R1 Match Report: Premiership flag unveiled, but a tough night for Norwood

Norwood closed the door on its 2022 Premiership season by unveiling the Premiership Flag ahead of Friday night’s game, but there weren’t too many other highlights at Coopers Stadium as Woodville-West Torrens dealt the Redlegs a Round 1 46-point defeat.

Norwood welcomed five new faces into the SANFL team, with Jack Saunders, Matthew Ling, Oliver Sanders and Logan Evans making their SANFL Debuts, and Luke Bogle playing his first game for the club after 37 games with South Adelaide.

The Redlegs were without Matthew Panos, Pierce Seymour, Jackson Callow, Patrick Walker, Cory Stockdale, Josh Richards and Luke Surman for the Round 1 game.

Captain Matthew Nunn led from the front with 21 disposals, six clearances and four tackles, while 17-year-old Evans had 18 disposals, six marks and three tackles and Nik Rokahr 18 disposals, 11 tackles and four clearances.

Reigning best and fairest winner Harry Boyd had 49 hitouts, 15 disposals, nine clearances and kicked a goal.

There were six individual goal kickers Tristan Binder, Bogle, Boyd, Saunders, Connor McLean and Nick Lowden.

Coach Jade Rawlings said the game was decided in a rampant second quarter performance by the Eagles where they kicked five goals in 12 minutes.

“The game was in our control early but it was three goals to three behinds at quarter time, and they were scoring too easily,” he said.

“We got dominated in every phase of the game in the second term, and to get beaten in the way that we did was disappointing – it gave them a lot of energy, momentum, belief. They are a good team and we gave them too much life in the second quarter.

“The second half looked pretty even in general play, we played the way that people have become accustomed, it looked better but the finishing touches were horrible – they kicked 75 points from turnover which isn’t a stat that we usually have against us.

“Round 1, in front of a home crowd we didn’t serve up a performance that was reflective of a Norwood team, we lick our wounds because it was very disappointing.”

After a scrappy opening quarter under the new VALO lights, Norwood led the inside 50m count 12-10, but it was the Eagles who were able to convert in front of goal with three unanswered majors.

Woodville-West Torrens led 3.0-18 to 0.3-3 at quarter time.

Norwood finally got on the board at the three-minute mark of the second term to bring the margin back to nine points, thanks to a goal through Binder.

Boyd was strong in the ruck and midfield with eight disposals, six clearances and 10 hit-outs to the seven-minute mark of the second term, but he was caught holding the ball in defence which led to the Eagles fourth goal.

The visitors looked sharp and they had their fifth goal when Connor Ballenden booted his second of the game, taking the Woodville-West Torrens lead out to 21 points at the 13-minute mark of the second term.

The ball was parked in Woodville-West Torrens’s forward line and another turnover led to the Eagles sixth goal in the dominant run of goals that decided the game (five goals in 12 minutes).

The Redlegs led the hit-outs (28-23) and clearances (21-20), but the Eagles led all the other major stats which helped them to a 41-point lead at the major break.

Nunn had 10 disposals at half time, while Jacob Kennerley had nine disposals, four tackles and four clearances.

It was much the same after half time as the Eagles slammed home three quick goals to the southern end to extend the margin to an even 10 goals, 11.5-71 to 1.5-11.

Late in the third term Norwood started to show some positive signs in their ball movement but couldn’t find the final kick and mark in the chain to create dangerous scoring opportunities.

It took something magical to find Norwood’s second major and it came from debutant Bogle who bounced through a goal from 50m out in the scoreboard pocket.

After going a quarter and a half without a goal, the Redlegs had two in two minutes when Connor McLean marked and converted at the top of the goalsquare.

The Eagles got the first goal of the final term, through Mitch Hardie who was dominant with 34 disposals, two goals, eight tackles and eight clearances.

Boyd booted his first goal of the season in front of Coopers Hill, giving the local fans something to cheer about, while Lowden and Saunders each kicked late goals from the goalsquare as the Redlegs finished off strong.

Norwood take on Sturt in Round 2 at Coopers Stadium, in what will be an Easter Thursday clash.

LEAGUE

Norwood 0.3, 1.4, 3.5, 6.9 – 45

Eagles 3.0, 8.3, 11.6, 14.7 – 91

Goals: Binder, Bogle, McLean, Boyd, Lowden, Saunders

Best: Thomas Donnelly, Logan Evans, Jack Heard, Jacob Kennerley, Matthew Nunn

RESERVES:

Norwood 5.3, 6.5, 10.5, 12.8-80

Eagles 1.1, 6.2, 9.4, 12.5-77

Goals: Twelftree 3, Gale 2, Robinson 2, Cresswell 1, Lok, Pascoe, Tranfa, van Wyk

Best: Liam Robinson, Connor Kent, Izaak Twelftree Conor, Alec Wright, Chance Doultree