Sunday’s SANFL grand final in Adelaide has been described as “one of the greats” and a showing of “pure South Australian footy”, after 35,129 people watched Tigers captain Liam McBean kick seven goals straight to lead his team to back-to-back premierships.

McBean, who seemed to be making up for not kicking a goal at all in Glenelg’s 2019 and 2023 premierships, helped take the team from a 25-point deficit in the third quarter to a five-point victory against Norwood at Adelaide Oval.

He was aided by a critical and difficult goal from last year’s Jack Oatey medallist, Lachlan Hosie, who barely touched the ball until the final quarter when he kicked two majors.

“It was a bit stressful at times, for me certainly and for the coaching staff and players, but I think from a spectacle standpoint, it was an incredible grand final,” Tigers coach Darren Reeves told ABC Radio Adelaide.

Minor premiers Norwood were strong throughout the game and even looked to hold on in the final quarter when Declan Hamilton rolled through a goal at the 23-minute mark, bringing them within four points of reclaiming the lead.

An electric Hosie kicked the final point, however, and the siren sealed the deal on what had been a strong finals campaign for the Bays, which had finished the home and away season fourth on the ladder with 11 wins and seven losses.

McBean best on ground

McBean, who was awarded best on the ground with this year’s Jack Oatey medal, said not having kicked a goal in his first two premierships had weighed heavily on him before the game.

“This is a big role, the club has trusted me, and I wanted to make sure I stood up in the final moments,” he said.

He said the team’s belief had never wavered and knew its “best was good enough” despite being “inconsistent most of the year”.

“I just can’t tell you how proud I am [of his team],” McBean said.

“Three premierships. It’s only a handful of us who have done it. I still hasn’t quite sunk in.”

An ‘absolute dog fight’

ABC Grandstand commentator Aaron Bryans said the match was “one of the best” he had ever called.

“By half-time, it kind of felt like Norwood was on top,” he said.

“They were really good at ground ball, their forward line was clicking, they were really pacy on the outside, and I thought it was going to be hard for the Bays to come back from there, and that second half was amazing.”

Bryans described it as a “traditional grand final”.

“I loved that game. It was pure South Australian footy.”

He also gave a nod to the umpires.

“It’s hard when you’re in a grand final, in a final series in particular, and you don’t want the umpires to dictate the flow,” Bryans said.

“They just let it play.”