Norwood captured their 29th SANFL Premiership with an emphatic 40 point win over North Adelaide yesterday at AAMI Stadium.
Norwood 10 12 72 d North 4 8 32 in front of 36865 fans to send AAMI Stadium off in style as Football returns to Adelaide Oval next Season. Norwood’s defensive pressure all over the ground was brilliant and their back six were miserly as usual. Alex Georgiou and Matt Fuller continued to enhance their chances of being in the AFL in 2014. Kieran McGuiness, cruelly denied last season when sidelined by a knee reconstruction, added his name to Norwood’s honour board as a Premiership Captain. Trent Dumont and James Aish depart The Parade for the AFL and in Aish’s case a two time Premiership Player by the age of 17 is a remarkable feat in itself. Sam Baulderstone, recruited from Mt Compass, has shed 30 kilos and become a competent SANFL Ruckman. Ben Warren as usual played his role to perfection and used his footy smarts to kick 4 goals. Mitch Grigg kicked 2 goals while Brett Zorzi retired in style winning the Jack Oatey Medal. Norwood had an even performance with most players contributing in a real team performance. Norwood were challenged by North in the 3rd Quarter regained control at the stoppages and careered away in the last Quarter. For North Adelaide who battled gamely all day Todd Miles stood out. Leigh Ryswck and Matt Campbell pace was a problem. Joe Anderson, Matt Clinch, George Thring, Lewis Johnson and Brian Fenton contributed. The Game had an unusual highlight when Field Umpire Curtis DeBoy was announced as the winner of the SANFL Major Lottery winning a $595,000 House and Land Package. Who says Maggots can’t be Winners !
Norwood brilliantly coached by Nathan Bassett superbly Team Managed by Marc Robinson and an exquisite performance by runner Shayne Wooley depart Footy Park as Premiers !
The Premiership was celebrated accordingly at The Parade were 8 Thousand People had an Ale or two and It’s a Grand Old Flag was continulously sung well into the night.
A good summary. Some of the Norwood big guns didnt fire but it didnt matter. Too strong, too disciplined, too good!
It’s great to be Red and Blue blooded!
Sadly footy is not the spectacle it once was.. Yes another Premiership to the Norwood Football Club.. But the last two Grand Finals could quite possibly be the two most boring Grand Fins for a long time.. footy is getting hard to watch and if changes aren’t made is going to lose it’s mantle as the best game in the world..
Not one for the classics but never the less a premiership win for the red and the blue!!
How good are these guys? – the AFL keep stealing all the talent and the mighty Redlegs keep powering on. Looking forward to number 3 in 2014.
Should have been a journalist ashy go the legs 3 in a row will be nice
I must admit that the end result was totally predictable. The game didnt reach any heights at all. But the winners can laugh ha ha and rejoice in knowing that The Parade lives on. Well done to the Mighty Redlegs, and in particular congratulations to their captain Kieren McGuiness and retiring Jack Oatey Medallist Brett Zorsi.
Great atmosphere at Footy Park on sunday and it was good to see the ground go out with a bang. Not a great free flowing game, but the tackling pressure was brilliant. It was great to see Kieran McGuiness get a premiership after missing out last year. And his spoil against 2 North Adelaide players in the goal square showed how much he wanted it. Well done to Brett Zorsi too. What a wonderful way to finish a career.
And I agree with Klaebs
good riddance to footy park.
with the AFL teams entering the comp next year, I don’t think I’ll follow SANFL as closely; so it really is an end of an era for me – just wish it ended on a high with a roosters flag.
I thought North gave a good showing. As stated above, when Campbell and co had run from half back they looked dangerous. The Norwood back 6 were very good though. Some desperate spoiling and efficient rebounding were critical to the result. Being a life long Legs supporter, I don’t give a damn how the 28th or 29th premierships were won. They were won! It was an honour to view both of them.
Can Norwood loose 7 players + to the AFL and retirement and win the 2014 flag?
Time will tell.
Good summary. North needed to do everything right and started badly missed too many shots and wasted the ball inside 50. Bring on Adelaide Oval. It will be interesting to see if Norwood are the same force without the great mind of Bassett.
Appropriate summary for an expected result! Wasn’t their most dominating performance but great reward for another terrific season! pity the leading goal kicker didn’t get to enjoy in the day…
Great to see the Redlegs get up back to back easily the best team going around for the last 2 years shame that mark evans couldn’t get back in after injury all the best. Go the red legs
Malcolm, this is written like you’re a Norwood supporter?
