Round 5 Redlegs Review

Norwood Senior Coach Jade Sheedy says he is pleased with the way his team played in a comprehensive 49-point win over Central District at Elizabeth on Saturday.

The Redlegs controlled the game from the outset, keeping the Bulldogs to just two goals in a terrific defensive effort amid tough conditions.

Speaking to The Redlegs Review podcast, Sheedy highlighted the KPIs his team met on the way to the impressive victory.

“We had a good review last night and we talked not just about the fact that we won, but how we won,” Sheedy said.

“Everyone has KPIs, and we value ours very strongly, and we talked about those last night and what it looked like on the vision, and a lot of our stats this week were very positive and have been throughout the year, but it was our most consistent performance.”

One of the metrics Sheedy was most impressed with was the tackle count, which Norwood won by 17 despite also enjoying 94 more disposals across the afternoon.

“It is good to win a game like that and win the tackle count. It shows that our game is in good order and we are valuing the right things.”

“We want to be a really contested footy club that is hard to play against and set up really well defensively, and then our offence will come from that, so our KPIs are all positive this week and the group is in a good space at the moment.”

With Norwood dominating the inside 50 count 57-26, Sheedy was delighted to have most of the game played in Norwood’s front half and relieve the pressure from a defensive unit that had often been forced to defend grimly over the first month.

“Our backs have been tremendous this year, but have probably had to defend too deep at times. But if our team connection is good, we feel we can close the game out a little bit further up the field, which we managed to do.”

“That starts with our forwards, and then our mids and backs are the last part of that, but switching from offence to defence quickly and closing the game out allows you to play it in our front half, so that was a really good part of our game.”

Star midfielder Baynen Lowe was a major contributor across the day, finishing with 26 disposals, seven tackles, six clearances and six inside 50s to earn high praise from Sheedy.

“Lowey started us off really well and his aggression around the footy was really good. He is building really nicely into the year and is continuing to spike week after week.”

Another key playmaker for the Redlegs was dashing half-back Cooper Murley, who collected 26 disposals, six marks and five rebound 50s in a stellar display.

“Murls has had a really good year as well. Some of his close-outs high up the ground were a big reason why we were able to play the game in our forward half.”

Captain Jacob Kennerley (23 disposals, seven clearances and a goal) and veteran wingman Declan Hamilton (26 disposals and eight inside 50s) were similarly instrumental in the win and also received recognition from Sheedy.

“Dec and JK played a bit of a different role for us this week, but both really nailed it and gave us some good run and carry through the middle of the ground.”

Unheralded midfielder/forward Ben Simpson was another to impress the coach, enjoying more midfield time to amass 26 disposals and six tackles in his best performance of the season.

“He’s been very versatile this year and has taken some amazing one-on-one marks for someone his size, and against Sturt he really changed the game for us when he played forward.”

“With Kade suspended at the moment, that gave Ben an opportunity to play some more midfield time. He is very diligent with how he looks after himself, so he deserved the opportunity and he took it with both hands.”

Norwood now turn their attention to the upcoming trip to Port Lincoln to face a resurgent West Adelaide outfit at Centenary Oval on Saturday afternoon.

Staged in the heart of Norwood’s regional zone, the annual Eyre Peninsula Cup will once again showcase the outstanding contribution the region continues to make to the club.

Coaching in his second Eyre Peninsula Cup, Sheedy is eager to get back and soak in the experience with his players.

“We are really looking forward to it, and there is a bit of excitement around this week knowing that. The development team play on Friday night at Richmond, so that will be a really tough hit-out, and then the League boys will fly over on Friday and look forward to getting together.”

“We spend a lot of time together at the footy club, but it’s a lot of training time, so it will be good to get over there and relax with the players, support staff and supporters and have some different conversations and get to know everyone a bit better while we are over there.

“There are five current players on our list from there, so it’s good for them to get home as well and for some of our city and interstate players to understand our country zone and what that looks like.

“We talk about our local zone a fair bit and everyone is aware of the EP, but to actually get over there and play a game and get a feel for Centenary Oval and Port Lincoln and the regions around it is exciting for our group.

“There is a bit of downtime we will have flying in on Friday and we don’t play until Saturday, so players will be able to have a look around. It is really exciting just to get away as a group because we don’t get to do it that often in the SANFL, so we’re looking forward to it.”

The game will also mark gun midfielder Nik Rokahr’s 100th at League level for Norwood, with Sheedy keen to acknowledge the achievement and his contribution to the club since arriving in 2020.

“It is one we will celebrate pretty heavily this week. We had Jack Heard a couple of weeks ago and we’ve got a few more strong leaders who have been around, so it’s something we need to celebrate.”

“He is definitely someone I have admired from afar, and now coaching him, I have that same admiration for the way that he fronts up every week.

“He is very diligent with his body and the work he puts in throughout pre-season and throughout the week to make sure he is right to go, so there is no coincidence that he is one of the best players in the competition.”

Norwood will face a West Adelaide team that is in excellent form and coming off a stirring four-point win against reigning premier Sturt, with Sheedy keenly aware of the danger they pose.

“We are very excited about this game. They are very well-coached and well-drilled. I think our game styles are very similar. Both sides are very contested and like to tackle and use our hands to help outnumber. We train a lot of that and I’m sure they do as well, so at times it will be like we’re playing against ourselves, so it’s going to be a really good contest.”

“We will have to do our homework and make sure we can get the footy going our way and have some good strategy to help play the game in our forward half and start by winning the contest, which will be valued very highly by both sides, so we’re really looking forward to this contest.”