Redlegs dominate Bloods on their way to third straight win

A sensational return from Matthew Ling and a career high four goals from Izaak Twelftree helped Norwood secure a dominant 74-point victory over West Adelaide at Hisense Stadium on Sunday.

Norwood’s half back, Ling, didn’t miss a beat in his return from a three-game suspension, collecting 29 disposals (19 in the first half), to help his side to a 17.13-115 to 6.5-41 win over the Bloods.

It was also the first time in Twelftree’s 12-game SANFL career that he’d managed multiple majors, and finished with 4.1 from his career high 21 disposals, six tackles and seven marks.

Ling and Twelftree were named the two best afield for the Redlegs, who had a wide-range of outstanding performers, including Billy Cootee’s 21 disposals, Baynen Lowe’s three goals, and Harry Boyd’s 46 hit outs, 11 clearances and 16 disposals.

Ben Simpson had 22 disposals, Brodie Carroll 21 and Jake Cresswell 17, as well as taking a sensational mark going back with the flight of the ball in the final term.

While it wasn’t happy reading on the scoresheet for Jackson Callow, who booted 1.4, the big forward had an enormous impact with 19 disposals and 12 marks (six contested).

There were no passengers for the Redlegs on Sunday, as the visitors kicked 10 of the first 11 goals and held West Adelaide to just one goal in the first half.

Norwood looked on from the first bounce, and Lowe looked dangerous early, charging forward from the midfield and booting the first goal from a set shot.

Lowe had a say in Norwood’s second goal, when he found Callow at half forward. Callow turned and immediately kicked long towards Finn Heard who got rid of his opponent in the goal square.

F. Heard’s goal came at the five-minute mark and at this stage, the Redlegs had a two-goal lead.

It was only early, but West Adelaide needed a settler. They got it through Dylan McCormick who converted a set shot from short range. This would be the Bloods only goal of the first half.

Callow was causing issues for West Adelaide, starting in centre bounce before drifting forward, while Cooper Murley was swung forward – a position he played throughout his junior career at the Redlegs.

Murley took a strong mark in the pocket, but couldn’t convert and after 11 minutes it was 2.1-13 to 1.1-7.

Norwood had its third goal when Sam Morris and Cootee combined from a boundary throw in, and found Connor McLean on the lead. McLean went back from 35m out and kicked his first goal of the day.

Run and dash off the half back line has been Norwood’s strength all season, and it was a feature in its fourth goal of the first term. B. Carroll linked up with Ling, who charged forward. The ball ended up with Twelfree, who turned and found a running Cresswell 20m out.

Declan Hamilton and McLean put a full stop on a dominant first term for Norwood, with two late goals to hand the Redlegs a 29-point lead at quarter time, 6.1-37 to 1.2-8.

Each of Norwood’s seven scoring shots in the first term came in the form of a set shot.

Ling had a huge influence early in the game with nine first quarter disposals, as did Boyd who had six disposals, 15 hit outs and six clearances.

The Redlegs dominated every aspect of the first term, having +18 disposals, +7 tackles, +11 hit outs, +4 clearances, +6 marks and +1 inside 50m entry.

Norwood had seven of the first 10 inside 50m entries to start the second term, but West Adelaide did well to restrict the Redlegs run and direct ball movement that they were blessed with in the first term.

Norwood was held goalless for the first 14 minutes, before Lowe was left in space 40m out. He marked, wheeled around on his right boot and nailed his side’s seventh goal to get the margin out to 38 points.

The Redlegs managed to break the game open again, and West Adelaide couldn’t go with them.

Twelftree was hit on the lead and kicked his first goal to lift his side to a 46-point lead just before half time. It was a welcome goal for the visitors, who before this goal had 1.5 on the board in the second term.

Twelftree a minute later hit Murley lace out with a bullet, but he couldn’t convert his allusive first SANFL goal, hitting the post.

Murley was looking lively and had a third attempt at his breakthrough goal after the half time siren.

His shot dropped short but the Redlegs went into half time with an 8.7-55 to 1.2-8 lead, keeping West Adelaide scoreless in the second term to Norwood’s wayward 2.6 in a swirling breeze.

Norwood was +60 in disposal, +20 marks, +12 tackles, +8 clearances, +14 inside 50m and +17 hit outs in a near perfect first half display.

A key piece of this was Ling, who had 19 disposals to the main break.

Boyd had 12 disposals, nine clearances and 25 hit outs at half time, while Lowe had 12 disposals and two goals.

