Week 1 Round 10 Hostplus SANFL Snapshot – Sunday

A desperate Norwood saved its season with a spirited seven-point win against arch-rival Port Adelaide at The Parade.

Seeking to honour their 1997 premiership heroes who were present for the Williams-Gallagher Cup clash, the Redlegs did exactly that with a fighting effort to secure the vital premiership points.

Without promising recruit Matthew Ling (concussion) for the majority of the afternoon, the reigning premier found a way to win after being forced to restructure in the opening quarter.

”You have to think on your feet pretty quickly when you lose a player,” Norwood coach Jade Rawlings told Channel 7 after the match.

”But I thought the group was incredible with how it stuck to the task in the challenging conditions out there but to be able to kick into the wind and secure the win was really pleasing.”

Despite it being just the second win of the 2023 campaign for Norwood, it now sits just two wins behind fifth-placed Woodville-West Torrens as the fight for final five spots intensifies.

”I spoke to (North coach) Jacob Surjan the other day – this competition is unbelievably even,” Rawlings said.

”It’s not a great position – two (wins) and eight (losses) – but you never know, anything is possible and if you get on a run, who knows where it could take you.”

Finishing with a positive inside 50m count of 52 to 37, Norwood was unable to place scoreboard pressure on the Magpies in the first half as it trailed by 13 points at half-time.

But the clamps got put on during the third quarter as the Legs held the Pies scoreless while revitalised small forward Xavier Tranfa booted his two goals for the match.

Norwood forward Luke Surman converted a towering mark to give his side a seven-point break in the fourth minute of the final term before lively Port forward Francis Evans nailed his third major to bring the deficit back to a point.

It wasn’t until emerging key forward Liam Robinson marked on the lead before converting his set shot while slipping over that the hosts looked home, edging out to an eight-point break nearing time-on.

Legs defender Pierce Seymour was a fitting pick for Coles Value Player, tallying 20 disposals and seven marks as he continually repelled Port forays.

”With Pierce taking all of those marks, it felt like we had an extra defender down there,” Norwood midfielder Nik Rokahr told Channel 7.

”He’s a star, he had a limited pre-season with his syndesmosis but each week he’s been getting better so I’m really looking forward to seeing what he can give us for the next seven or eight weeks.”

Rokahr finished with a game-high 27 disposals, ten tackles and five clearances while Cory Stockdale was also important at ground level with 21 disposals.

Declan Hamilton, set to play his 100th Hostplus League game in Round 11, was reading the play nicely off half-back for 20 disposals while ruckman Harry Boyd worked tirelessly in tandem with Surman to finish with 19 disposals, 34 hit outs and eight clearances.

Port’s Jackson Mead set a cracking pace in the first half before fading a little to tally 26 disposals and 11 tackles while Jase Burgoyne was promising with 25 disposals and a goal.

Developing small forward Jed Hagan collected 20 disposals and laid 12 tackles while former Redleg Trent Dumont fought hard after coming from the ground in the second half to finish with 19 disposals and 11 tackles.

A six-goal burst in the third quarter was enough for Sturt to rebound for a 16-point win against North Adelaide at Wigan Oval.

Coming off a forgettable 105-point loss to Glenelg on the King’s Birthday holiday, the Double Blues took a half to wake from their slumber after putting the Unley faithful through a scoreless second term.

But there was a noticeable adjustment in intent following coach Marty Mattner’s half-time address as key forward Josh Rentsch dribbled through a goal after just 47 seconds.

It sparked Sturt’s match-defining run which included a classy set shot from a tough angle by defender Casey Voss while midfielder Sam Breuer did his chances of holding his place in the team with two majors – one from outside the 50m arc.

Double Blues forward Lachlan Burrows nailed his 35m set shot nearly 10 minutes into the fourth term to open up a match-winning 35-point margin, giving the hosts the steadying result they craved.

North – who laid 81 tackles to Sturt’s 40 – finished strongly to boot the final three goals of the game to save valuable percentage but the unlikely charge proved to be too late.

Voss was outstanding with a match-high 34 disposals and eight marks to go with his neat set shot finish while Patrick Wilson (28 disposals, two goals) and James Battersby (25 disposals) returned to form in the midfield to be significant difference-makers.

Defensive pillars Will Coomblas (25 possessions) and Connor McFadyen (24 disposals) were tremendous in the backline for the hosts, with both players hauling in 12 marks each.

Unheralded Rooster Sam McInerney collected a team-high 23 disposals and nine tackles while also kicking a challenging set shot goal in the second term.

North midfielders Campbell Coombe, Frank Szekely and Harrison Wigg each tallied 20 disposals but ultimately, the visitors lacked genuine match-winners when it mattered most in the third term.