MISSING IN ACTION
By Robert Laidlaw

Round 8, 20/5/2006

Too many name Central District players went missing in action for long periods against South Adelaide at Noarlunga last Saturday, which contributed to a 56-point drubbing at the hands of the Panthers.

Not only was it the Dogs biggest losing margin at Noarlunga Oval, it was the club's worst loss against South since round five, 1990, when it went down by 94 points at Adelaide Oval.

The Panthers played like a premiership contender, while Central's effort was reminiscent of its 1998/99 period, when it was a 50-50 proposition. Too many players failed to fire, as the Dogs looked lethargic for too many extended periods.

Where was the strong authorative marking of Luke Cowan? And the pin-point passing of Luke McCabe? Why didn't Stuart Dew grab this opportunity to make Leigh Matthews eat his words of his being soft, and show the stuff he is truly made of?

How come Chad O'Sullivan could not get into the game until after half time, as his form recently has been the best of the lot?

Many more questions can be asked of most players on the field, but perhaps most worrying was why the Dogs did not take this opportunity to back up its previous effort against North Adelaide.

Inconsistency is the bane of many football sides, and is rampant in clubs which do not feature regularly in grand finals. After a six year period at the top, the question has to be asked, is Central District back in the pack?

Last season the Bulldogs had an equally worrying start to the season, but then got on a tear. But, where is the quality players to step up like last year? Yes, Saturday's loss has raised many questions for 2006.

Kicking with the aid of the breeze in the first term, Central started slowly, which set the pattern of the day, with only a goal from Dew, where he stamped some authority on the game, punctuating three majors from South, as the Dogs trailed 1.1 to 3.1 at the first break.

South kicked the first four goals of the second term to take a stranglehold on the game. A rush of two majors from Central at the 18 and 23 minute mark signalled a revival, but the Panthers booted three late goals to go into half time with a 41 point buffer.

The third quarter was the Bulldogs best, as it kicked four of the first five goals, a late major to South keeping the margin to a healthy 27-points at lemons. A highlight in this period was Quinton Graham's snap, which was the goal of the game.

Three goals in six minutes to open the final stanza made the game safe for South. A 10 minute period saw Central claw two majors back, but with four of the term's final five goals, the Panthers rubbed salt into the wounds.

Was the lack of football a factor in the Bulldogs demise? After playing three games in 11 days, Central had to wait 15 days between North and South, and now has another fortnight before taking on Norwood at Elizabeth, its first home day game of the season.

Another worry for the Dogs is their injury count, with Jeremy Aufderheide going down with a knee injury and Stuart Cochrane suffering a hamstring strain.

Old hands Matthew Slade and James Gowans worked overtime to keep Central in the game against South, but had little consistent help.

Elijah Ware had some good moments, and Adam Switala made a promising return after injury, while Daniel Schell marked well in the second half, but could not buy a goal, and Paul Thomas again gave 100 per cent.

Another week off may not be the blessing it seems for the Bulldogs, as it faces a season-shaping game against Norwood on June 3. But, with its year on the line, expect Central to come out fired up to rectify the wrongs of last Saturday's game.

Scores: South Adelaide 20.7 (127) d Central District 10.11 (71)
Best: Slade, J. Gowans, Ware, Switala, Schell, Thomas.
Goals: Schell 2, Ware 2, J. Westhoff 2, Dew, Slade, Scoullar, Graham.