Bays to strengthen finals berth against the Bloods
By Jayden Hill

It’s not surprising that Round 10 of the SANFL season was an absolute cracker of a round, much like the previous nine rounds. There were upsets, nail-biters, and great brands of footy being played. This season like no other is quickly coming to a close with only one month of minor round football to come. For some clubs, this means pushing for a finals berth, Glenelg is one of those teams. The Bays are on the edge of the finals race and will be looking to push their claim, with a win against the Bloods on Saturday. 

One of the nail-biting games last round was on Sunday between the Bays and Roosters, with the Bays holding off a fast-finishing Roosters, to win by two points! Last week’s win was very important, as they are sitting one game and percentage in front of the Redlegs, who they beat in round eight. Apart from a 41-point loss to the Panthers in round nine, the Bays have played some great football lately, winning four out of the past five games.

Matthew Snook and Luke Partington continued their solid seasons last Sunday, collecting 26 and 27 disposals and were the first and second-best for the Bays. Partington lead the game in Clearances with eight. The Bays pressure was good on Sunday, winning the tackle count by 20 and Snook collecting 12 for the game, who is second in the league for tackles with 80. Snook also leads the league for Clearances with 95 and Handballs with 169. Liam Mcbean has had a great season, kicking 29 goals for the year and is second in the Ken Farmer medal.

A highlight for Mark Stone and Glenelg has been their fast starts, winning the first quarter, seven out of 10 times this season. They will be looking to get a fast start again this Saturday against the Bloods.

West Adelaide Hosted Sturt last Friday night and unfortunately lost by seven points., It’s the second time this season they have lost a close one at home, previously losing to Roosters by one point in Round eight. Coach Gavin Colville would be hoping for competitive efforts from his side to end the season on a positive note. As mentioned in other articles, the Bloods have been good at stages throughout the season and have made a number of teams worry during games.

Kaine Stevens and Jordan Boyle have both had quality seasons and both racked up high numbers against Sturt last week. Stevens got a game high 30 disposals while Boyle beat his season average of 25.3 with 27 disposals against the Double Blues.

The Bloods have had several names that have played well throughout the year, such as Murray Waite who managed 22 disposals and 6 clearances last weekend. Brett Turner, Joshua Ryan, Andrea Parella, Hamish Ellem and William Mead have all played good games this season and will be vital for the Bloods in the future.

The Bloods kicked four goals straight to no goals against the Bays last time they met in Round four and kicked eight goals to four from quarter time to run away victorious by 16 points. That win was the last time they won a match and they will be looking to have a similar performance this weekend.

The Bloods haven’t won at Glenelg since Round seven 2015 and I think they will have to wait a little longer for the next win there, with the Bays being too strong at home.

 
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