Centrals hold Norwood out in Friday night thriller

In one of the games of the season, Central District managed to pull off a thrilling 11-point First Nations Round win over Norwood at Coopers Stadium on Friday night. 

It was a game that had everything, as the Bulldogs held a five-point lead when the siren sounded (Nick Lange kicking a goal after the siren to make it 11). The ball was locked in the Redlegs attacking zone for the final five minutes of the contest, doing all they could to sneak one more goal and claim their second win of the 2025 season.

In the end it was the second placed Bulldogs that held onto the 13.6-84 to 10.13-73 victory.

After a scrappy first half in freezing conditions at The Parade, the Redlegs led by one point, 3.11-29 to 4.4-28, before the game busted open in the third term.

Norwood full forward Jackson Callow kicked three goals in nine minutes to kick things off in the third term, owning the contest. He took contested marks, and his presence led to holding free kicks from his defenders panicking as high kicks were coming in.

Norwood’s four goals in the opening 10 minutes of the third term (three to Callow and one to Billy Cootee), was off the back of centre clearance barrage from ruck Finn Heard, the returning Baynen Lowe and the League’s leading possession winner Nik Rokahr that got the game out to a match-high 19-point advantage.

From there the Bulldogs returned serve, kicking four goals in a hurry to surprisingly take the lead at three quarter time, 9.5-59 to 7.11-53.

The last quarter was an absolute cracker, as Callow kicked his fourth second half goal to level the scores.

Aiden Grace kicked a steadier for the Bulldogs to return the lead. Grace booted a second eight minutes later, and the game looked buried when Dogs skipper Kyle Presbury nailed a long goal from 50m at the 13-minute mark to make it 17 points.

Norwood weren’t done.

Tristan Binder nailed his second cracking goal of the day when he ran away from a chasing Centrals defender to snap truly in front of The Premiers Bar. Binder’s first goal was a pure set shot from the Coopers Hill pocket in the second term.

Binder’s second goal made it an 11-point deficit, before Izaak Twelftree made it a one kick game with five minutes on the clock.

The last five minutes was a frenzy, as the ball was parked in Norwood’s forward half. Centrals doing all they could to belt it out of defence, and the Redlegs setting up the wall to repel it back in there.

Eventually the Bulldogs won three crucial contests in a matter of seconds to clear from defensive 50m, drill the ball forward and win a free kick (Lange) 35m out from their own goal. The siren went as Lange booted his third major to make it five Centrals wins in a row.

The Redlegs will be ruing a wasteful opening term, where they booted 1.6 from 17 forward 50m entries, while holding the Bulldogs scoreless.

The Bulldogs made the most of their chances in the second term, kicking four goals to Norwood’s 2.5 to get back in the contest. For the Redlegs it was an ultimately costly 3.11 to 4.4 at half time.

Norwood did well to limit the influence of Magarey Medallist Harry Grant, who had eight disposals in the opening 10 minutes of the match, to end up with 22 touches.

Rokahr finished with the most disposals on the ground with 32 touches, six clearances and seven tackles. Cooper Murley had another strong game in defence with 22 disposals.

Finn Heard was outstanding in the ruck, with 19 disposals, 38 hitouts, 12 tackles and nine clearances.

Callow finished with four goals from 11 disposals, while Binder and Twelftree kicked two apiece.

The Redlegs brought the heat from the outset, winning disposal 285-260, tackles 84-53 and inside 50m 51-47 but again it was accuracy that cost Norwood in the end in the 10.13-73 to 13.6-84 defeat.

Norwood now sit with one win from its first seven matches, and take on West Adelaide at Richmond Oval next Saturday in Round 8.

Norwood 1.6, 3.11, 7.11, 10.13 – 73

Central District 0.0, 4.4, 9.5, 13.6 – 84

Goals: Callow 4, Twelftree 2, Binder 2, Cootee, Donnelly