Norwood pull off incredible fightback to clinch finals spot

The winner would go through to the finals, and the winner was Norwood… just.

Norwood pulled off an incredible second-half fightback to secure a 10-point win over Port Adelaide at Coopers Stadium on Saturday evening, clinching the last remaining spot in the 2025 SANFL Finals Series.

The Redlegs were as much as 35 points behind mid-way through the second term, before kicking eight of the last nine goals to retain the Gallagher Williams Cup, 12.15-87 to 11.11-77.

Norwood will now face Central District in next Sunday’s Elimination Final at the Adelaide Oval. An incredible result considering the Redlegs started the season 0-5 under new coach Jade Sheedy.

Just to see finals action, the Redlegs needed to win its last three matches of a topsy-turvy 2025 campaign, but they managed to do so with gritty wins against West Adelaide by one point, North Adelaide by 13 points, and in the final round of the regular season Port Adelaide by 10 points.

In the absence of regular ruckman Luke Surman and up against Jeremy Finlayson, Finn Heard was unbelievable for Norwood with 32 disposals, 18 clearances, 10 inside 50m entries and 22 hitouts.

Pierce Seymour once again played monumental roles at both ends of the ground, with three goals from 11 disposals, taking six marks. Seymour started forward, but returned to defence after half time, when Norwood trailed by 28 points at the main break.

Billy Cootee had 24 disposals, and Jackson Callow kicked two goals from 20 disposals in his return game from suspension.

After a quiet first half, captain Jacob Kennerley stood tall with two goals – the first put Norwood within five points late in the third quarter, and his second ended up being the only goal of the final term to put his side 10 points up in the last minute of the match.

The first quarter set the tone, of what was to be an electric match at Coopers Stadium.

Norwood midfielder Charlie Molan got the scoring underway in the opening 18 seconds of the match, curling through a goal from the first centre bounce.

From there it was all Port, as the visitors kicked the next five unanswered goals to break out to a 23-point advantage. Four goals came off the boot of the retiring Rory Atkins.

Norwood recovered, with goals to Tristan Binder and Cootee to get it back to 11 points, but Dylan Williams kicked the last of a rampant opening term to give the Magpies a 6.5-41 to 3.6-24 lead at the first break.

Port had 14 inside 50m entries for 11 scoring shots, while Norwood was dominating clearance 14-7.

Seymour kicked the first goal of the second quarter to get the game back to 11 points. But, like the first term it was all Port Adelaide after the early goal, kicking the next four goals to break away to an ominous game-high 35-point lead.

Seymour bookended a disappointing second term with his second goal to give Norwood a sniff at half time, down by 28 points, 10.7-67 to 5.9-39.

Similar to last week, Norwood was a touch off and their opponents had come to play.

The Redlegs continued their dominance in the clearances 22-15, but were getting punished around the ground, as the Magpies looked more damaging moving forward. The visitors had 17 scoring shots from 26 inside 50m entries, while Norwood’s entries were slow and predictable for the Magpies defenders.

Seymour started the second half in defence, but incredibly enough kicked the first goal of the third quarter, wrapping around the back of Jayden Gale on the paint of 50m and nailing the long-range goal.

The defender’s third goal brought it back to a manageable 23 points and the Redlegs were back in town.

From there Norwood dominated the match, kicking six third quarter goals to one to transform a near five-goal deficit into a surprise two-point lead at the final break.

Everything happened in a hurry in the third term, as Norwood was flawless with goals to Seymour from 50m, two clutch goals from Callow and a classy snap from Mitch Nicholas to get the margin back to 10 points.

Kennerley snapped truly to send Coopers Hill into a spin, and Ben Simpson kicked his second career goal to put Norwood in front at three quarter time, 11.12-78 to 11.10-76.

With it all to play for in the final quarter, neither side gave an inch in what turned out to be an extremely short 22-minute quarter.

The only goal was captain Kennerley’s to ice the game 21 minutes into the quarter, and send his side into the finals series.

Norwood 3.6, 5.9, 11.12, 12.15 – 87

Port Adelaide 6.5, 10.7, 11.10, 11.11 – 77 

Goals: Seymour 3, Callow 2, Kennerley 2, Binder, Cootee, Molan, Nicholas, Simpson

Best: Finn Heard, Pierce Seymour, Billy Cootee, Jackson Callow, Thomas Donnelly

Norwood’s Reserves could all-but taste finals action, before it was whisked away from them with a powerful last quarter performance from Sturt at Coopers Stadium on Saturday.

The Redlegs found themselves 34 points in front mid-way through the third term, but the Double Blues came storming home with the next eight goals to edge in front and get out to a 15-point lead.

Jack Aherne kicked the last goal of the game for Norwood to get it back to nine points, but it was too little too late as Sturt secured the finals place and the Redlegs concluding their season in sixth.

Like the League match, the winner between Norwood and Sturt would go through to the finals, with the Redlegs entering the Round 19 match in sixth, just one premiership point behind the Double Blues. A win would have edged them in front at the end of the home and away season.

Norwood started strongly, kicking the first five goals of the match. Oliver Sanders kicked two goals in the first 10 minutes, while Sam Ainsworth, Aherne and George McLeod also kicked first quarter goals.

Morgan Ferres kicked his first of five goals for Sturt just before quarter time to make it 24 points at the first break.

The Double Blues kicked the next three goals to bring the game back to three points, when Ferres kicked his third in the opening quarter and a half.

The under pressure Redlegs steadied, with a goal to Toby Turner, and Ainsworth’s second just before half time to make it 17 points at the main break.

Norwood kicked three quick goals after half time and suddenly the margin was a match-high 34 points 10 minutes into the third term.

From that point forward it was 13 scoring shots to five as the Double Blues dominated the remainder of the match, kicking 8.5 to 1.4 and steamroll past the Redlegs.

Ainsworth finished with three goals for the Redlegs, while Ferres kicked five and Marcus Pavlic four for Sturt.

Ethan Warburton had 33 disposals and 10 rebound 50m and Daniel Gauci had 32 disposals, 10 clearances and seven tackles. Sanders was Norwood’s best with 25 disposals and two goals.

Saturday’s loss ended Norwood’s season, which rounded out with six wins, 11 losses and a draw for a sixth place finish.

Norwood 5.1, 7.3, 10.6, 11.7 – 73

Sturt 1.1, 4.4, 7.6, 12.10 – 82

Goals: Ainsworth 3, Aherne 2, Sanders 2, McLeod, Prescott, Stockdale, Turner

Best: Oliver Sanders, Liam Ling, Noah Daw, Daniel Gauci, Jack Aherne