Match Report

Straight From The Sauce – Round 14 League & Reserves

10 hours ago – July 13, 2026

Sam Jacobs reviews Round 14 League v Sturt

In a typical winters day at Maughan Thiem Kia Oval, we took on last year’s premiers Sturt and went down by 26 points.

It was a disappointing first half where I felt Sturt were strong around the contest and were able to get the game on their terms, first of all by winning the contest and then being able to get attacking off the back off that. We couldn’t get field position and Sturt was able to put themselves in a good position early which was going to be challenging in the conditions.

The second quarter we were able to win more footy and started to own possession but let ourselves down badly using the ball going into our forward half. Against Sturt made it hard for us with their defensive setup but we would have liked to have tested them more to be able to get some more reward. Again on the defensive end, to many breakdowns and they were able to take a 38 point lead in the half time break.

From the very first bounce of the third quarter we won the contest, got field position and was able to put some scoreboard pressure on Sturt early. In trying conditions our performance was positive and unfortunately Sturt got a goal against the tide which took a bit of wind out of our sails.

Again in the last we continued to finish the game strongly getting more control the contest and also going forward. It was a positive to win the 2^nd half but we must get going earlier in these big games.

Better players on the day, again were Ted, Jordy, Knighta, Tilly and it was great to have Mutchy back for his first game of the year.

We look forward to bouncing back against Port this week which in my time we haven’t won at Alberton, so we are motivated to rectify that and get back on the winner’s list.

Sauce

Sam Jacobs – Eagles Senior Coach

Kieran Sankey reviews Round 14 Reserves vs Sturt

We held on for a thrilling one-point victory over Sturt at Woodville Oval, prevailing 6.6 (42) to 6.5 (41) in another tense finish.

We made an excellent start to the contest, controlling territory, moving the ball with purpose and creating opportunities that challenged Sturt’s defence. At our best, both our offensive ball movement and defensive pressure were exactly what we’ve been striving for.

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to sustain that level for long enough. As the game progressed, Sturt worked their way back into the contest, and once again we found ourselves defending a narrow lead heading into the final quarter. We knew it would come down to key moments, and while we stood up in several important situations, there were others where our execution fell away. In the end, a couple of late moments went our way, and we were able to hold on for the win.

There was plenty to like about our performance when we executed our method. Our offence created opportunities, and our defence was able to restrict Sturt when we applied our system. However, the challenge for our group remains consistency. We’ve now built three-and-four-goal leads on several occasions this season, only to allow opposition teams back into the contest. That’s an area we’ll continue to review as we look to turn close finishes into more convincing performances.

Adam D’Aloia was outstanding through the midfield, consistently giving us first use of the football and driving the ball forward. Liam Ueding was superb in defence, taking six intercept marks while winning his contests throughout the match. Brody Mair, Noah Ah Chee and Sam Nicholls also made valuable contributions, with it great to see Sam make a successful return from injury.

The win sees us strengthen our position inside the top five, sitting three games clear of sixth place. We now look forward to another strong challenge against West Adelaide next week, where our focus will be on producing a more consistent four-quarter performance that gives us the opportunity to convert close wins into stronger results.

Go Eagles!!!

Kieran Sankey – Eagles Development Coach