Matt Panos to play his 150th in the Grand Final

Norwood veteran Matthew Panos will suit up in this Sunday’s SANFL Grand Final.

Dubbed “The King”, Panos will play his 150th SANFL match in Norwood’s Grand Final clash with Glenelg at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday, September 22.

Panos injured his left knee in Norwood’s Round 4 SANFL match against Port Adelaide at Alberton Oval in April.

The injury left him stranded on 149 SANFL matches.

Norwood coach Jade Rawlings said Panos was ready to return to League football, having been close to earning a recall for a number of weeks.

“We as a coaching group could not be happier with how Matt has gone about his recovery,” he said.

“A lot of work has gone into his recovery and return to play. We set some strong parameters from a training and playing perspective and he is ready to go.

“I have been impressed and proud of his efforts in 2024.”

Panos returned to play through the Reserves on September 7, kicking four goals in the Redlegs loss to Sturt in the Semi Final. He put in another strong training block to earn selection in this Sunday’s Grand Final.

He will be aiming for his third SANFL Premiership this Sunday, having been a part of Norwood’s 2014 and 2022 Grand Final victories.

Panos was the Jack Oatey Medallist in 2014, and kicked the match winner in 2022, putting the Redlegs in front in the dying stages of the game.

Norwood’s SANFL Grand Final will commence at 2:30pm this Sunday, with the Reserves from 11am.