Norwood U18s go down in Port Pirie thriller

Norwood and North Adelaide played out a thriller in Port Pirie on Saturday, with the Roosters securing a five-point Round 1 win.

The Redlegs led most of the game on a blustery, warm day at Memorial Oval, but North Adelaide kicked three goals with the breeze in the final term to pinch a come from behind 9.10-64 to 8.11-59 victory.

Norwood trailed by 12 points with five minutes to go, before James van Wyk gave the Redlegs some hope – it was a frantic final moments, with Norwood missing some difficult shots at goal.

Jacob Newton finished with 22 disposals, 11 clearances, three tackles and a sensational first quarter goal from the centre square, while Ben Hogan had 15 disposals, two goals, three clearances and 11 tackles.

Kicking with the strong breeze in the first term, Norwood made the most of it with five goals to two.

Ezra Foster got the scoring underway with a classy finish from the scoreboard pocket, while Hogan, Ned Bowman, Max Barilla and Newton were the others to kick goals in the first term.

Newton’s finish came from inside the centre square just before quarter time to help Norwood to a 16-point lead at the first break.

The Redlegs found just eight inside 50m entries in the first term for six scoring shots – 5.1-31 to 2.3-15 at quarter time.

Norwood did an outstanding job in defence to hold North to just one goal to the scoring end in the second term, which came at the at the 18-minute mark through Sam Cumming.

The Redlegs held a 10-point lead at half time, 5.4-34 to 3.6-24.

North battled with the breeze in the second term, but found two quick goals down the other end early in the third to take the lead.

Goals were hard to come by after quarter time. Norwood finally found its first goal since quarter time at the 19-minute mark of the third term when Hogan sent one through from long range.

Bowman found another Norwood goal just three minutes before three quarter time, but North’s Lachlan Faulkhead converted a crucial set shot with the final kick of the term to make it a 7.9-51 to 6.8-44 Redlegs lead.

It tightened up once again to start the fourth term, with North finding the first goal through Faulkhead to reduce the margin to two points.

Back to back Ben Francou behinds levelled the scores at 7.10-52 apiece at the 10-minute mark.

Cumming’s third goal came at the 13-minute mark and gave his North Adelaide side a six-point lead.

Trailing by 12 points with five minutes to go, Norwood needed a goal and it came through van Wyk – the Redlegs first of the day to the southern end.

A Newton snap missed to the right with two minutes to go to make it five points.

With 30 seconds on the clock Norwood went streaming through the midfield and found a Barilla mark 60m out, he turned and belted it into the strong wind. But the ball rolled out of bounds on the siren.

Norwood take head to Thebarton Oval for a Round 2 clash with Sturt.

Norwood 5.1, 5.4, 7.9, 8.11 – 59

North Adelaide 2.3, 3.6, 6.8, 9.10 – 64

Goals: Bowman 2, Hogan 2, Foster, Newton, Barilla, van Wyk

An impressive North Adelaide proved too strong for Norwood in the opening round of the SANFL U16 season, running away with a 47-point win.

The Redlegs travelled up to Port Pirie to take on North Adelaide in their regional zone, and the Roosters looked at home in the Mid-North.

Kicking with a strong breeze in the first term, the Roosters piled on eight unanswered goals to all-but tie away the win at quarter time.

The Roosters led by 49 points at the first break, but from there Norwood settled into the match, and kicked six goals apiece for the remainder of the game.

The home side found two second quarter goals to go into the rooms at 10.4-64 to 0.5-5, but the Redlegs showed better signs than the first term. They restricted North’s scoreboard dominance and found several scoring opportunities themselves, but failed to convert in a difficult swirling breeze.

It was a different story after half time, as Norwood found three goals in three minutes, while continuing to restrict North’s scoreboard influence.

The third term ended three goals apiece, with the home side taking a 60-point lead into the final break.

Norwood’s third quarter goals went to Charlie Best, Kyran Cole-Manolis and Mason Tambe.

Norwood found a fourth goal early in the last term through co-captain Lachie Smith.

Tambe kicked back to back goals in quick succession to bring the margin back to a 40-point buffer.

Best finished with 20 disposals, seven clearances, six tackles and a goal, while Cole-Manolis and Thomas Neal finished with 19 disposals apiece.

The Redlegs take on Sturt on Easter Thursday at Thebarton Oval in Round 2.

Norwood 0.2, 0.5, 3.7, 6.10 – 46

North Adelaide 8.3, 10.4, 13.7, 14.9 – 93

Goals: Tambe 3, Best, Cole-Manolis, Smith