Round 17 Coach’s Review

Norwood Senior Coach Jade Sheedy is proud of his players for fighting through a spirited challenge from West Adelaide on Saturday to claim a one point Round 17 win at Coopers Stadium. 

Sheedy and Cooper Murley joined The Redlegs Review Podcast this week, listen to the full episode here.

The Redlegs were forced to overcome a slow start against a determined Westies outfit before holding on in the dying stages for a thrilling victory which keeps them in the finals race.

“It was a real arm-wrestle all day, and it felt like there were times when they got on top of us,” Sheedy told The Redlegs Review podcast.

“We have talked about it a lot, but we value contest and defence very highly, and they (West Adelaide) brought a very contested game through numbers around the footy, which challenged us in different ways.

“We felt once we got our game going, we could get the ball inside our front half and lock it in there a little bit more. We were better in the second half, but certainly a challenging day against a side that brought a lot of combative energy and were up for the fight.

“All credit to them (West Adelaide), but I’m really proud of the boys with how we stayed in the contest and fought through it and got the win in the end.

“Sometimes, as footy clubs can do, you are expected to get a result, and when things don’t go your way, it is easy to just go ‘it’s not your day’. So the ability of the players to fight through it and to change momentum and to keep hitting the scoreboard was really positive all day.”

Having lost five games by under 16 points so far this season, Sheedy was pleased to finally have a close game go Norwood’s way.

“The difference between winning and losing those close ones creates a different atmosphere in the rooms,” he said.

“I said to the boys after the game that this is what winning a close one feels like, because we haven’t been able to do that too often this year, so once again it is just a good reward for the players.”

With West Adelaide featuring several tall players who rotated through the ruck and forward line, Sheedy noted the efforts of ruckman Luke Surman and key defender Tom Donnelly in competing against West’s big men.

“Caleb May is 208cm and Tom Scully is 203cm, so we got challenged in the air on a few occasions. Surmo (Luke Surman) did a really good job as well and ended up with 10 clearances and got the ball going our way a number of times,” Sheedy said.

“We thought Tom Donnelly did an amazing job on Scully as well. Scully kicked three goals and Donnelly’s 12cm shorter than him, but the amount of contests that Donners was in and the amount of contests he halved or won was really good throughout the day.”

Star half-back Matthew Ling was again a standout contributor in his 50th SANFL game for Norwood, with Sheedy praising his ability to spark his side in the second half.

“He’s the one who got us going offensively. His willingness to drive his legs and take grass in front of him and challenge opposition in different ways with the way he runs and kicks the footy was really strong in the second half in particular.”

With Norwood in desperate need of a goal in the last quarter, midfielder Baynen Lowe was sent to full forward and kicked a crucial goal following a superb one-on-one mark inside 50.

“He is a very good player wherever you play him. Obviously he can finish in front of goal, and he’s really tricky to play one-on-one with his lateral movement and the way he can play in the air and on the ground,” Sheedy said.

“The mark at the end you can’t teach; that’s a bit of individual brilliance and what we needed at the time.”

Sheedy was also impressed with the game of half-forward Jayden Gale, who finished with three goals from 14 disposals, including a crucial long bomb from outside 50 in the last quarter.

“Galey plays a really tough role for us, which involves a lot of running, and he’s a good high-speed runner.”

“He won the Fortis award during the week, which is voted on by your peers around all the little things in our game, and for him to stand up and kick big goals when things weren’t going our way was a good step for him with his growth as a person and a player.”

Star midfielder Billy Cootee overcame a heavy tag from West Adelaide’s Lachie Squire to still have an impact with 19 disposals and two goals, with Sheedy reserving praise for the young gun.

“We have had players go on to Lowey, Rokes (Nik Rokahr) and now Billy. He has had a great six weeks, and he’s a different midfielder with the way he moves and can get forward and hit the scoreboard and test opposition, which is what he did on the weekend.”

Norwood also blooded two debutants on the weekend in State U18 defender Balyn O’Brien and Tasmanian recruit Jack Aherne, who both acquitted themselves well at League level.

“I heard about Balyn a lot when I first got to the footy club around the type of kid he is and the character he is, so he’s a great kid first and foremost, but his ability to play a really strong role and make sure he gets it done at the defensive end is what he is renowned for and we saw that on the weekend.”

“He came in and had a pretty tough job on one of their better forwards, so for a first-gamer, he did a good job.”

“Jack is a Tassie boy and a forward who is really strong in the contest and has done a lot of work over the pre-season on his body and really changed his body shape. He lives in the gym and every time you go in there, he is there, so he is another bright spot for the future.”

Norwood now turn their focus to a crunch clash against North Adelaide at Prospect Oval on Saturday, with the teams meeting for the first time since Round 1.

“Obviously both sides are a little bit different from Round 1, and a long season has gone before us, but we saw on the weekend they are a very dangerous footy club.”

“Like every game in the SANFL, you’ve got to come with the right attitude and mindset, and we’ll train hard during the week and the boys will be primed and ready to go.”

Listen to the full episode with Jade Sheedy, Cooper Murley and NFC Talent Manager Craig Roberts on The Redlegs Review podcast here: