Redlegs let it slip in last quarter to go 0-2

It was a final quarter to forget for Norwood on Good Friday, giving up a four-goal lead to go down by eight points at Stratarama Stadium against Glenelg.

Norwood led from the first two minutes of the game, and weren’t headed until the 24-minute mark of the final term when Joel Thiele snapped through the crucial go-ahead goal in front of 4500 fans at the Bay.

Luke Partington sealed the deal with two minutes to go, the Tigers fifth goal of the final term, and the home side went on to record their second win of the season,7.9-51 to 6.7-43.

The 0-2 Redlegs now have a huge Friday night game against South Adelaide at Coopers Stadium in two weeks time, following the Gather Round bye.

Norwood was seeking its first win at Glenelg Oval in nine years, and despite the tight, dour, congested and contested nature of the game, it looked like that was going to happen for 98% of the match.

Norwood led 6.6-42 to 2.6-18 at three quarter time, but, Glenelg weren’t done, kicking five unanswered goals with a strong breeze at their backs to overrun the Redlegs.

Like last week’s Round 1 game against Sturt, Norwood started well, kicking the first three goals of the match, but not able to maximise the scoreboard pressure when on top.

The Tigers fought back with the next two in the dying moments of the first term to trail by just seven at the first break, 3.3-21 to 2.2-14. Norwood led inside 50m +6, disposal +27, marks +11, and tackles +6 but only took the seven-point lead into the break.

After being well held last week by Sturt, Jack Heard and Pierce Seymour dominated the first term with five disposals each. Seymour took five marks across half back, and sent the Redlegs back the other way.

Declan Hamilton had eight disposals in the first term, while Baynen Lowe had eight and Charlie Molan, Mitch Nicholas and Nik Rokahr seven apiece.

The second term wasn’t one for the highlights reel, as neither team managed a goal. Both teams kicked 0.2, with the margin remaining at seven at the main break.

Connection going inside 50m was a problem for the Redlegs in the first term, and it didn’t improve to start the second quarter. Norwood managed repeated inside 50m entries, but equated to 0.2.

The Redlegs were doing so much right around the ground, but still led by eight points, as neither team managed a goal in the term.

Norwood again dominated the disposal tally at the half, going +32 disposals, +16 tackles, +14 marks and +9 inside 50m, but only led 3.5-23 to 2.4-16 following a tough and tight first half.

The congested and highly contested nature of the game suited Norwood’s midfielders, with Baynen Lowe (16 disposals), Rokahr (16), Kade Dittmar (15), Hamilton (14), and Nicholas (13) leading all ball-winners on the ground. Goal kickers for Norwood were Jacob Kennerley, Tristan Binder and Molan.

Dittmar had laid seven tackles and won three clearances in the first half, while the Redlegs defenders were doing well to keep star forwards Lachie Hosie and Liam McBean quiet.

Kicking with a strong breeze in  the third term, Norwood had to make it count, and it took 11 minutes before the Redlegs could get a meaningful score on the board, but eventually it came.

Binder took a strong mark and capitalized from a 25m penalty to kick Norwood’s first goal since the 19-minute mark of the opening term.

The breakthrough goal sparked a resurgence for the Redlegs, who then managed the next two in quick succession, with Molan scrambling both goals through from congested situations.

Norwood managed to again keep Glenelg goalless for the second consecutive quarter, leading by 24 points, 6.6-42 to 2.6-18, at three quarter time. However, the Tigers had the wind at their backs in the final term.

Glenelg had been much more insistent on going long down the line than the Redlegs, who preferred to switch and transition through handball. Which, in the windy conditions had been risky.

Hosie and McBean hadn’t been sighted in the first three quarters, with just one goal and 11 disposals between them. But, Norwood people knew what they were capable of in final terms.

Of course, it was McBean that snapped through the first of the final term to make it 17 points. Not long later it was 11 points and officially game on when Remi Brown kicked another goal.

Norwood didn’t have many chances to boot a major into the wind, but it looked like Matt Harms had snuffled one on the goalline, which ended up being touched to make it an even 12 points.

From there it was all the Tigers, who steamrolled Norwood in a rampant final quarter effort.

Scroll down to see the injury update, Reserves Report and Jade Sheedy’s Round 2 post match review.

Norwood 3.3, 3.5, 6.6, 6.7 – 43

Glenelg 2.2, 2.4, 2.6, 7.9 – 51

Goals: Molan 3, Binder 2, Kennerley 1

Best: Donnelly, Kennerley, Rokahr, F Heard, Molan

Norwood was outplayed by Glenelg in the second half of the Round 2 Men’s Reserves league clash at Stratarama Stadium on Good Friday, going down by 29 points.

The Redlegs started well, and led by eight points midway through the first term after Will Prescott booted Norwood’s second goal, but from there Glenelg took charge.

The Tigers kicked the next three goals to take a 15-point lead, but Oliver Sanders managed to kick a goal in the closing stages of the second term to make it nine points at the main break, 5.6-36 to 4.3-27.

The third term was dominated by the home side, but neither side could capitalise on opportunities. The Tigers kicked a wayward 1.6, while Norwood could only manage 0.3, which helped Glenelg to an 18-point advantage at the final break.

Jack Aherne (who finished with three goals) kicked the first goal of the final quarter to give the Redlegs a sniff, but the Tigers shortly after answered back with three straight goals to surge the margin out to five goals.

Norwood won all the key statistics, +70 disposal, +23 marks, +10 tackles, +11 hitouts, +2 clearances and +2 inside 50m but couldn’t make it shown on the scoreboard.

Daniel Gauci again led the way with 29 disposals, while second-year player Jake Hill had one of his best games for Norwood with 28 touches, eight clearances and eight tackles.

Liam Ling was also strong with 28 disposals and 10 tackles, while Alex Swinnerton was named best on ground with his 18 touches and 10 tackles.

Norwood 3.2, 4.3, 4.6, 6.8 – 44

Glenelg 4.1, 5.6, 6.12, 10.13 – 73

Best: Swinnerton, M Hodges, Sanders, Aherne, D’Annunzio

Goals: Aherne 3, Ainsworth, Prescott, Sanders