Match Report: Southern Left Goalpost ruins Norwood’s day

It was a game of inches and key moments at Thebarton Oval as Norwood fell just five points short of an impressive Woodville-West Torrens on Sunday.

Norwood hit the left goalpost at the southern end an astonishing FIVE times, which proved costly in the 7.1-43 to 5.8-38 defeat.

Norwood was looking to make it back to back wins, while the Eagles were hoping to register their first victory of the season.

The Eagles looked the better side for most of the day, and the Redlegs trailed by a match-high 21 points at three quarter time, before charging home in the last term for a costly return of 2.4 to fall agonizingly short.

Sachi Syme had 20 disposals, six clearances and three tackles for Norwood, while Najwa Allen had 18 disposals, six tackles and four marks in a new role across half back.

Woodville-West Torrens’ Shineah Goody and Poppy Waterford caused the Redlegs headaches all day with 20 disposals apiece.

It was a scrappy start to the game, with both sides turning the ball over between the arcs – managing a combined three inside 50m entries in the first five minutes.

The Eagles looked desperate to start the game, giving Norwood no room to move. They began to get on top and drove the ball inside 50m, and after nine minutes the Eagles had a 7-1 inside 50m count, and eventually this paid off through the first goal via Mckenzie Dowrick.

Dowrick was a handful in the forward line with three goals.

Norwood turned up the heat, finding six consecutive inside 50m entries, and started to get on top in clearances.

The Redlegs finally got on the board after 12 minutes, when Shai Hiscock snapped truly from the scoreboard pocket – her third goal of the season.

The Eagles threatened the goalface late in the term, but Norwood took a slender 1.1-7 to 1.0-6 lead into quarter time.

Norwood’s Tahlita Buethke had six disposals in the first term, but the dangerous Waterford (seven disposals to QT) and Power-listed midfielder Goody (six disposals) were having a real impact.

The Eagles had 11-7 inside 50m and 26-13 tackles, showing their intent to win the ball and force it forward.

Woodville-West Torrens started the second term in the same fashion it did the first, locking the ball inside its forward half.

It felt like Norwood had no way through, until Hiscock belted the ball forward to an open 50m zone – Eagle Audrey Holt won the footrace, but Elle Lineage ran her down and created a goal scoring opportunity for Amelia Rusden, which hit the post… the first of the day.

The Redlegs hit the post for the second time in a minute, and the Eagles made them pay – going coast to coast for their second goal of the match through Grace Martin.

Norwood hit the left goalpost for the third consecutive time in the second term, but were enjoying a period of forward half dominance.

The Eagles again made the Redlegs pay for their inaccuracy, booting a third goal just before the main break through Dowrick.

Woodville-West Torrens led 3.0-18 to 1.4-10 at the half time break, and also led the tackles 45-31 and inside 50m 19-14.

Syme had 14 disposals, and Allen 11 at half time, but Waterford continued to cause headaches with 16 disposals and four clearances in the first half.

Norwood started the third term brightly, creating multiple scoring opportunities, with Adrienne Davies steering the first goal of the half through to reduce the margin to just two points.

As the Eagles were able to do throughout the day, they once again responded to Norwood’s fightback, this time with three straight goals in a big statement ahead of three quarter time.

Lineage found a much-needed goal two minutes before the siren, but again the Eagles found the instant response when Dowrick dribbled through her third major.

The home side led by a match high 21-point margin 7.1-43 to 3.4-22 at the final break, with Norwood once again ruing missed opportunities – with one less scoring shot, and five fewer inside 50m entries.

Norwood needed the first one, and found it in the first 30 seconds when the Redlegs broke out of the first centre bounce, finishing in a Rusden running goal.

The heat turned up a notch as the Eagles tried to build on their lead and Norwood trying to eat away at it.

Buethke won a free kick and found Norwood’s second goal of the fourth quarter against the run of play to reduce the margin to a manageable nine points with 10 minutes remaining.

Jade Halfpenny took a strong mark a couple minutes later but again hit the left goalpost, and a minute later Charli Hazelhurst nearly hit it again. Her behind brought the margin to an even six points with four minutes remaining.

You wouldn’t believe it but Halfpenny hit the southern left goalpost for the fifth and final time in the dying minute of the match to nicely sum things up for Norwood.

Five posters, five point margin.

The Redlegs head to Hisense Stadium in Richmond next Saturday, March 23 (2:20pm) to take on North Adelaide in a SANFLW double header.

SANFLW

Norwood 1.1, 1.4, 3.4, 5.8 – 38

WWT 1.0, 3.0, 7.1, 7.1 – 43

Goals: Hiscock, Davies, Lineage, Rusden, Buethke

Best: Rusden, Allen, Buethke, Lineage, Hazelhurst

Earlier in the day, Norwood’s Development League side enjoyed its first win of the season, claiming a 35-point win over the Eagles, 6.3-39 to 0.4-4.

The Redlegs got off to a flying start, kicking four unanswered goals in the first term to lead by a match-winning 25 points at quarter time.

The Eagles tightened things up after the first break, restricting Norwood to just two further goals for the remainder of the contest.

But the damage was done early as Norwood went on to keep the Eagles goal-less.

Isabella Calvanese kicked three goals, Ailene Hiebner two in a best on ground performance and Georgina Birchall one.

Development League

Norwood 4.1, 5.1, 5.2, 6.3 – 39

Woodville-West Torrens 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4 – 4

Goals: Calvanese 3, Hiebner 2, Birchall

Best: Hiebner, Arkun, Birchall, Clark, Bigg