Norwood suffer 54-point loss on Anzac Day

After winning last year’s SANFL Premiership Norwood earnt the right to host this year’s traditional SANFL League Anzac Day Match, but it was last year’s runners-up North Adelaide which ran out 54-point winners at Coopers Stadium.

The Redlegs challenging start to the season continued on the Tuesday Public Holiday with North claiming a 14.10-95 to 5.10-40 win.

Declan Hamilton was a shining light for Norwood with 33 disposals, while Matt Ling and Oliver Sanders each had 24 disposals. Connor McLean was the only multiple goal scorer with two majors.

Thomas Donnelly was awarded the Philip de Quetteville Robin Medal as Norwood’s best afield.

Norwood blooded three more debutants in the Round 3 match – Michael Stingel, Alec Wright and Liam Robinson – taking the total to eight new faces in the SANFL side in 2023.

Flight Sergeant Darren Matheson of the Royal Australian Air Force led the pre-match Anzac Day service, as more than 4200 people filtered into Coopers Stadium for the 2022 Grand Final re-match.

Both Norwood and North Adelaide League sides wore two black arm bands for the game – one for Anzac Day and the other to pay tribute to former Norwood junior player Antonio Loiacono, who tragically lost his life over the weekend in a football incident.

WW2 Veteran, 100-year-old Jack Dawson tossed the coin, while members of the 2013 Norwood Premiership team were also on the ground pre-game as part of a 10-year Premiership reunion.

Norwood Senior Coach Jade Rawlings was disappointed that his side was off the pace for the blockbuster fixture.

“I am disappointed given the stage and the opportunity, this doesn’t come around very often and we didn’t play our part in it,” he said.

“To be minus-32 inside 50m entries at half time shows there was a fair disparity in the contest – North’s contest wins were strong and they looked dangerous going forward. We saved a heap of goals in that first quarter but it’s unsustainable playing that way.

“We have to strip it right back and get parts of our game back to being competitive because there are parts where we aren’t competitive and that is agitating us as a club.

“We have played three slick sides, but three games at home for three losses is not desirable.”

Norwood started slowly, with North gaining the first nine inside 50m entries – luckily for the home side the Roosters were wayward in front of goal with three consecutive behinds.

The Redlegs finally got the ball moving forward and debutant Liam Robinson had the first shot at goal, unfortunately a behind.

North’s Noah Casalini booted the first two goals of the game toward The Parade End, before Norwood responded with the first goal of its own through Ben Jarvis.

Hamilton had eight disposals in the first term, as Norwood worked its way into the quarter, but it was North leading 2.3-15 to 1.2-8 at the first break.

Norwood’s defence held up well in the first term despite the inside 50m count being 22-5 in North’s favour.

The Redlegs continued to defend strongly in the second term, with talls Harry Boyd, Jack Heard and Donnelly playing important roles in making sure North didn’t make the most of its inside 50m dominance.

Both sides turned the ball over consistently and Dyson Hilder capitalised on a Norwood turnover at half back, booting his side’s third goal and extending North’s lead to 13 points.

The inside 50m count was 27-8 when North went forward from the centre clearance and Norwood was lucky that Sam McInerney missed a sitter from the top of the goalsquare.

Weight of numbers eventually paid off for the Roosters who went on to kick five unanswered goals in the second term to lead by 40 points at half time.

Hamilton continued to lead the charge for Norwood with 17 disposals to half time, while Donnelly, Matt Ling and Nik Rokahr each amassed 11 touches in the first half.

North led the disposal count by 25, but dominated the inside 50m (43-11) and clearance (23-12) numbers.

Norwood desperately need a spark after half time and it came through Robinson’s first goal in League football, converting a 25m set shot.

This was followed by a Cam Taheny goal from 50m and Norwood had back to back majors for the first time of the afternoon.

North restored a 44-point lead and broke up a strong period of play from Norwood when Lachlan Grubb and Casalini goaled.

McLean made it a three-goal quarter for Norwood who trailed by 37 points at the final break.

North put the game to bed with two early goals in the final term to secure the 54-point win.

The Redlegs will be hoping to secure their first win of 2023 when they travel to Glenelg next Sunday to take on the Tigers.

LEAGUE

Norwood 1.2, 1.3, 4.7, 5.10 – 40

North Adelaide 2.3, 7.7, 10.8, 14.10 – 94

Goals: McLean 2, Jarvis, Taheny, Robinson

North Adelaide booted the last four goals to steal a 13-point victory from Norwood in the SANFL Reserves contest at Coopers Stadium on Anzac Day.

The Redlegs led by 11 points in the last quarter of a seesawing game at The Parade before North kicked four goals in nine minutes to win 12.12-84 to 10.11-71.

Norwood led by 21 points during the first quarter before the Roosters kicked six of the next seven goals to lead by 13 points early in the third term.

Sam Morris collected 24 disposals, laid six tackles and won three clearances in a strong performance for the Redlegs, while Tyson Walls had 22 disposals, and Jake Cresswell 21.

Norwood’s goals came through Matt Dnistriansky (two), Izaak Twelftree (two), Goy Lok (two), Luke Bogle, Jayden Gale, Tom Graham and Connor Kent.

Dnistriansky was strong with two goals, 13 disposals and seven marks, while Alex Van Wyk had 19 hitouts and six clearances.

RESERVES

Norwood 4.5, 5.6, 9.8, 10.11 – 71

North Adelaide 2.1, 6.7, 8.10, 12.12 – 84

Goals: Dnistriansky 2, Twelftree 2, Lok 2, Bogle, Gale, Graham, Kent