Round 9 Hostplus SANFLW Match Wraps

By ALEXANDRA BULL

Norwood mounted an incredible comeback to defeat Central District by eight-points in Round 9 of the Hostplus SANFLW League at Coopers Stadium.

Central got off to a quick start, with SANFLW all-time leading goal kicker Katelyn Rosenzweig kicking her first of the day, before SA U18 Girls squad member Tara Lord kicked a quick one to extend the visitors’ lead to 13 points at quarter-time as the Redlegs went scoreless in the first quarter.

Redlegs’ forward Adrienne Davies slotted Norwood’s first for the day after being awarded a free kick, with the Doggies replying quickly via Rosenzweig who scored her second, with Alysha Healy and Lauren Breguet following suit.

Mykaela Walker kicked the home side’s second goal, followed by Norwood youngster Sharmaine Crosby slotting her first goal in the SANFLW.

Central young-gun Sophie Eatom then capped off a big quarter of scoring for both teams with an excellent running goal, with the Doggies taking a 17-point lead into the main break.

Tesharna Maher opened the scoring for the second half, taking Central’s lead out to 23 points, but it was Sarah Branford who started the Redlegs comeback, kicking a set shot to slowly chip away at the margin, before Davis chipped in with her second of the day to get Norwood within two goals at three quarter-time.

With momentum in hand, Norwood’s Walker kicked her second goal, reducing the margin to six points, before Kiana Lee took a strong grab to level the scores six minutes into the final term.

Norwood’s eighth goal of the game came via 17-year-old ruck Kate Alexander, who was on the receiving end of a handball from Davies, extending the Redlegs lead slightly. Amelia Rusden then kicked her first of the day to put the icing on the cake for the Redlegs in new coach Alison Ferrall’s first game at the helm.

Central’s Karissa Searle kicked a late goal but it was all but over for the Doggies, who have now lost two-in-a-row.

Norwood’s Jade Halfpenny was everywhere in her side’s comeback victory, notching up 21 disposals, 11 tackles and five clearances. Walker (13 disposals, two goals), Amelia Rusden (five tackles, five clearances and six inside 50s) and Davies (11 disposals, two goals) were also instrumental in the Redlegs’ third win of the season.

Madison Lane (26 disposals, six tackles, four clearances) was prolific for the Doggies, with Maher (23 disposals, one goal, six clearances), Jovanka Zecevic (12 disposals and nine tackles) and Miyu Endersby (33 hitouts) all excellent for the visitors in a tight loss.

Next up, Norwood will head to Hisense Stadium to take on West Adelaide on Saturday, while Central District face Sturt at Thomas Farms Oval.

North Adelaide produced a strong five-goal win over Sturt at Thomas Farms Oval.

In a bitterly disappointing outing for the Double Blues, the Roosters kept the home side goalless across four quarters.

North got off to a hot start, with Aprille Crooks kicking the opening goal in under 30 seconds, with no major scores coming the way of either team for the rest of the quarter.

Sturt was its own worst enemy in the second quarter, kicking five behinds in a row, before North captain Amber Ward broke the goal drought, taking a strong grab in a pack right in front of goal, to give the Roosters an eight-point buffer heading into half-time.

The third quarter saw North continue to dominate on the scoreboard, as Julia Clark kicked truly to extend the lead for North, with Sturt struggling to capitalise on its clearances, recording double that of the eventual winners.

Sasha Hardin followed up with her first goal in the SANFLW, before Ward sent the ball inside North’s forward 50 to a lone Sky Jensen, who ran onto it and kicked a brilliant running goal, giving North Adelaide a 28-point lead at three quarter-time.

A stagnant final quarter saw neither team kick any major scores, with North continuing its winning streak to run out five-goal winners.

Jamie Parish (25 disposals, six marks), Ella Metcalfe (19 disposals, nine marks, three tackles), Zara Molloy (12 tackles, three clearances) and Djimila Totham (17 disposals, eight tackles, five clearances and four inside 50s) were all excellent for the Roosters.

