South Adelaide staged a sensational fourth-quarter comeback to defeat Glenelg by 10 points in the SANFL Reserves Grand Final at Adelaide Oval. Trailing at every major break and facing a 13-point deficit heading into the final term, South Adelaide produced an irresistible final quarter, booting four unanswered goals while holding Glenelg goalless. Spearheaded by best-on-ground Archie Van dyk and three goals from Cain Florance, South Adelaide snatched a dramatic 69–59 premiership victory.
Final Scores
South Adelaide | 3.1 (19) | 4.5 (29) | 6.8 (44) | 10.9 (69)
Glenelg | 3.4 (22) | 5.7 (37) | 8.9 (57) | 8.11 (59)
MATCH SUMMARY
In the opening quarter, Glenelg edged ahead in an even, fast-paced start to the match. Booting 3 goals and 4 behinds to South Adelaide's 3 goals and 1 behind, Glenelg managed to establish a narrow three-point cushion (22–19) at the first change.
Glenelg maintained firm control throughout the second term by clamping down defensively. They added 2 goals and 3 behinds to their tally while restricting South Adelaide to just 1 goal and 4 behinds, extending their advantage to eight points (37–29) as the teams went into the half-time break.
Continuing their momentum after the long break, Glenelg pushed further ahead in the third quarter. By adding 3 goals and 2 behinds to South Adelaide's 2 goals and 3 behinds, they built a commanding 13-point lead (57–44) entering the final break.
With the premiership on the line, South Adelaide launched an extraordinary final-term surge to turn the game on its head. Stifling Glenelg to just two behinds (0.2), South Adelaide booted 4 goals and 1 behind to overturn the deficit and seal a memorable 10-point victory (69–59).
South Adelaide’s 10-point victory officially crowns them as the 2026 SANFL Reserves Grand Final Premiers. Outstanding individual performances from Archie Van dyk and Cain Florance (3 goals) lifted South Adelaide when the title hung in the balance, supported by key late contributions from Jesse Nye and Harry Wadewitz. Despite a valiant four-goal performance from Glenelg's Liam Jones, South Adelaide's clutch fourth-quarter performance delivered them the premiership flag on the Adelaide Oval turf.
BEST PLAYERS
South Adelaide: Archie Van dyk, Cain Florance, Jesse Nye, Harry Wadewitz, Phillip Moimoi
Glenelg: Not Available
GOAL SCORERS
South Adelaide: Cain Florance (3), Jesse Nye (2), Cohen Shortridge (2), Callum Bennett (1), Charlie Duncan (1), Corey Grocock (1)
Glenelg: Liam Jones (4), Thomas McKay (2), Charlie Robinson-Cay (2), Cooper Horsnell (1), Travis Wilson (1)
PLAYED AT
Adelaide Oval
By Connor Walsh