Adelaide’s SANFL side recorded its first win of the 2026 season, defeating Central District by nine points in a thriller at Elizabeth Oval on Saturday afternoon.

Trailing for the majority of the game, Adelaide came home strong, outscoring Central four goals to one, to record a 12.11 (83) to 11.8 (74) victory.

Here are SANFL Coach Matthew Wright’s five key takeaways from the match.

Draper continues to build

Midfielder Sid Draper continued to build his game, working his way into the contest against Central, impacting at both ends of the ground.

Draper showcased his trademark burst from stoppage on multiple occasions, as well as connecting well with his fellow on-ballers to help Adelaide win the clearance battle 39-27.

“We’ve seen his game grow week to week and he’s in a really good spot at the minute,” Wright said.

“I thought he was really damaging not only in the front half, but I thought he worked back to support the backs as well.”

Draper finished with 21 touches, six clearances, five inside-50s and booted a major.

Toby Murray impressive in the ruck

In his second game back from injury, Toby Murray was a standout for the Crows, competing well in the air and providing a tall target around the ground.

Wright said Murray's ability to be damaging and offer the midfielders a different look when he went into the ruck was what pleased the coaches the most.

“I thought he attacked the contest really well, generated some shots of goal, unfortunately didn’t knock them in today but if he continues to put in the work he will get the reward there,” Wright said.

“Not only that I thought he gave us something as the second ruck, I thought he was quite dangerous around the footy and gave the mids a different look.”

Murray amassed 11 disposals, eight marks, four tackles and kicked one goal.

O'Brien and Borlase lead from the front

Ruckman Reilly O’Brien and defender James Borlase continued their strong SANFL form.

O'Brien dominated the hit-outs, and led the team in clearances with eight, while Borlase was resolute in defence taking multiple intercept marks.

“Their character can never be questioned and their ability to drop out to the AFL and ride that rollercoaster a bit, I’m not sure if we’ll see that from either of those boys” Wright said.

“They missed out at AFL level but came back and picked up where they left off, they are two important leaders for this group.”

O’Brien finished with 22 disposals, six marks and 42 hit-outs, while Borlase collected 18 touches, nine marks and three rebound-50s.

Drury impacts on both lines

Forward-mid Blake Drury put together a full four-quarter display against the Bulldogs.

Drury maximised his possessions early, booting the opening goal of the game, as well as setting up the Crows’ second, with his impact on the contest not slowing up as the game progressed.

“The level that he has been able to get to and the output he gets, the opposition put a fair bit of work into him, but he works his way through that,” Wright said.

“Pleased that he can get some reward this week in front of the big sticks, but he’s an important cog for us going forward.”

Drury finished with 24 disposals, nine marks, seven inside-50s and a goal.

Adelaide's fightback delivers 

The Crows showed plenty of heart against the Bulldogs, as they were determined to record their first win of the season.

The game was a back-and-forth affair, and neither side was able to hold momentum for long.

Adelaide, however, was impressive in the fourth stanza, booting the first four goals of the quarter.

A Chayce Jones major giving the Crows the lead, before Tyler Welsh put the game on ice with two goals in the space of 90 seconds.

“It was always going to be an arm wrestle,” Wright said.

“Really important win for the group more so than anyone, they’ve been working hard.

“I thought our boys willingness to stay in the fight, wrestle it back late in the last, and come away with an important win.”

Adelaide’s SANFL side's next game will be an ANZAC Day clash against North Adelaide at Prospect Oval on Saturday, at 2:10pm.

SCOREBOARD

ADELAIDE: 3.4  6.6  8.10  12.11 (83)

Central District: 4.1  7.4  10.6  11.8 (74)

GOALS:

Adelaide: Taheny, Jones, Welsh 2, Drury, Richards, Draper, T.Murray, Sholl, Bennett.

Central: Rosenzweig 3, Lochowiak 2, Fahey, Kendall, Saunders, Grace, Annand, Grant.