The Teakle Cup will return to The Parade after Norwood defeated West Adelaide by 13 points in a low-scoring tussle in Port Lincoln on Saturday.
It was the third installment of The Teakle Cup, which has for the last three seasons taken pace at Centenary Oval in Port Lincoln.
The Teakle Cup wining tally was 1-1 coming into the game, with Norwood claiming the inaugural match in 2022, before West Adelaide evened the ledger up last season.
On Saturday, Norwood was able to secure a 6.14-50 to 5.7-37 victory in tricky, windy conditions.
West Adelaide kicked three goals in the first 23 minutes of the match, before being restricted to just two more for the remainder of the contest, and didn’t manage a major towards the southern end all day.
The Redlegs laid 137-83 tackles, and won inside 50m entries 45-37.
Norwood’s Mitch O’Neill was the leading disposal winner on the ground with 30, along with 10 tackles and 10 clearances.
Jackson Callow kicked two goals, while singles went to Finn Heard, Baynen Lowe, Sam Morris and the match-winner to Matt Panos.
Norwood captain and local Eyre Peninsula player Jacob Kennerley was busy early with three disposals, two clearances and a shot at goal in the first five minutes of the match.
Callow kicked Norwood’s first goal through a mark and set shot from the school pocket, after Ned Stevens did the same down the other end for West Adelaide.
Dylan Bramich had West Adelaide’s second goal following a strong inside 50m mark in front of a busy northern end.
Callow delivered a perfect ball inside 50m to Izaak Twelftree, but he missed at the 11 minute mark to make it 1.3-9 to 2.0-12 in favour of the Bloods.
Twelftree was lively early, taking two strong marks in attack and crashing another pack on the wing. He set up another score involvement, passing to Lowe whose shot at goal was touched over the line.
Another Twelftree mark in the forward half set up the next goal, as he again found Lowe who this time gave it to Callow who ran into an open goal, making it 2.4-16 to 2.1-13 with both sides having eight trips inside 50m.
The Bloods found repeat inside 50m entries and eventually took back the lead through N. Stevens’ second goal just before quarter time to make it a 3.3-21 to 2.4-16 game at the first break.
West Adelaide led the inside 50m count 15-8 in the first term, while Norwood again led the tackles 31-13.
O’Neill had eight disposals, four tackles and four clearances in the first term.
After being involved in several score involvements in the first term, Lowe found his first goal of the game early in the second quarter to give Norwood back the lead in a see-sawing game.
Norwood again transitioned well from half back and found Callow inside 50m, who did a good job to find Jake Cresswell under pressure. Like the first term, Norwood was inaccurate and Cresswell blasted the ball out of bounds. Norwood led 3.5-23 to 3.3-21 mid-way through the second.
In one of the most unusual plays of the day Hamilton managed to nearly turn the ball over three times, but somehow scrapped it forward and ended up in a classy goal from S. Morris to make it an eight-point Norwood lead.
It was a low-scoring match, and at half time the Redlegs led 4.5-30 to 3.3-21, managing to hold West Adelaide scoreless in the second term.
Callow had two goals to half time, with the other goal kickers Lowe and S. Morris.
O’Neill had 16 disposals to half time, along with seven tackles and five clearances.
West Adelaide found the first goal of the second half through Sam Frost, as the Bloods kicked with a strong wind in the third term.
Norwood had two early set shots but again were inaccurate.
F. Heard took a strong mark inside 50m, and went back to kick a vital goal 40m out into a strong breeze, making sure Norwood maintained a 10-point lead.
Ball movement proved difficult with Norwood laying 100 tackles before three quarter time.
With Norwood leading by 10 points and coming home with the wind in the final term, the next goal was important and it came through West’s Luke Redfern with a snap around the corner.
West Adelaide captain Isaac Johnson marked and had a shot from 50m, which was touched over the line and Norwood went into three quarter time with a slender four-point lead, 5.9-39 to 5.5-35.
The game was on a knife’s edge at three quarter time, and Norwood turned for home with the strong breeze towards the busy northern end.
Callow took a pack mark in the scoreboard pocket but was hemmed in on the boundary line, having to go around the corner on his left boot – he missed to make it a five-point game.
Harry Boyd was smashed in a ruck contest, but was able to win a clean hitout from the next ball-up on half back and Norwood worked the ball from end to end, finding Callow inside 50m. Callow gathered the low ball, and found Hamilton who was able to find a Matt Panos mark close to goal for Norwood’s sixth and final goal.
The Panos goal put Norwood 11 points in front at the five-minute mark.
Norwood was finding repeated inside 50m entries, but West Adelaide’s defense was holding up well.
The Redlegs did all they could to put the game to bed, but missed three goals in four minutes to lead by 13 points. Keeping the door ajar with seven minutes remaining.
Norwood managed to hang onto a 13-point lead, with 1.5 to 0.2 in the final term.
The Redlegs take on Port Adelaide next Saturday night at Alberton Oval.
The Norwood Football Club would again like to thank Eyre Peninsula Partners Peter Teakle Wines, Community Bank Bendigo Bank Port Lincoln, Estara, SA Grain Services, mellor Olsson Lawyers, City of Port Lincoln, Letcher Moroney, McDonalds Port Lincoln, Port Lincoln Hotel, and The Prawn Store
Norwood 2.4, 4.6, 5.9, 6.14 – 50
West Adelaide 3.3, 3.3, 5.5, 5.7 – 37
Goals: Callow 2, S. Morris, F. Heard, Lowe, Panos
Best: O’Neill, Boyd, Cootee, Murley, Lord
Norwood sits on top of the Reserves ladder as the only undefeated side after three rounds, following a comprehensive 75-point win over West Adelaide at Richmond Oval on Friday night.
Redlegs forward Liam Robinson kicked five goals, and Goy Lok four in the 16.14-110 to 5.5-35 win.
Off-season recruit Dom White had 34 disposals, and Ethan Warburton 32.
West Adelaide kicked the first goal of the game, before Norwood went on to kick the next seven unanswered to lead by 38 points at half time.
The Redlegs continued their dominance after the break kicking the next four goals to get out to a 62-point lead, before West Adelaide steadied with two goals before three quarter time.
Norwood kicked the final four goals of the match to get off to the perfect start in 2024.
Norwood 4.2, 7.10, 12.10, 16.14 – 110
West Adelaide 1.2, 2.2, 5.4, 5.5 – 35
Goals: Robinson 5, Lok 4, Binder 3, Bates 2, Gale, van Wyk
Best: Warburton, White, van Wyk, Weightman, Robinson