Norwood by one point in thriller at The Parade

Wow.

It was a frustrating, agonising, see-sawing, tough, contested game of football, that Norwood led by one point when the siren rang at Coopers Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Chasing the only remaining finals place on the SANFL ladder, winning was the only option for Norwood in Round 17 against an outstanding West Adelaide side who went into the clash 10th on the table.

Westies outplayed Norwood for large chunks of the game, as the visitors led at quarter and half time, but in the end the Redlegs were good enough to get their noses in front by one point at both three quarter time and full time.

As of Saturday night, Norwood is in the top five for the first time all season, with Port Adelaide to take on Central District tomorrow, which will determine if the Redlegs remain there this week.

The margin never stretched past 13 points, as the lead changed eight times in front of a frustrated and on occasion angry Norwood crowd.

20-year-old forward Jack Aherne and 18-year-old defender Balyn O’Brien made their SANFL debuts, while Matthew Ling played his 50th SANFL match. Norwood would have been lost without the #20 M. Ling, who at times looked like he was playing a different game to everyone else on the field.

He didn’t have 35 touches like last week, just the 18, but it was the high class and quality of every disposal that did all the damage. Nik Rokahr relished in the highly congested battle finishing with 25 disposals, nine tackles and eight clearances, while Declan Hamilton was outstanding with 21 disposals and a last quarter goal.

Looking for answers, coach Jade Sheedy swung midfielder Baynen Lowe forward in the last term, kicking a goal and winning several crucial contests.

When the game was on the line Jayden Gale, Hamilton and Lowe booted Norwood’s three last quarter goals. Gale finished with three majors, including a vital long goal to level the scores in the final term.

Earlier in the day, it was a sloppy start from the Redlegs, while on the other hand West Adelaide had come to play. Norwood missed two regulation set shots, while the Bloods were dominating clearance and looked tougher around the ground.

Lachlan Squire had applied a tough and physical tag to Billy Cootee, and the Bloods kicked the opening two goals of the game.

The game was being played on West Adelaide’s terms, until 50-gamer M. Ling injected himself into the contest with his run off half back. He caused a turnover through the midfield, and got Norwood running through the centre, before he finished off with his own goal a minute later.

M. Ling’s running goal was the Redlegs first of the contest, coming 19 minutes into the opening term. M. Ling was left to do as he pleased off half back during the first term, and his ninth disposal set up the Redlegs second goal, driving it long to the goal square where Alec Wright finished with a walk in major.

West Adelaide’s talls looked dangerous, and full forward Tom Scully marked two seconds before the quarter time siren and goaled to re-claim the lead at the first break, 3.2-20 to 2.4-14.

It was far from Norwood’s best quarter of football, but trailed by four points. M. Ling kept the Redlegs in the game in the opening term, with nine disposals and a goal. Cootee was fighting through his tag to find seven disposals, as did Rokahr.

The ruck battle was fascinating with Luke Surman finding six touches in the opening quarter, against two Westies big men, Riley Corbett who had six disposals and 208cm Caleb May who had five disposals and leading the way with eight hitouts.

Norwood led disposal 83-71, tackles 26-17, inside 50m 11-10 and marks 22-17, but the damage had been in the contest and clearance which the Bloods led 12-8.

The second term was a hard watch for Norwood fans, as the Redlegs constantly put themselves under pressure with decision making and skill execution. Meanwhile, the Bloods continued to impress in one of their best performances of the season.

The Redlegs edged their way in front and looked like they’d got the better of Westies through Gale and Cootee goals, but the visitors struck back with majors through Ned Stevens and May.

The highlight of a frustrating first half was the first League goal of debutant Aherne, who finished off a powerful running play through the midfield.

It was the glimpses of perfection, sprinkled with the lack of poise and skill execution, that would have been tearing Norwood fans hair out in the first half. Again, it was Scully who took a strong mark and went back to put the Bloods up by seven points at half time, 7.2-44 to 5.7-37.

Norwood was working hard, had evened up the clearances at half time 20-21, led disposal 159-114, inside 50m 23-21, tackles 45-36 and marks 49-29, but it was the execution that was the problem, combined with West’s pressure that had the home side trailing at the half.

West Adelaide on the other hand had come with a plan, and were executing perfectly.

The Bloods dominated clearance early in the third term, and Scully kicked his third goal 46 seconds into the quarter.

An uncharacteristic turnover kick from Cooper Murley found West’s Harvey Griffiths 50m out from goal, which led to the Bloods ninth goal and a match-high 13-point lead.

Norwood squandered chances at both ends, missing another set shot to make it an agonising 9.4-58 to 6.10-44.

Finally, the Redlegs found a seventh major, a snap through Tristan Binder, and the big shock really was that the Redlegs were only six points behind.

Another set shot miss put the home side five points down, and the fans groaning in their seats. Before Gale’s second put Norwood in front, 8.11-59 to 9.4-58.

For the first time all day for either side Cootee slammed home a third consecutive goal and the Redlegs had their match-high lead of seven points.

As had been the story of the day, Brady Searle goaled for the Bloods straight away, and at the final break Norwood held the lead by the smallest of margins, one point, 9.12-66 to 10.5-65.

The Redlegs kicked a frustrating 4.5 in the third term to West’s 3.3, as the Bloods won clearance by four in the quarter. This is where the West looked most damaging, and with fifth spot on the line Norwood had to make a stand in the final term.

It was a frantic last term, where both sides booted 3.2, and every time the Redlegs looked like they had done enough, the Bloods would kick one to bring it back to one point.

West’s Cade Kennedy kicked his second with one minute to go, and then the Bloods won the centre clearance to send it inside 50m again.

Luckily the Redlegs could cause a stoppage, and see the game through as winners.

Norwood now play North Adelaide and Port Adelaide in the remaining matches of the 2025 home and away season.

Norwood 2.4, 5.7, 9.12, 12.14 – 86

West Adelaide 3.2, 7.2, 10.5, 13.7 – 85

Goals: Gale 3, Cootee 2, Aherne, Binder, Hamilton, F. Heard, M. Ling, Lowe, Wright