North missed their opportunity to make any real mark on an otherwise drab GF by kicking 1.5 to Norwood’s 3points in the 3rd qtr. Would have been nice to see North ‘turn in front at the last change’ just to squeeze a touch of pressure on the most well drilled team in the SANFL.
Thanks for the summary Book – I don’t remember too much of the game myself! I could do with Sam Baulderstone’s personal trainer just quietly.
I couldn’t be there or watch on the box (honestly, who has a wedding at this time of year!) but the game summary does the job Malcolm.
PS – Bassett setting himself up nicely for an AFL coaching career…..
Good summary Malcolm Bassett has bought a AFL Game Plan to SANFL and is a mile in front of every 1 else Back to Back is a huge achievement Go you Legs
Not one comment about rocket rooster being accosted in the tunnel disappointing, but none the less the legs have put together a fair record
I certainly admit a Norwood flavour Adrian but I did mention Norwood were challenged in the 3rd Q yes I prob should have mentioned
North blew there chances in the 3rd but also only a poor error by Thomas stopped game from being over at Half Time
Norwood overall way two good
Accurate summary Book. Agree with Tom “Tucker” Evans that it was disappointing that Evo missed the big dance, however he remained committed to the cause by continuing to train hard and support his team mates “just in case”. People who say the game will lose followers if it isn’t high scoring and “entertaining” are kidding themselves. Seriously, what wasn’t entertaining about that spoil from K-Mack in a one and two contest in the third term when North had the impetus and the ball was 15m out from their goal line? Norwood’s ability to take the heat out of the contest at the end of the third quarter was fantastic. If North were going to challenge, they needed to turn the ball over in that final 3-4 minutes and score a goal – from around the 18 minute to 25 minute mark of the third Norwood held strong and North scored three points. Credit to the Roosters though – they outscored Westies from 2012 by kicking a mammoth 4 goals – good job!! I really missed that recorded rooster’s crow – said no-one, ever!!
Good summary Malcolm, i thoroughly enjoyed Norwoods performance, i thought North were brave and must be commended on their finals performance, but this is the Best Norwood side since the 90s, and are streets ahead of the competition, with the most outstanding coach that ive seen at Norwood in a long time. Just look at the players who missed out and that will give you some idea of our depth and strength, any side that has only lost 5 games in 2 years is obviously worthy of back to back Premeirships and the dominant side of this era, hopefully with another turnover of players and maybe a coach, we can continue to dominate, Go The Mighty Redlegs.
Good summary Rulebook. I bet Sturt are still kicking themselves about trading the Bassett’s all those years ago… And can the groundsmen at Footy Park please get a job at norwood Oval? That surface is worse than a div 8 amateur cricket ground at Gawler who part share with the local goat herders.
A nice simple summary mate – North kicked themselves out of the game in the third!
Congratulations on two fine careers who have announced there retirement
Brett Zorzi one of the few to have played more than 100 SANFL and VFL games departed in the finest possible fashion winning the Jack Oatey Medal wow what a way to go out Brett is one of the nice guys of Footy Thank You !
Ben Warren had finished up after being South Adelaide Captain had played a season for
Longhorne Creek was talked in to having another shot at SANFL Footy he has proved to be 1 of the most inspired recruits in history using his leadership skills organising the forward line superbly always contributing and Quite often playing as a loose man in defence when needed Ben and Brett Two Brilliant Players for the Norwood FC
I read with interest the amount of style purported to have been displayed by the victorious Norwood side and it begged one question. Can a man that wears track pants 364 days of the year (the exception being only when the author attends the Adelaide Oval member enclosure ) make commentary on style? For mine, I think he can but my only criticism of said man would be to display a little less bias when preparing articles than would normally be associated with the likes of The 5AAFL radio team when discussing anything relevant to cheating umpires following another Crows defeat or the Victorian prejudice within the AFL.
Keep on punching, Mal, I’ve no doubt that before you know it you’ll Adelaide’s new Michaelangelo. Hopefully with a less questionable private life, pants that fit and shoes that have been polished once since they were acquired from Spendless.
That umpire who won the house in the SANFL raffle found out by seeing his name on the big screen at three-quarter time. That he continue umpiring for the last quarter was a feat worthy of a special medal. I would have run off the field, told the emergency umpire that he was on, gathered my recent wife and carried her over the threshhold of the new house, with a bottle of champagne in my kitbag.
Nice one R-Book, but geez that game was about as entertaining as a lecture in quantitative statistical analysis. The Roosters also made Westies effort in the 2012 GF look more than reasonable.
