Match Report

Straight From The Sauce – Round 4 League & Reserves

5 hours ago – April 27, 2026

Sam Jacobs reviews Round 4 League vs West Adelaide

On a beautiful night at Maughan Thiem Kia Oval and playing in the special round of ANZAC Day, the boys put together a very strong 4-quarter effort against West Adelaide, coming out winners by 41 points.

Whilst the scoreboard wasn’t looking ideal at 1/4 time, as a coaching group we were comfortable we were playing how we wanted to and that we just needed to finish our work off going inside 50 and also finishing in front of goal.

The 2^nd and 3^rd quarters were some of the best footy we have played this year, scoring 12.6 to 6.6 in this period. Our defence was at a high standard and then off the back of that we were able to move the ball well and then finish off our work. The mids who were beaten early by Westies started to work back into the game as well. In the 3^rd quarter we were able to score 11 times from 13 inside 50 entries which is a strong return.

The last quarter we knew West Adelaide would throw some stuff at us and they kicked the first couple of goals which bought the margin back to 22 points, but we were able to finish off and kick the last 3 goals of the game.

Had a lot of good players on the night but the standouts were Ted Clohesy in his best game for the club (29 touches, 6 tackles, 8 score involvements), Liam Puncher who had a great battle with arguably the most improved player in the comp, Tom Scully (10 disposals @ 100% efficiency, 7 spoils and 5 intercept marks), James Rowe who was dangerous in the forward half (2o touches, 15 score involvements and 2.2), Jack Hayes starting to really get going (16 touches, 9 marks, 2 tackles, 7 score involvements and 3 goals), Jordy Lukac had a great battle with Caleb May to give us first look at the ball, especially in the 2^nd half.

After having a 5-day break, we now have 9 days between playing North Adelaide on Sunday at Prospect.

Look forward to seeing you there.

Sam Jacobs – Eagles Senior Coach

Kieran Sankey reviews Round 4 Reserves vs West Adelaide

A heartbreaking finish saw us fall by a single point to West Adelaide at Maughan Thiem Kia Oval, with the visitors snatching the lead in the final 30 seconds to win 8.15 (63) to 7.20 (62).

For much of the afternoon, we controlled the contest and were able to lead in most key statistical areas across the four quarters. Our contested football was strong, and we were able to own territory for large periods of the game, giving ourselves every chance to come away with the result.

Unfortunately, poor kicking in front of goal proved costly, but it was not just accuracy that hurt us. Too often, we were unable to create effective looks inside 50, with many of our shots coming from beyond 40 metres. In contrast, West Adelaide moved the ball quickly and gained more direct entries, which placed pressure on our defence.

There was plenty to like in the way we competed, particularly around the contest and our ability to keep the game in our front half. However, our ability to access our best ball movement and convert opportunities remains a key focus as we continue to develop.

Zac Buck was excellent across half-back, showing composure with ball in hand and strong positioning throughout the day. Harvey Pedler made an immediate impact on return from League football, using the ball well through the midfield and making sound decisions. Oscar Pearce competed strongly as our key defender, finishing with seven spoils. It was also fantastic to see Will Pearce return, playing his first game for the Eagles in more than 600 days.

We now turn our attention to North Adelaide at Prospect next Sunday, where we look forward to another opportunity to continue our growth and development.

Go Eagles!!!

Kieran Sankey – Eagles Development Coach