Sturt’s Monique Bessen had a game-high 27 disposals to go along with her nine tackles and six clearances, with Isobel Kuiper putting on a clinic with 15 disposals, six tackles, 11 clearances and five inside 50s. Georgia Swan did everything she could to keep her Double Blues in the game, with 18 disposals, four clearances and six inside 50s.

North Adelaide will host the previously unbeaten Woodville-West Torrens this Saturday, with Sturt taking on Central District at Thomas Farms Oval.

Woodville-West Torrens’ unbeaten run has come to an end at the hands of South Adelaide, who defeated the Eagles by four points at Maughan Thiem Kia Oval.

South got off to a flying start, kicking its total score for the day in the first quarter, with the first goal coming via forward Lucy Northcott, before SA U18 Girls squad member Lily Baxter took a strong grab and went on to kick a phenomenal running goal from a tight angle.

The goals kept coming for the Panthers, this time from Shae Archbold, Emily Brockhurst and Laquoiya Cockatoo-Motlap, with South taking a 33-point lead into quarter-time as the Eagles went scoreless in a quarter for the first time this year.

Eagles’ gun Christina Leuzzi got things going for the home side in the second quarter, converting her set shot to give Woodville-West Torrens the goal they desperately needed. Former AFLW player McKenzie Dowrick kicked truly to give the Eagles their second of the day as they slowly started to chip away at South’s lead.

The Panthers went scoreless in the second quarter but still took a 19-point lead into half-time.

Neither team hit the scoreboard in the third quarter, with Rosette Zerella finally finding the goals three minutes into the fourth quarter to breath some life into the top-of-the-table clash.

Olivia Evans followed suit with her first goal of the day, but it was not enough to get the Eagles their ninth win in a row, as they now have the same win-loss record (8-1) as South Adelaide.

Panthers’ young-gun Layla Vizgaudis was excellent for the visitors with 18 disposals, six tackles and four clearances, along with Soriah Moon (25 hit outs, six clearances, 10 tackles), Caitlin Couch (14 disposals, six tackles, four inside 50s) and Melissa Anderson (10 tackles).

Ruck Leah Cutting continued her excellent form for Woodville-West Torrens with 26 hit outs, 10 tackles and six clearances. She was well supported around the ground by Lucy Moore (24 disposals, eight tackles, six clearances), Leuzzi (22 disposals, nine tackles, eight clearances, one goal) and Maia Freemantle (21 disposals, six tackles, three marks).

The Eagles will head to Prospect to face red-hot North Adelaide on Saturday, with South Adelaide returning to Magain Stadium to host Glenelg.

West Adelaide has continued its rise up the ladder, defeating Glenelg by 23 points at Stratarama Stadium.

The Bloods got off to a quick start, as Lucy Waye found the goals to get the visitors on the board in the first quarter in under a minute. Riverland product Georgie Pater then kicked Westies’ second of the match from 25m out, to give her side a 10-point lead at the first break.

A slow second quarter from both teams saw no major score registered for either team, with Westies taking a 13-point lead into the main break.

Westies’ stalwart Nicole Hooper got things going again in the third quarter, as Glenelg struggled to capitalise on its inside 50s, recording 35 to West Adelaide’s 29. Hooper’s goal was the only one scored for the quarter, with Glenelg still yet to convert.

Debutant Sarah Deed scored her first goal for West after receiving a free kick, kicking a set shot to extend Westies’ lead to 26 points at the start of the fourth quarter.

The Tigers scored their first for the game 18 minutes into the final term, with Charlotte O’Sullivan converting in a tough game for her team, which remains at the bottom of the ladder.

SANFLW superstar Zoe Venning had another mammoth game, gathering 34 disposals, five marks and four clearances, with her team now sitting just outside the top four.

Hannah Button (19 disposals, nine tackles, five clearances), Lucy Waye (19 disposals, four tackles), Chloe Tonkin (20 hit outs) and Ruby Ballard (18 disposals, four tackles, five clearances) were also instrumental in the Bloods’ third win of the season.

Jessica Bates, Tessa Davis and Asha Dufour all notched up 26 disposals for the Tigers, with Dufour also recording a game-high nine clearances against her old side.

The Tigers will head south this Saturday to face South Adelaide, whilst West Adelaide will take on Norwood at Hisense Stadium.