Norwood make it three on the trot

Norwood has won its third consecutive match with a runaway 29-point win over Sturt at Unley Oval on Sunday, celebrating Declan Hamilton’s 100^th SANFL match.

In a low-scoring game, which had seven lead changes the Redlegs trailed by five points mid-way through the third term, before slamming home the last six goals of the match to claim a 9.5-59 to 3.12-30 win over the second placed Double Blues.

Norwood was wearing a First Nations Round guernsey designed by SANFLW player Tesharna Maher.

Hamilton kicked two goals in his milestone match, while Connor McLean and Matt Panos were the other multiple goal scorers for the Redlegs.

On a very boggy Unley Oval, Nik Rokahr had 25 disposals, six tackles and three clearances, while Matthew Ling and Pierce Seymour each had 20 disposals. Seymour had 11 rebound 50s and took six marks in a strong performance in the back half.

Norwood Coach Jade Rawlings was proud of his side, saying it was a quality team performance.

“We had a lot of players play to a really high level today, which across the four quarters is important,” he said.

“To play Sturt at Sturt, it’s as tough a battle as you get in this comp and that was reflected in the game – I didn’t feel comfortable until two minutes to go.

“We now have some good continuity, our midfield is starting to play some really strong footy and our back line and forward line are looking a lot more dangerous.”

The home side got off to a flying start with the opening goal of the game in the first minute of the match, a set shot through Josh Rentsch. It was ominous signs for the Redlegs, but turned out to be one of Sturt’s just three majors for the day.

Moving the ball forward proved difficult in the boggy conditions, and it took 12 minutes to see the next goal from either team. It was Panos who snapped the deadlock with a classy finish under pressure from 35m out to provide Norwood its first goal of the contest.

Norwood enjoyed a period of dominance mid-way through the first term with repeated inside 50m entries, but Sturt punished the Redlegs inability to score by going end to end for a James Richards goal.

It should have been a second end to end running goal for Sturt if it wasn’t for a Jake Cresswell diving smother on the goal line.

Cresswell was important with six tackles and a goal.

Sturt led 2.2-14 to 1.3-9 at quarter time.

Enjoying the tough contest was Rokahr who had eight disposals in the opening term, with the disposals, clearances and inside 50m battle even at quarter time.

Hamilton added another long-range goal to his career tally early in the second term to give the Redlegs a one point lead.

Despite the conditions it was a high quality, exciting battle, with both teams trying to run the ball forward, but it was understandably a low-scoring two goals apiece game to the mid-way point of the second term.

Sturt locked the ball in its forward half, but Norwood’s defence held strong with Luke Surman and Seymour taking strong intercept marks in the lead up to half time.

Both teams turned the ball over but Sturt was able to make Norwood pay, with Steven Slimming finding Lachlan Burrows inside 50m for a set shot. He couldn’t capitalise on that shot, or another that came his way one minute later and Sturt led 2.7-19 to 2.3-15.

After five consecutive Sturt behinds, the Redlegs were the ones to make the Double Blues pay this time – running down the other end into an open goal. Cresswell was the goal kicker to return Norwood to the lead just before half time.

The Redlegs led 3.3-21 to 2.7-19 at the main break, despite trailing the inside 50m entries 30-18 in the opening half.

The Double Blues were goalless in the second term.

Seymour was a big part of the Redlegs half time lead with 14 disposals and four marks.

Josh Hone started the second half off nicely for Sturt, running into an open goal for his side’s first major since the 20-minute mark of the first term. But, it was the Double Blues final goal of the afternoon.

The home side led by four points, but it could have grown a lot further if the Double Blues hadn’t have kicked their next three shots out on the full. Norwood’s defence continued to hold firm with the inside 50m count ballooning to 36-21.

The Double Blues dominated the third quarter, but against the flow of play Norwood worked the ball end to end with precision passing and Hamilton was on the end of his second goal.

Hamilton’s goal gave Norwood a one point lead, the seventh lead change of the game.

Norwood had back to back goals when Sturt gave away a free kick and 25m penalty. McLean making the most of it to steer the Redlegs seven points clear.

McLean nearly reeled in a juggling mark a minute later in the forward pocket, and Goy Lok sent a set shot out of bounds to finish the quarter.

The Redlegs led 5.3-33 to 3.8-26 at the final break.

Hamilton had a hand in Norwood’s first goal of the final term, running around a Sturt defender and finding Baynen Lowe 15m out to put the Redlegs 14 points in front.

Norwood had four goals in a row and a match-winning 19-point lead when McLean booted his second goal from the goalsquare.

Panos and Lok (after the final siren) added two more goals to make it a 29-point win over the Double Blues.

Hamilton was chaired off the field to the applause of a good Norwood crowd in attendance.

The Redlegs take on the top of the table Glenelg next Saturday (July 8) at Coopers Stadium.

Norwood 1.3, 3.3, 5.3, 9.5 – 59

Sturt 2.2, 2.7, 3.8, 3.12 – 30

Goals: Hamilton 2, McLean 2, Panos 2, Cresswell, Lowe, Lok

Best: Boyd, Nunn, Surman, McLean, Rokahr

Norwood’s Reserves pulled off a gritty six-point come from behind win over Sturt in tough, muddy conditions at Unley Oval on Sunday.

The Redlegs trailed by as much as 26 points in the second quarter before kicking six of the last seven goals of the contest to claim a 7.9-51 to 6.9-45 win over the Double Blues.

Tyson Walls had 26 disposals, five tackles, seven marks and three clearances in a best on ground performance, while Mitch Carroll and Logan Evans each had 21 disposals.

Tom Graham kicked two goals, won 11 hitouts and laid six tackles.

The Double Blues got off to a flying start on their home deck, kicking the first four goals of the game and keeping Norwood to one behind in the first quarter.

Norwood worked its way into the contest in the second term with two goals through Lachie Pascoe and Graham, but still trailed by 19 points at half time.

From there the Redlegs held Sturt to just one goal for the second half, and kicked five of their own to pinch the lead before three quarter time.

Sturt kicked the first goal of the last quarter and returned to the lead, but Finn Heard nailed a tough set shot from the paint of 50m at the 10-minute mark of the final term to give Norwood a five-point advantage.

The ball was trapped deep in Sturt’s attacking zone for a tense final two minutes but the Redlegs held on to the six-point win.

It was an important win for Norwood, which now sits in fifth position at 5-6 after 11 matches.

The victory keeps the Redlegs in touch with the third placed South Adelaide (6-4 and a draw) and fourth placed Sturt (6-5).

Norwood 0.1, 2.4, 6.7, 7.9 – 51

Sturt – 4.2, 5.5, 5.6, 6.9 – 45

Goals: Graham 2, Allen, Baldwin, F. Heard, Pascoe, Twelftree

Best: Walls, M. Carroll, Wilkins, Binder, Jones