Eleven-goal third term sets up big win in Elizabeth

Norwood put together its best performance of the 2024 season, blasting Central District off the park in an incredible 11-goal third quarter display at X Convenience Oval in Elizabeth on Saturday.

The Redlegs led by just 12 points at half time, and with the game in the balance went on to kick nine goals in 20 minutes to put the Bulldogs to the sword. Norwood ended up with an 11.5 to 0.1 scoreline in the third term, to put themselves 82 points in front at three quarter time.

Centrals managed to trim the final margin back to 50 points, 16.11-107 to 8.9-57, with a five-goal last term.

Norwood captain Jacob Kennerley was sensational in his return from a hamstring injury, kicking three goals and collecting 22 disposals in a predominantly forward role.

Redlegs forward Connor McLean kicked four goals against his former side, while Finn Heard was the other multiple goal kicker.

Mitch O’Neill had 28 disposals and five clearances, Baynen Lowe 27 and six clearances, and Harry Boyd 24 disposals, nine clearances and 42 hitouts.

The first five minutes of the game was a stalemate, as both sides found opportunities to work the ball into shallow inside 50m entries, but nothing that threatened the scoreboard.

O’Neill and Centrals midfielder Rhett Montgomerie each had five disposals in the first five minutes.

The most threatening play in the first eight minutes came when Norwood worked the ball to 15m out through handball but couldn’t get a kick away due to Centrals outstanding pressure in defence.

Norwood had started to control the territory battle, going +3 inside 50m entries, and finally the Redlegs had their first goal on the board at the 11-minute mark. A left foot snap from F. Heard.

There was a lot of pressure on the ball carrier, and both sides made a series of errors by foot.

Norwood’s second goal came through McLean, who roved a marking contest that left bodies spilling everywhere and snapped on his right, also in front of the scoreboard which read 2.1-13 to no score after 17 minutes.

The Bulldogs went forward from the centre clearance and Cooper Murley did well to jump across a leading forward to spoil.

Centrals first goal came at the 21-minute mark. Billy Cootee did a great job to spoil in the goalsquare but Isaiah Dudley recovered quicker to dribble the goal through.

The Redlegs went into quarter time with a 2.2-14 to 1.0-6 lead. Norwood had +6 inside 50m entries, and +26 disposals, but Centrals were +2 in both tackles and clearances.

Henry Nelligan had been crafty in the first quarter and went to the break with eight disposals, as did O’Neill and Pierce Seymour.

Norwood started the second quarter brightly, going inside 50m five times in quick succession. On the third venture, Kennerley snapped his side’s third goal.

A second Norwood goal of the quarter came soon after, as Jake Cresswell was able to work a defender under the ball and take a strong mark. He went back and converted from 40m out to help the Redlegs to a 21-point lead.

O’Neill, Nelligan and Baynen Lowe were having a big impact, and the Bulldogs needed to respond. They did so with the next goal against the run of play, with Mani Liddy nailing a running goal at the nine-minute mark.

Centrals had two in two minutes when Aiden Grace converted a set shot, to reduce the margin to nine points.

The Bulldogs had multiple opportunities to reclaim the lead, but were wayward, kicking 0.3 and Norwood made them pay through an Izaak Twelftree set shot goal.

The Redlges led 5.4-34 to 3.4-22 at half time, with O’Neill collecting 16 disposals, Boyd 14 and Seymour 14 to half time.

Norwood were +8 inside 50m entries, +28 disposal, +4 tackles, +2 marks, and +7 hitouts in the first half.

The game could have gone either way, but not for long. Norwood made sure of that.

Kennerley had two shots on goal in the first two minutes of the third quarter to set the tone. He missed the first, but nailed the second from outside 50m to get Norwood out to a 19-point lead.

A moment later, Norwood had its second of the term and a 25-point lead when Sam Morris snapped truly. Kennerley again having an influence in the goal.

Kennerley was having a purple patch, setting up a third consecutive goal through his pressure. Allowing Jackson Callow to find McLean loose in the goalsquare.

It was four goals in the first seven minutes of the third quarter when Callow marked and converted the 30m set shot.

Having started the first and second quarters well, before letting the Bulldogs back into it late, the Redlegs needed to close out the term having quickly stretched the margin out past six goals.

Norwood certainly did that, in an incredibly dominant quarter, booting 11 unanswered goals to blow the game apart.

In the third quarter alone, Norwood had 18-2 inside 50m entries, and goal kickers were McLean with three, Kennerley two, Morris, Callow, Nelligan, Cootee, Ling, and F. Heard.

McLean went into the final break with four goals, and F. Heard’s goal came after the siren to beautifully sum up a very dominant term, which shifted Norwood’s score from 5.4-34 at half time to 16.9-105 at three quarter time.

The Redlegs led by a match-high 82 points at the final break.

The game was done, but the Bulldogs fought back with five unanswered goals of their own in the final quarter to conclude the match with an even even 50-point margin.

Norwood 2.2, 5.4, 16.9, 16.11 – 107

Central District 1.0, 3.4, 3.5, 8.9 – 57

Goals: McLean 4, Kennerley 3, F. Heard 2, Cootee, S. Morris, Twelftree, Callow, Cresswell, Ling, Nelligan

Best: Seymour, Lord, Kennerley, Lowe, O’Neill

A wounded Norwood Reserves side dug deep to topple Central District by 51 points at Elizabeth Oval on Saturday and keep its unbeaten run alive. 

The Redlegs were left with two on the bench after quarter time after Ethan Warburton injured his shoulder and Brodie Carroll was concussed, but the visitors managed to hold their nerve, increase their lead and secure a 12.14-86 to 5.5-35 win.

Norwood now sits two games clear on top of the ladder at 7-0, with Sturt in second at 5-2. It was a big win, with Central District starting the round in third at 3-2-1.

Liam Robinson again impressed in the forward line with three goals to take his season tally to 21, leading the Reserves competition goal kicking.

In his first season with Norwood, Lachie Bates has also been a solid contributor in the forward line, booting another two goals. Bates has kicked goals in every one of his five matches this season.

Goy Lok and Jack Saunders also booted multiple goals on Saturday.

Saunders played his first game since Round 4 last season after a horror run with injury, including a neck injury last year, and an ankle injury at the start of this season. He finished with 17 disposals, seven clearances and two goals from four shots.

Mitch Carroll and Ben Simpson each had 21 disposals for the Redlegs, and Luke Bogle 20. Simpson also had 14 tackles and six clearances in a best on ground performance.

Just the one goal was kicked in the first term, and it came off the boot of M. Carroll.

In contrast, eight goals came in the second term, five from Norwood to help the Redlegs to a 13-point half time lead, 5.4-34 to 3.3-21.

Two players down, Norwood had to dig deep and kicked a further three unanswered goals to stretch the margin to 33 points at the final break.

Saunders kicked two goals early in the final term to seal the win, and Jayden Gale’s goal got the lead out to a match-high 56 points.

Centrals booted the last goal of the game, but the Redlegs went on to enjoy their seventh win of the season.

Norwood 1.1, 5.4, 8.8, 12.14 – 86

Central District 0.3, 3.3, 3.5, 5.5 – 35

Goals: Robinson 3, Bates 2, Lok 2, Saunders 2, M. Carroll, Gale, van Wyk

Best: Simpson, M. Carroll, Z. Morris, van Wyk, Robinson