SANFL 2006 ROUND 16: NORWOOD v CENTRAL DISTRICT

 

Legs look worthy of finals

 

By ANDREW SPENCE

 

A SPIRITED two-point win by Norwood over Central District at Coopers Stadium on Saturday will need to be the first in three or four top performances against higher placed sides in coming weeks if the club is to figure in the SANFL finals, Redlegs coach Trevor Hill says.

Norwood battled hard in the second half to claw back the deficit, which had reached 22 points mid-way through the second quarter, to hit the lead at the 15-minute mark of the final term and hold on.

Young forwards Jamie Vlatko and Adam Cockshell provided strong targets for the Redlegs inside 50, booting nine goals between them.

Port Power rookie Matthew Thomas was a tower of strength in defence, dragging down 15 marks and repelling numerous Bulldog attacks.

Hill said the win, the club's first against a top-four side this season, showed the players what was required to beat the better sides in the competition.

“We certainly need to beat these sides and if we are going to be serious about playing finals footy, you need to have some sort of record behind you to suggest you can match it with anyone,'' he said.

“They'll celebrate the win but they are pretty conscious they need to string three or four together.”

But the win almost ended in despair for the Redlegs with the game being restarted after the final siren when timekeepers notified the umpires the match had been brought to an end two seconds before time had elapsed.

The match was restarted with a ball-up inside the Bulldogs' attacking 50, much to the confusion of the celebrating Norwood fans, but the ball was quickly wrapped up by defenders before the siren was blasted for a second time.

 

SCORES: Norwood 3.1 7.1 10.4 13.7 (85) defeated Central District 5.2 7.7 11.9 12.11 (83).

 

BEST: Norwood – Thomas, Culpitt, Jackman, Vlatko, James, Cockshell; Central – J. Westhoff, McCabe, J. Gowans, Switala, C.Gowans, O'Sullivan.

 

GOALS: Norwood – Vlatko 5, Cockshell, 4, Campbell 2, Borlace, Nitschke; Central – Westhoff 4,

Schell 3, Ware 2, O'Sullivan, C.Gowans, McCabe.