A classy ground ball gather from Billy Cootee set up the first goal of the second half. His kick wasn’t great, but Morris cleanly collected a tricky half volley and found Lowe streaming through, who nailed his third goal of the game.

Two minutes later F. Heard had his second goal on the board, and the margin was out to 59 points.

Michael Laudato showed some poise, and finally converted West Adelaide’s first goal since the opening quarter.

It mattered little, as Twelftree nailed his second goal under pressure to return the 10-goal margin at the half-way point of the third term.

Boyd had absolutely dominated the ruck battle, and then added salt into the wounds by floating forward and taking a mark 25m out, to boot the Redlegs 12^th goal.

West Adelaide found back to back goals late in the third term, but Twelftree had the final say, kicking his third goal to make it a five goals to three third quarter.

Norwood led by an even 60 points at the final break, 13.9-87 to 4.3-27.

Callow had a huge impact on the game for a return of four behinds, before he finally snapped his first goal at the 16-minute mark of the final quarter.

The Redlegs ran the game out strongly, with final quarter goals to Callow, Hamilton, Jack Saunders and Twelftree.

Norwood hosts Adelaide at Coopers Stadium next Saturday, July 13 in Round 14, with an earlier 1:10pm start. After struggling early in the season, the Crows have enjoyed back to back wins over finals hopefuls in Glenelg and Central District.

Norwood 6.1, 8.7, 13.9, 17.13 – 115

West Adelaide 1.2, 1.2, 4.3, 6.5 – 41

Goals: Twelftree 4, Lowe 3, Hamilton 2, F. Heard 2, McLean 2, Boyd, Callow, Cresswell, Saunders

Best: Ling, Twelftree, Callow, Cootee, Boyd

Norwood’s Reserves showed great resolve to overcome West Adelaide at Hisense Stadium on Sunday, claiming a 31-point win.

The Bloods came into the game on the bottom of the Reserves ladder, having won just one match, but made the top of the table Norwood earn a 13.8-86 to 8.7-55 victory.

It was neck and neck for much of the day, except two spurts in the second and third quarters where the Redlegs were able to kick three goals in succession.

Scores were level at 2.3-15 apiece at the 11-minute mark of the second term, before the Redlegs found three goals in six minutes through Goy Lok, Ollie Sanders and Alex van Wyk to help the visitors to a 19-point lead at half time.

Westies looked the better team on the other side of half time, having four consecutive scoring shots in the first 14 minutes of the third quarter.

Unfortunately for the Bloods, it was a return of 1.3 and the only goal coming off the boot of former Redleg Kobe Tozer which got the margin back to 10 points.

Unable to fully make Norwood pay, the Redlegs made the most of this, again booting three goals in four minutes to extend the margin out to 29 points.

This time the goals came off the boot of Lok, Nich Weightman and U18 Jay Polkinghorne, who was suiting up in his first Reserves match for the Redlegs.

Lachie Bates kicked a goal on the three quarter time siren to make it a 9.5-59 to 4.6-30 to rip the heart out of West Adelaide.

Most of the final quarter went goal for goal, as both sides manager four majors apiece, as Norwood was able to navigate itself to its 11th victory of the Reserves campaign.

Sanders continues his strong return from a serious ankle injury with 28 disposals, five tackles, five clearances and a goal, while George McLeod also finished with 28 disposals and Luke Bogle 26 disposals, seven tackles and four clearances.

Sanders had averaged 25.6 disposals across his three Reserves games, including tallies of 33 and 28 against South Adelaide and West Adelaide over the past two weeks.

Lok kicked four goals and took six marks, while small forward Bates kicked three goals from his 21 disposals.

Polkinghorne booted two goals, took four marks, and looked right at home in his first Senior game at Norwood.

First year key defender Calem Krollig had one of his best games in the Reserves, taking six marks from his eight disposals and was named best on ground.

The 11-1 Norwood sits two and a half games clear of the second placed Sturt at 8-3-1 on the Reserves table.

The Redlegs take on the third placed 8-4 Glenelg at Coopers Stadium in Round 14, on Saturday, July 13.

Norwood 2.3, 5.4, 9.5, 13.8 – 86

West Adelaide 1.2, 2.3, 4.6, 8.7 – 55

Goals: Lok 4, Bates 3, Polkinghorne 2, Sanders, Tranfa, van Wyk, Weightman

Best: Krollig, van Wyk, Sanders, Hodge, White