The red and black colours of the West Adelaide Football Club are being painted on the iconic West End Brewery chimney at Thebarton today, after the Bloods claimed their first SANFL title in 32 years.

Woodville-West Torrens came into yesterday’s decider as warm favourites, having only lost twice all season. But, like the spring sun, the Bloods shone brightly on Sunday afternoon at Adelaide Oval.

The Bloods finally ended the league’s second-longest title drought with a 30-point win over the minor premiers in front of a crowd of more than 25,000.

West’s rise to the top is the most significant season improvement the league has ever seen, coming from a ninth-placed finish in 2014.

With a handful of big ins for the Bloods, and the Eagles missing two key midfielders, an upset was a possibility.

Captain Chris Schmidt led the way for the West Adelaide, with his 44 disposals, 10 marks and six clearances winning him the Jack Oatey medal for best on ground.

It was a game won in the midfield: the Bloods’ hard running and determination saw them take hold of the game early.

Despite having the previous weekend off, the Eagles were run off the ground by Mark Mickan’s Bloods, who tallied up 140 more disposals and finished strongly, doubling their lead in the last quarter.

Taite Silverlock, who was a late inclusion for West Adelaide, suffered a leg injury in the first quarter, leaving the Bloods down a rotation for the majority of the game.

However Mickan’s insistence on a tough pre-season fitness regime paid off, the undermanned Bloods still looking the better conditioned of the two sides as they continued to dominate the possession count in the midfield.

With Eagles’ ruckman Marc Borholm out with injury, the Bloods’ Travis Tuck laid claim to the centre square, with former Crow Jason Porplyzia and Kaine Stevens also standing out for the eventual winners.

The Eagles did not go down without some fight. Ken Farmer Medallist Michael Wundke, midfielder Tom Schwarz and veteran Luke Jarrad all deserving praise for their valiant efforts.

DETAILS

WEST ADELAIDE 4.1 6.5 9.7 11.12 (78)

EAGLES 2.0 5.3 7.5 7.6 (48)

BEST — West: Schmidt, Porplyzia, Tuck, Helbig, Stevens, Caire, Hartlett, Schiller. Eagles: Wundke, Schwarz, Jarrad.

GOALS — West: Green 3, Beech, Webb 2, Tuck, Fielke, Stevens, Wasley-Black. Eagles: Wundke 4, Ainger 2, Petrenko.

UMPIRES — Medlin, Fleer, Haussen.

CROWD — 25,625 at Adelaide Oval.

JACK OATEY MEDAL — Chris Schmidt (West Adelaide).