The Redlegs always had it under control and even though North sort of challenged in the 3rd stanza they had little fuel in the tank after that. You don’t win grand finals by kicking 4 goals….the exception being France V Brazil in the World Cup a little while back.
Good wrap RB. As a non-fan of either team I thought the game was a bit drab but looked forward to your comments more than the game itself. You’ve delivered with aplomb again. Rucci is running scared of the ‘Book.
Hope you enjoyed a couple of full strength Cokes to celebrate with the Legs at the Parade.
I’d be interested to hear more about the Rocket Rooster incident if you could elaborate?
A delightfully written prose for the end of an era
Enjoyable day a efficient workmanlike performance by the Legs similar to the Hawks
What a dummy spit by Stump and Heater whwn Norwood way too good winging re
Norwood’s game syle wah wah wah winners are trimmers the losers can please themselves Go you Legs
Nice one Mal. Having witnessed the game with yourself and the fact we came up with at least three possible Oatey medallists, goes to show how much of a team effort the Norwood boys put in.
Nice report on the last game of the SANFL. Good job Malcolm.
Cam It is ok I where Track Suit Pants before getting changed for the cricket no need to
Panic
Duncs No Rocket Rooster incident just a muck around reference by Willo to the
Rumble in The Tunnel v West
John K The umpire Curtis DeBoy was offered the chance to come off at 3 Quarter time
But he knocked it back geez it would have been hard to concentrate
Thanks for the comments yep end of a era but Go The Redlegs
Nathan and Scott Bassett for Duncan and Paddy Graham was this the beginning of the end for Sturt.
Thanks for the mention Malcolm Good to read about SANFL on a great site
Will be interesting to see how the chageing landscape in SA Footy ends up
Go The Redlegs
All right I admit I spat the dummy but I HATE Norwood and I want to no whether a
Pakistan bookmaker abducted Francou at 3q time as starting Johnson loose in defence in last Q was the same as match fixing
Ridiculous Stupid Not Happy Jan
Bias is OK Book. Just like Newc barracking for Rafter when he didn’t get up in the Wimbledon final. Supposed to be commentating but unashamedly barracking for Rafter.
Both sides had their chance to take hold of the game. Norwood in the first quarter and North in the third. Big effort from the Legs to dominate the last quarter after North’s two late goals before half time and control of play for most of the third.
Campbell’s pace was a pleasure to watch. Thankfully the ball didn’t get outside too often. Some of North’s rebound through the corridor was outstanding.
Highlight of the day was my two year old boy going to bed in his Legs guernsey.
Thanks dad go Redlegs the best
Another great report, should be a sports writer @ Advertiser!
GO YOU LEGGIE’S!!! Back to Back!!!
Great article Rulebook
A great leggies win!
Always a fun to relive the premiership and this was a great account!
Matty Fuller AFL 2014
as i said back on October 8th, Bassett heading for the AFL…. not sure the Bombers are the best choice at the moment though.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-17/nathan-bassett-leaves-norwood-for-bombers-coaching-role/5028346?section=sa
Well summarised Malcolm. Fantastic win by Norwood. Nice way to end the history at Football Park.
Well done RB – didnt let your red & blue blood totally bias your report. Bassett had Redlegs playing a very accountable brand of footy for sure and even if North had bagged a few more in the 3rd, they always looked comfortable.
time for some flannelled fool reports now!
Back to back to back in 2014. Wish I could remember back to back, old age I suspect? Looking forwards to NFC, coached by respected Norwood Club man Ben Warren, winning 3 in a row. Spoke to South Adelaide FC Board members Andy McIntrye and Neil Gibbons recently – how they regret the loss of Ben from their club.
I wish I was there unfortunately I was in WA I am a new supporter but what I love about Norwood is I always feel welcomed I have met some great people. My girlfriend kylie fendt took me to some games when I could make it she sits with the cheer squad and we sit together and cheer very pasionately. I love Norwood and can’t wait for the grand final
I was at that game and it was magnificent!! I even went on the field afterwards and kicked a goal, woohoo!!! Thanks Malcolm
Few back from Vietnam after a 7 day holiday to Adelaide that morning. Poor kids were a bit jet lagged.
But who could miss a Norwood grand final.
When my wife was booking the holiday the only thing I looked at was the return flight time so we could make game.
Not disappointed with a great Norwood win in the last GF at footy park.
Great to be on oval with players at the end .
All grand final wins are special in their own way….well scripted Mal