Norwood has started its 2024 SANFL season with back to back wins, following a 24-point victory over reigning premiers Glenelg on Friday night at Coopers Stadium.
The Redlegs drew the two Grand Finalists Sturt and Glenelg in Rounds 1 and 2, but have escaped with 27-point and 24-point wins respectively to get their season underway off to the best possible start.
On Friday night it was a 10.11-71 to 7.5-47 victory over the Tigers.
Norwood Coach Jade Rawlings was thrilled with his side’s ability to hold Glenelg to 47 points, considering the Tigers Round 1 score of 23.12-150 against Port Adelaide.
“They kicked 150 points in Round 1, and we thought about ways we could restrict scoring,” he said.
“Tom Donnelly has been outstanding, he’s had Josh Hone (Sturt) and Lachie Hosie (Glenelg) in the first two weeks and kept them quiet. The back seven have been great and have worked well together against two hot forward lines.”
Norwood captain Jacob Kennerley set the tone with two first half goals, and laid seven tackles for the match, while Billy Cootee had 24 disposals for the night, three clearances and a goal, and Jake Cresswell 24 disposals.
Mitch O’Neill had 21 disposals and kicked two goals.
Scores were level at half time, with Norwood ruing missed opportunities at 4.8-32 to 5.2-32, but put it all behind them in a dominant third quarter display where the Redlegs booted a match-defying four unanswered goals.
Kennerley won the toss and kicked towards the Roger Woodcock End, and immediately won the first clearance.
Norwood had the first two behinds on the board quickly, but it was Glenelg’s Will Gould that booted the first goal of the evening. A mark and set shot from 30m out.
Cootee won the second centre clearance and Norwood again locked the ball inside forward 50m.
The Redlegs first goal came through S. Morris, who won a holding the ball free kick 15m out.
Norwood won a third straight centre clearance, and quickly had its second goal through Kennerley, a classy finish from the paint of 50m.
Cresswell was busy early, with seven disposals (six kicks) in the first eight minutes, finishing the first term with 11 disposals.
Glenelg’s second goal came from a turnover on the wing, and it was a fast, free-flowing match with four goals from the first 11 minutes.
The next eight minutes was a tight, contested tussle, with Norwood failing to find a clean kick inside 50m from several front half turnovers.
The Redlegs third goal came from tough midfielder O’Neill, who shrugged a defender and snapped truly from a boundary throw in in the Coopers Corner pocket. It was reward for effort from O’Neill who took two heavy hits in desperate defensive spoiling attempts.
Norwood led by 10 points at quarter time, but could have been a greater margin with a 21-7 inside 50m count, 84-69 disposal count and 7-2 scoring shots.
Former Sydney Swan Gould had his second goal soon after the quarter time re-start, reducing the margin to three points.
Glenelg was having the better of the second term and eventually hit the front at the eight-minute mark through Hugh Stagg.
Norwood had plenty of opportunities down The Parade End, but were wasteful in front of goal for a return of 1.4 for the quarter. The goal came off the boot of Kennerley, a long range set shot for his second goal of the first half to go with his 11 disposals.
Scores were level at half time, with Norwood 4.8-32 to Glenelg’s 5.2-32.
Cresswell had 16 disposals to the half, while Cootee and O’Neill had 12 apiece. Darcy Bailey had 14 for Glenelg.
In Round 1, Norwood kicked four goals to one in the third term in a match-defining stint, and in Round 2 it was four unanswered goals to tip the scales.
The first goal of the term came through full forward Jackson Callow, who put Norwood back in front early in the third term, with a long range goal in front of the scoreboard.
Glenelg hemmed Norwood into its forward 50m, making ball movement difficult.
Eventually the Redlegs broke through, transitioning the ball from half back through the midfield and ending in an Izaak Twelftree running goal.
Norwood had two in two minutes when Cootee drew a free kick 35m out from goal to convert and help his side to a 17-point lead at the 15-minute mark of the third term.
The Redlegs had a third goal in quick succession when Jordon Boyle ran into an open goalsquare, making it a 24-point advantage at three quarter time. Boyle’s first goal in Redlegs colours.
The home side kicked 4.1 to Glenelg’s solitary behind in the third quarter.
Snook surged Glenelg forward to start the fourth term, needing an early spark for his side.
S. Morris landed the knock-out punch, kicking Norwood’s fifth consecutive goal and taking the Redlegs 29 points clear.
Riley Holder converted a set shot to return the game to 23 points, and Lachie Hosie kicked a late major for Glenelg’s second goal of the second half.
Next Saturday, Norwood heads to it’s regional zone of Port Lincoln to take on West Adelaide in The Teakle Cup.
