (team-high 11 tackles and a goal).
Jackson Callow did well to fight off the close-checking Luke Edmunds to kick three goals and take a couple of tough marks inside 50.
In a defence that was under siege for much of the afternoon, Tom Donnelly managed to keep Josh Hone to just eight touches and no goals, while Tom Graham largely shut down Lachie Burrows and nullified him in one-on-ones.
Alastair Lord was effective in keeping dangerous Sturt small forward James Mathews in check, while Declan Hamilton had the better of his duel with Luke Giacometti.
