ROUND TWENTY THREE
Saturday 25th of August

GLENELG 1.6 2.9 4.13 7.17 (59)
WEST ADELAIDE 1.5 3.7 4.9 5.11 (41)

Like many of Glenelg's games this season, it wasn't pretty, but the Tigers secured the points in tough conditions at Richmond Oval. Allan Bartletts' 200th game was played in appalling conditions with a constant swirling wind and intermittent driving rain. Glenelg thrive in these conditions and none did it better than Michael Raidis who was celebrating his return after a one week suspension. Ben McEntee looked dangerous all day up forward, while Justin Scripps came off the bench to kick two goals in the last quarter. McEntee looks just around the corner from a big goal haul and the finer September weather will assist him. He may well prove to be the star of the '99 SANFL final series.The pospect of McEntee and Cornes togethor is a tantalising prospect. The real force behind Saturdays' win was the Tiger midfied with Chigwidden, Burke, Carr and Higgins continiuing ther excellent recent form.
Glenelg must now rely on Port to defeat Sturt at Alberton to enable the Tigers to finish third and enjoy the double chance in the finals. With Liptak, Jameson and Golding all certain to return to the Glenelg side for the first final, and Cornes and Harwood possibles depending on their hamstring injuries, Glenelg are a definite premiership threat.
It is also worth noting that round 23 was the second time for season '99, that all Glenelg grades had a win.
The match report and photo are extracted from the "Sunday Mail."

BLOODS OUT OF THE RACE

By Doug Robertson.
Glenelg continued its inspiring run and climbed into third spot with a trademark tough, grinding 18 point victory to end a worthy West Adelaide's season in disapointment, at Richmond Oval yesterday.
Glenelg had to scratch out every minute of the scrappy, but at times tense, struggle to lift itself to third, but it has no guarantee of staying there for the start of next week's finals. The Tigers must rely on Port Adelaide accounting for Sturt today at Alberton to be certain of holding third spot and the crucial double chance. Sturt can pull level on points leaving the final five placings to decided on percentage, which might push the talanted Tigers to fourth spot above Norwood, which cannot be displaced from the five even if beaten today South Adelaide at Norlunga today.
Glenelg's win was not stylish - at times it was decidedly untidy - but the Tigers' tough, outer self refused to give in. The teams were seperated by no more than 1 points at any time during the game until Glenelg pulled away with cleaner use of the ball in the final 20 minutes.
Livewire Justin Scripps - a late replacement for David Grenvold (ill) - came on for his second run at the last change and provided the forward spark needed to break the deadlock.

He kicked two of the last three goals as Glenelg pulled away with 3.3 to nothing after West's Adam Richardson put the Bloods three points up eight minutes into the term with his third goal. Scripps and the eye-catching Ben McEntee (2.4) finished off the work, but it was Glenelg's runners in Matthew Bode, Nick Chigwidden, Josh Carr and Brett Higgins who finally broke Wests' strong back.
They had to battle for every touch for three quarters, but when the Tiger generators worked off opponents or created space with sheer hard running the game was decided.
West slightly over-used the ball in the swirling winds that howled across the groung all day. "Early we didn't play to instructions and we just didn't cover their blokes sitting off contests and they were able to win some footy," a satisfied Glenelg coach Tony McGuinness said.
Glenelg virtually squeezed out Wests' flow - although Matthew Twomey, Matthew Bruhn and Robert DiRosa kept at it - and eventually outworked the Bloods, who could have pressed for fifth spot (if Norwood lose) if it had won.
West looked dangerous when it used the ball economically and went direct to Richardson or Paul Patterson - who crowned his 200th game with a big mark and goal in the second term.
Mark Stewart dominated the ruck against Glenelg's makeshift unit, half-forward Tim Synes was hard-working, Richardson marked brilliantly in the conditions and should have kicked about three more goals while Jamie Andriske, Chris Chubb, Greg Mellor and Anthony Banik were hard at it.
But West lost and is finished for the year, leaving out of contract coach Michael Taylor to discuss possible reappointment in the coming weeks.
"Nine times out of ten they got it out in the packs," Taylor said. "They killed us around the packs. We waited for somthing to happen, but they made it happen. We didn't get the ball flowing, but when we got going and went forward to Richardson he took marks. I was happy with our blokes' effort and passion."

BEST PLAYERS: Raidis, Higgins, Carr, Chigwidden, Burke, Rouvray Viska, McEntee.
SCORERS: McEntee 2.4, Scripps 2.1, Higgins 2.0, Chigwidden 1.2, Bode 0.4, Hele 0.2, Bartlett, Nicholas 0.1 rushed 0.1.
INJURIES: Grenvold (ill) replaced in selected side by Scripps.
CROWD: 2076.

RESERVES: Glenelg 11.17 (83) defeated West 11.7 (73)
UNDER 19: Glenelg 15.11 (101) defeated West 10.6 (66)
UNDER 17: Glenelg 9.8 (62) defeated West 5.13 (43)