QUALIFYING FINAL

EAGLES 2.1 3.6 8.10 11.13 (79)
GLENELG 2.7 7.5 8.7 10.8 (68)

The game started well for the Tigers with Higgins goaling in the first minute. Shortly after Glenelg full back Sherwood was stretchered off, after a sickening collision.
After a tight first term, Glenelg kicked 5 goals to 1 in the second term to hold a 24 point lead at half-time. Raidis injured his hamstring in the second term and took no further part in the match after half time. Martin Mellody was sensational accross half-back and was the source of many attacking moves. The usual on ball brigade of Picioane, Kelly Chigwidden, Bode and Carr were on top in the second term to give Glenelg the edge.
Early in the third term, Golding collided with Gigney. He was off the ground for only a short time, but never seemed to recover. Biglands started to dominate in the ruck for the Eagles. They started to win the centre breaks and gradually got on top all over the ground. The Eagles handled the ball more cleanly and were much more direct. Glenelg failed to move the ball accross half-foward with any system, and as a result neither Cornes or McEntee were able to have a major impact. The Eagles kicked 5 goals to 1 in a match winning third term. Despite a strong challenge from Glenelg (who had a fairly strong breeze) the Eagles, with Golding off and Gigney in the ruck, held sway in the last term, running out 11 point winners.
Glenelg will now face Norwood in the cut-throat first semi final next Sunday. Much will depend upon the availability of Raidis and Sherwood. Norwood who were impressive in defeating Sturt by 39 points in the elimination final, also have injury worries. Direen and Tamblin will certainly miss and Harvey and Bassett are also injured, although both are expected to play.
The match report and photo are extracted from "The Advertiser."

VICTORY WORTH THE WAIT

By David Burtenshaw.
It was a long time coming but worth the wait for Woodville-West Torrens.
Overawed by the opposition and the occaison in the first half of their first final for three years, the Eagles staged a remarkable qualifying final come back to conquer Glenelg by 11 points and book a semi-final date with minor premier Port Adelaide on Sunday.
Glenel, more composed and surer with its disposal early, walked off at half-time with all the momentum and a 23 point lead.
But the alarm bells went off loudly in the third quarter when the Eagles, inspired by ruckman Rhett Biglands and the introduction of Robert Pyman and Matthew Kluzac to the forward line, surged to the lead with 5 goals. Both teams then won credit points with a frantic and tense finish.

Both defences controlled play in the first quarter. But Glenelg started to create holes in the last 14 minutes of the second term, adding 4 consecutive goals. Wingman Simon Hele, midfielders Richard Kelly, Matthew Bode and Nick Chigwidden and a defensive unit led by Martin Mellody, under-rated Michael Raidis and full back Damien Gigney were providing countless opportunities for their forwards.
Fortunately for Mickan's outfit, the work of centre half-back John McCarthy, captain Andrew Rogers, Adam Pearce, Jason Dylan and Gavin Colville limited the damage. Enter Pyman and Matthew Kluzac to engineer the breakthrough. Pyman, reading the play to perfection snared 2 goals and gave away another while the older Kluzac brother starred across half foward as the Eagles started to find space. Biglands, who started to jump over Matthew Golding in the second term, became dominant in the centre square and with Dylan, slippery Darren Holland, Adam Ugrinic and Matthew Whelan providing the zip, Glenelg started to struggle to get to the contests.
The loss of Raidis (hamstring) and a heavy knock to Golding also did not assist the Tigers, who managed just one goal in the third term. Glenelg came home with the wind but it was the Eagles which hit hardest first, goals to Dylan and McCarthy pushing the margin to 17 points.
Exciting forward Ben McEntee goaled to reduce the gap, rover Sudjai Cook grabbed the mark of the year, and after Eagles rookie Matthew Pavlich missed his chance to seal the result, another strong mark by Rodney Jameson made the difference 4 points.
But Matthew Kluzac dragged down a big mark on the edge of the goal square and gave the Eagles the ticket to play Port.
Best afield was McCarthy, the former Fitzroy forward, whose arrival at Woodville this season at the age of 32 caused some debate. Dropped to the reserves last month, he has responded with three great league games across half back.

After the match Glenelg coach McGuiness said: "They (the Eagles) ran hard in the third quarter and created a lot of opportunities - everything we did in the first half."
"It was a clssic case of a team which worked harder... simple as that. There are different levels of workrate and you have got to be working at an intense level in a final all day."

BEST PLAYERS: Mellody, Picioane, Kelly, Chigwidden, Carr, Golding, Gigney.
SCORERS: McEntee 2.1, Higgins 2.0, Bode 1.3, Nicholas 1.1, Mellody, Cornes, Picioane, Jameson 1.0, Carr 0.1, rushed 0.2.
INJURIES: Sherwood (concussion), Raidis (hamstring).
CROWD: 14,590.