Norwood in the top five for the first time in 2025

A sensational five-goal last quarter has helped Norwood come from behind to beat North Adelaide at Prospect Oval on Saturday, and for the first time this season will end the round in fifth place.

It now all comes down to a winner takes all match against Port Adelaide at The Parade’s Coopers Stadium next Saturday to decide who moves onto the finals series, and who finishes the year in August. The Round 19 match will take place at 3:40pm on Saturday, August 23 as the Redlegs celebrate the Fortis Army Match and Remembrance Round against the arch rivals.

At Prospect Oval on Saturday, Norwood was in all-sorts of trouble at three quarter time, trailing an impressive Roosters side by 12 points who had all the momentum.

Down a player in Luke Surman, Jade Sheedy threw the magnets around, sending Pierce Seymour and Cooper Murley forward (both kicking last quarter goals), while Finn Heard and Tristan Binder shared ruck duties.

Binder was outstanding for the Redlegs, kicking two last quarter goals, and three for the match, whilst taking five marks and winning 10 hitouts.

With it all to play for in the final term, the struggling Norwood flipped a switch, kicking five unanswered goals to turn the 12 point deficit into a 19-point advantage when Jayden Gale booted his second major.

Billy Cootee (22 disposals, eight clearances) and Jacob Kennerley (20 disposals and a goal) stood tall in the midfield, while Jack Heard took eight marks in defence from his 20 disposals. Matthew Ling was again a class above with 19 touches, including several running plays in the second half to break the game open.

The first term wasn’t one for the highlights reel.

Each side managed just one goal in the opening quarter, the first through North’s Reed van Huisstede, before Redlegs midfielder Ben Simpson snapped truly for his first goal in League football.

It was a perfect day for football in the first half, but both sides made skill error after skill error and insisted on bombing the ball inside 50m (North 14-10 inside 50m in the first term) for no reward.

The Roosters kicked five behinds in a row to make it 1.5-11 to 1.1-7 at the first break.

Norwood was holding up well in defence, but routinely turned the ball over at half back. Redlegs defenders J. Heard and Seymour were dominating at one end, and North defender Dyson Hilder was doing the same down the other.

J. Heard took five marks in the first term from his seven disposals, while Surman also had seven disposals.

Norwood had to get its prime movers into the game, with Baynen Lowe who was playing forward was held to two touches in the first quarter, and the club’s leading disposal winner Nik Rokahr just one.

Both got involved early in the second term, Lowe finding skipper Kennerley inside 50m, who went back to kick the Redlegs second goal which put the visitors in front.

Rokahr won back to back centre clearances, and got the Redlegs going.

Norwood showed glimpses of its best football in the second term, a snap goal from Billy Cootee and a great passage of transition and overlap run to set up Binder’s first goal.

Binder’s goal made it three straight for the visitors and a 14-point lead.

After toiling away for a half for just one major, Nigel Lockyer finally kicked the Roosters second goal. Norwood had chances to answer straight back, but were wayward and went into half time leading by 10 points, 4.4-28 to 2.6-18.

J. Heard had 11 disposals to the main break, while Cooper Murley and Surman had 10 each. Oskar Faulkhead and Frank Szekely had 12 each for North.

The Roosters led inside 50m 26-17 in the first half, while most of the other key stats were even, marks 43-43, clearances 15-17 and disposals, 143-133 in North’s favour.

Rain started to fall at half time, which remained for most of the third term.

The Redlegs won the first centre clearance of the second half, and Seymour was the man leading out from full forward, which confused nearly everyone at Prospect Oval. But, that was the move made by Jade Sheedy at half time through the Surman injury. Surman didn’t return to the field after half time.

The Roosters started the second half brightly, kicking the first two goals of the third through van Huisstede and Szekely to sneak ahead by one point.

The Redlegs had a fight on their hands and despite having nothing on the line the Roosters had come to play, as the home side booted their fourth straight goal to take the lead to seven points.

Norwood was getting completely outplayed, and needed something to happen. Out of nowhere, Jayden Gale booted a cracking goal at the 19-minute mark, the Redlegs first since the 13-minute mark of the second term.

After kicking just two goals in the first half, North Adelaide dominated the third term, with six majors to Norwood’s two to take a 12-point lead into the final break, 8.7-55 to 6.7-43.

Norwood with it all to play for, the first goal of the final term was crucial, and it came off the boot of Binder, finishing off a classy passage of play from second gamer Balyn O’Brien.

The game needed a highlight, and guess who… Matthew Ling stepped up for the Redlegs. Making it look like a dry day, Ling took two bounces through the middle of the ground and laced out Murley in space inside 50m. Murley’s goal levelled the score at 8.9-57 apiece.

Norwood reclaimed the lead a minute later when Kennerley came streaming out of the centre bounce to find a leading F. Heard, who goaled to put Norwood in front.

From there the Redlegs didn’t look back with further goals to Binder and Gale to put the game out of reach of the brave Roosters.

Norwood 1.1, 4.4, 6.7, 11.10 – 76

North Adelaide 1.5, 2.6, 8.7, 9.9 – 63

Goals: Binder 3, Gale 2, Cootee, F. Heard, Kennerley, Murley, Seymour, Simpson