SANFL 2006 ROUND 15: WEST
ADELAIDE v STURT
Sturt young guns light the way for
West
By STEVE BARRETT
IT IS time for
Any doubts over this being the correct form of action prior to
Saturday's disheartening 55-point loss to the Double Blues at Broadspectrum Oval have now been wiped out.
Among the 21 to see action for Sturt on the weekend, no less than 10
were aged 20 or under, while 11 possessed less than 15 games of senior SANFL
experience, including three debutants.
The Bloods fielded six players in the 20-and-under category themselves,
including debutant defender Alex Hutchins, promoted from the under-19s.
This trend must continue and even be expanded on in order for West to
achieve anything positive from an otherwise catastrophic season.
West threw the challenge at the Double Blues for a while in the third
period but some appalling skill errors and terrible execution prevented the
home side from making any serious inroads.
Despite some waywardness in front of goal, the fourth term was all
Sturt.
The visitors piled on the pain for the Bloods after three-quarter-time,
outscoring them 4.9 to a measly three behinds,
increasing the gap from 25 points at lemons to 55 at the final siren.
Aided by a sturdy breeze, the Bloods, through a couple of
majors to Luke Jericho, led by five points at the end of an often untidy and
scrappy opening quarter.
That margin was quickly made to look inadequate when Sturt booted the
opening four goals of the second term to set up a 20-point lead at the half.
A combination of Sturt being crushed by injury to key personnel and
some quality ins for West, including Adelaide Crows-listed players Scott Welsh
and Jericho, meant the home side was as close to an even-money bet as it had
been for some time.
Following the match, a far different picture was painted and the
Bloods, looking palpably a far inferior side to eighth-placed Sturt in skills
and precision, now appear certain to collect their second straight wooden
spoon.
West coach Wayne Weidemann held a players'
meeting behind closed doors after the game.
“There were three things highlighted,” he said.
“One was that we were uncompetitive, the second was our skill level and
the third thing was our decision-making.
“It (the meeting) certainly wasn't nasty – it was an honest meeting
where the blokes have identified three areas that we need to work on this week
in preparation for our next game.
“I'm responsible to a degree because I'm the coach, but at the end of
the day the playing group has to take some responsibility for their actions on
the field.
“If we do the same things as we did (on Saturday), we won't win next
week, I can tell you right out.
“We won’t win another game unless we address those issues.''
SCORES: Sturt 2.0 7.3 10.6 14.15
(99) defeated
BEST: Sturt - O'Keefe, Feast, Sheedy, Curtis, Weatherald, Thurstans, Hurley,
Glover, Dragicevic,
Vanderloo, Haynes, Slattery, Grieger.
GOALS: Sturt - Chambers 6,
O'Keefe 4, Weatherald 2, Hurley, Paley;
West -