Redlegs smack Crows to make it four on the trot

Norwood secured a dominant 63-point win over Adelaide at Coopers Stadium on Saturday to make it four straight wins by 39 points or more.

The top of the table Redlegs took just 17 seconds to kick the first goal of the game, and kept Adelaide to just one goal to three quarter time, before running out 14.18-102 to 5.9-39 winners.

Baynen Lowe kicked the first goal from the opening centre clearance to set the tone for the rest of his afternoon, which included 27 disposals, three goals, eight clearances and nine inside 50m entries.

Matthew Ling was outstanding with 34 disposals, 24 kicks and two clearances, while Billy Cootee had 25 disposals and a goal.

20-year-old key defender Calem Krollig made his SANFL debut, and didn’t look out of place in the absence of Pierce Seymour, who is away for two weeks on an overseas trip.

It was a complete demolition job, as the Redlegs had +86 disposals, +31 marks, +4 tackles, +13 clearances and +34 inside 50m entries against a Crows team that had 11 AFL listed players running around.

Norwood got off to a flying start, with Lowe streaming out of the opening centre bounce, piercing 50m and nailing a goal in the first 17 seconds.

Declan Hamilton had the Redlegs second two minutes later when he strolled to 10m out and put through his first of the afternoon.

Norwood was on a mission moving forward, and had six scoring shots from its first eight inside 50m entries, for a return of 2.4-16.

The Crows settled Norwood’s flow and found avenues to goal themselves, but managed a wayward five behinds in the first 15 minutes.

After a string of nine consecutive behinds between the two sides, Lowe showed his class and nailed his second major to move the scoreboard to 3.4-22 to 0.5-5.

Ling was doing as he pleased and had 10 disposals in the first 20 minutes of the match. Lowe had nine touches to go with his two goals.

The Redlegs flipped a switch and nailed two more goals through Sam Morris and the returning captain Jacob Kennerley, to put the Crows to the sword.

Norwood led 5.5-35 to 0.6-6 at the first break.

The home side dominated every aspect of the first term, registering +18 disposals, +5 tackles, +12 marks, +4 hit outs, +3 inside 50s and +4 clearances.

Lowe had 14 disposals and 2.2 to quarter time, while Ling had 11 disposals and Cootee 10.

An enthralling ruck battle was taking place between Harry Boyd and Kieran Strachan, with Boyd taking the points in the first term with five disposals and seven hitouts.

Boyd finished the game with 24 disposals, 30 hit outs and seven clearances, to Strachan’s seven disposals and 21 hit outs.

Jayden Gale made sure Norwood picked up where it left off, nailing a 40m set shot two minutes into the second term to put the Redlegs 35 points in front.

Lowe was having a field day, and with his 16^th disposal nailed his third goal at the eight-minute mark of the second term to put the Redlegs up by a commanding 42 points, whilst keeping the Crows goal less.

The game was all-but done when Hamilton laced out Izaak Twelftree, who ran into an open goal for Norwood’s eighth and a 48-point lead.

It took 14 minutes into the second term, but the Crows finally got themselves on the board, when Daniel Curtin converted a set shot from 20m out. The Crows Pick 8 from last year’s AFL Draft, Curtin, had a good day for the Crows with a team-high 22 disposals, seven tackles, four clearances and two goals.

At half time, Norwood led 8.7-55 to 1.8-14 following a clinical first half by the Redlegs.

Lowe had 18 disposals, three goals and four clearances to half time, while Ling had 17 touches, and Cootee 16.

Norwood led inside 50s +17, clearances +6, tackles +4 and disposals +43.

After kicking 0.2 last week in his return to the forward line, Cooper Murley finally found his first SANFL goal early in the third term, dribbling one through from the goal square.

Jackson Callow also had his battles in front of goal, booting 0.3 before finally nailing a set shot mid-way through the third term to put Norwood in front by 57 points.

Norwood’s pressure was too much for the Crows, who turned it over on the wing once again, which led to Murley’s second goal of the term.

Cootee and Hamilton put the cherry on top of an impressive quarter for Norwood, kicking back to back identical set shot goals from the paint of 50m, to make it a five unanswered goal term.

It was 13.13-91 to 1.8-14 at the final break, having held the Crows scoreless in the third term.

Norwood found the first goal of the final term through Brodie Carroll to get the margin out to a match-high 82 points before the Crows lifted to close out the game.

The visitors kicked the last four goals of the game to bridge the gap, with the final margin sitting at 63 points.

Norwood’s last four matches have come against the bottom four sides, in Port Adelaide, South Adelaide, West Adelaide and Adelaide, for four wins at an average margin of 65 points, which has improved the Redlegs percentage to 64.5% to go with an 11-2 record.

Next Saturday, the Redlegs host Central District at Coopers Stadium, before a tough road trip to Glenelg to take on the reigning premier Tigers.

Norwood 5.5, 8.7, 13.13, 14.18 – 102

Adelaide 0.6, 1.8, 1.8, 5.9-39

Goals: Lowe 3, Hamilton 2, Murley 2, Callow, B. Carroll, Cootee, Gale, Kennerley, S. Morris, Twelftree

Best: Lowe, Ling, Cootee, J. Heard, Callow

Norwood succumbed to its second loss of the 2024 Reserves campaign at Coopers Stadium on Saturday afternoon, with Glenelg coming from behind to claim a 13-point win. 

The Redlegs were left with one on the bench in the last term, with injuries to Mitch Jenkin, Cameron Taheny and Luke Surman, and the Tigers made the most of it, booting the final five goals of the game.

Norwood led by 15 points late in the third term, before Bowen Payne goaled for Glenelg to bring the margin back to nine points just before the final break.

The Tigers went on to kick four unanswered goals in the final quarter to run away with a 13-point, 7.9-51 to 5.8-38 win.

The victory lifted Glenelg into second place on the SANFL Reserves ladder, while Norwood remains two wins clear on top, with an 11-2 record.

Oliver Sanders had another stand-out game for Norwood, with 27 disposals, five clearances and four tackles, in his fourth game back from an ankle injury.

Off-season recruit Dom White played another good game in the Reserves with 24 disposals, while Luke Bogle had 23 disposals and nine clearances.

Xavier Tranfa was named best on ground with 22 disposals and four tackles.

18-year-old forward Jay Pokinghorne kicked two goals and took five marks, while Jack Saunders, Henry Slade and Liam Robinson (in his first game back from an ankle injury) were the single goal kickers.

Norwood will be hoping to bounce back in Round 15 against the seventh placed Central District at Coopers Stadium, before a tough trip to Glenelg to take on the Tigers again in Round 16.

Norwood 2.2, 3.3, 5.4, 5.8 – 38

Glenelg 0.1, 1.3, 3.6, 7.9 – 51

Goals: Polkinghorne 2, Robinson, Saunders, Slade

Best: Tranfa, Hodge, Hodges, White, Bogle