Adelaide’s SANFL side defeated South Adelaide by 42 points in its final trial match at Alberton Oval on Sunday morning.

The Crows worked their way into the game and battled against the breeze early to put themselves in a commanding position to win 12.13 (85) vs 6.7 (43) win  ahead of their 2025 State League Season

Here are the five key takeaways from the match.

Defenders don’t give an inch

Adelaide was strong as a defensive unit throughout the four terms, setting up well to repel South Adelaide’s forward entries.

The Crows barely allowed a mark inside 50, with their key backs, Jordon Butts, James Borlase and SANFL Skipper James Madgen giving the side aerial dominance.

For SANFL Senior Coach Matthew Wright, the balance the backs had between defending and attacking is what stood out to him.

“They’ve played a lot of footy together, they’re an experienced unit, but I feel like we had a real good balance between attacking and defending,” he said.

“As a group they complement each other really well and they are probably the line that stood out for me today.”

Wings fire

Wingers Luke Nankervis, Brayden Cook and Billy Dowling rotated between the position and they all to hit the scoreboard on multiple occasions.

The trio had moments in the game where they stood out, with Nankervis amassing plenty of the ball, Cook was clean with the ball in hand and Dowling linked up with teammates to provide run and carry.

While all three booted two goals, it was the little moments around the ground, which impressed Wright the most.

“For Nank, his ability to defend and then attack really hard at the right times is impressive and he just constantly finds that balance,” Wright said.

“Cook and Dowling played a little bit of wing and forward, with their composure with ball in hand really noticeable today.”

Pedlar and Drury show versatility  

Adelaide’s half forward duo of Luke Pedlar and SANFL marquee recruit Blake Drury provided lots of energy.

Splitting their time between forward and the midfield, the pair's hardness at the ball was a highlight.

Both were impactful when up forward, hitting the scoreboard with Drury booting two, while Pedlar kicked on major.

“We’ve got a couple of clean, polished footballers there, and their ability to go inside and also go forward and hit the scoreboard is going to be really important,” Wright said.

“We’ve found a really good balance and their ability to play a couple of different roles is good for their development.”

Schoenberg and Berry continue pre-season form

On-ballers Harry Schoenberg and Sam Berry were standout contributors throughout the match, with both winning lots of the ball.

Schoenberg showed his work rate, running all game, along with being damaging with ball in hand.

Berry brought his trademark tackling pressure, being strong in the contest and able to win the ball and fed players on the outside.  

“What they showed today comes off the back of a consistent preseason and they brought that form into the trial game,” Wright said. 

“They are in great nick, they consistently play at a high-level week after week and again we saw that today.”                                                                                           

Key forward proves tough to stop early

Key forward Chris Burgess gave the Panthers headaches early, clunking everything that came near him.

Burgess took three marks inside-50 in the first term, but was unable to convert as he would have wanted, fighting against the breeze to boot one through the big sticks.

The Most pleasing aspect of Burgess' game for Wright was the connection he had with his teammates.

“He’s had a great preseason, he’s one that’s dynamic, really great in the contest and that makes him a tough matchup for most defenders,” Wright said.

“He started the game really well, had a good link up with his teammates, a lot of opportunities today and I’m sure he is going to knock them in most weeks.”

Adelaide’s SANFL side will begin its 2025 campaign against West Adelaide at Richmond Oval on Saturday, March 29, at 2.10pm.

SCOREBOARD

ADELAIDE: 3.3  6.7  8.7  12.13  (85)

SOUTH: 0.5  2.5  5.7  6.7  (43)

GOALS:

Adelaide: Nankervis, Drury, Dowling, Cook 2, Burgess, Pedlar, T.Murray, Edwards

Bests: Berry, Pedlar, Nankervis, Cook, Schoenberg