Norwood through to Semi Final with comeback win

Norwood is through to next weekend’s Semi Final against Adelaide after an 18-point Elimination Final win over Central District at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday. 

The Redlegs trailed by nine points at three quarter time, before rollicking home with a six-goal-to-one last quarter to secure an 11.9-75 to 8.9-57 win.

Incredibly, 16 of the 19 goals of the game were kicked down the Riverbank Stand End, which Norwood was kicking to in the last term, despite there being no significant breeze to speak of.

Both sides brought a finals brand of football from the opening bounce, laying a combined 149 tackles for the match, Centrals 75 to Norwood’s 74, while the Redlegs won clearance 42-31, marks 64-45 and inside 50m 41-38.

Norwood’s prime movers stood up when it counted, after a goalless first term Billy Cootee was enormous in the second quarter, and when the game was on the line Nik Rokahr dominated the final term with 10 disposals.

Rokahr finished with 27 disposals, 10 tackles and five clearances, while Cootee had 25 touches and kicked two classy goals.

Finn Heard was again massive for the Redlegs with 18 disposals, 10 clearances, 27 hitouts and eight tackles.

The Redlegs went goalless in the opening quarter, but both teams were up for the fight. Norwood laid an incredible 15 tackles in the first 10 minutes to Centrals’ eight in a high pressure game.

F. Heard started as he left off last week, with four disposals, three clearances and three tackles in the opening 10 minutes.

But, it was Centrals making all the inroads on the scoreboard, kicking the first three goals through Aidan Grace, Anzac Lochowiak and debutant Aidan Schubert.

Despite being right in the contest, with 6-8 inside 50m and 19-13 tackles, Norwood didn’t score until the 20-minute mark when Jayden Gale and Cootee’s set shots were punched over the goal line.

At quarter time it was 3.0-18 to 0.2-2, and it was a case of the Bulldogs transitioning the ball nicely into their forward line and taking their chances, and Norwood not.

F. Heard, Rokahr and Alec Wright had five disposals each in the first term, while Grace was a problem in Centrals forward line with four disposals and a goal to quarter time.

Norwood laid 24 first quarter tackles to Centrals 15, and won clearances 10-6, while inside 50m entries was 8-9.

Norwood needed a spark, and started the second term brightly with a strong mark inside 50m from Jackson Callow (behind), followed by the Redlegs first goal, a long range set shot from Cootee.

Norwood was away off the back of Cootee, who dominated the second term with seven disposals

Beau Thomas goaled for the Bulldogs to return the lead to 15 points, before Redlegs tall forwards Callow and Tristan Binder kicked two goals in two minutes.

The Binder goal put the Redlegs within four points, before a classy Declan Hamilton snap put Norwood in front just before half time.

Norwood kicked four goals to one in the second term to lead 4.6-31 to 4.1-25 at the main break.

Cootee had 10 disposals and a goal at the main break, while Rokahr had 11 disposals, five tackles and three clearances. F. Heard was outstanding with nine disposals, seven tackles and seven clearances.

Norwood led clearances 21-12, tackles 37-26, disposals 125-120, inside 50m 21-20, marks 39-27 and scoring shots 11-5 in the first half.

Binder took a strong mark on the goal line in the opening stages of the second half to send Norwood 12 points clear.

Dyson Sharp answered right back for Centrals to end a four-goal run for the Redlegs.

After being incredibly accurate in the first half, Centrals kicked four behinds in a row to slowly dwindle the margin back to two points.

Young gun, Dougie Cochrane goaled to return the Bulldogs to the lead, before Lochowiak’s second goal helped the fourth placed Dogs to a nine-point three quarter time lead.

Ten of the games 12 goals had been kicked down the Riverbank Stand End, and Norwood was hoping for that trend to continue.

That it did, as Wright kicked the opening goal of the last quarter, followed by Max Hodges first goal in League football to put the Redlegs back in front.

Hamilton and Cootee both kicked their second goals of the game soon after and Norwood was out to a 15-point lead, having kicked four goals in the first 16 minutes of the final term.

Cochrane’s second goal made it interesting, before Gale laid a strong tackle inside 50m, drawing ah holding the ball free kick in the pocket, and converted the snap set shot.

Binder’s third goal put the game beyond doubt, with a match-high 19-point lead.

They couldn’t do it during the home and away season, but the Redlegs picked the perfect time to knock off a top four side, and will take on the Crows in Sunday’s knock out Semi Final.

Norwood 0.2, 4.7, 5.8, 11.9 – 75

Central District 3.0, 4.1, 7,5, 8.9 – 57

Goals: Binder 3, Cootee 2, Hamilton 2, Callow, Gale, M. Hodges, Wright

Best: Nikolaus Rokahr, Billy Cootee, Thomas Donnelly, Max Hodges, Pierce Seymour