All on the line as Redlegs and Magpies battle for Gallagher-Williams Cup

By PETER CORNWALL

”Finals start now.” Port Adelaide’s Jack Watkins – the leading possession-winner in the SANFL this season – sums up as big a clash as there’s been in the legendary rivalry between these clubs in years because it’s winner takes all with a spot in the finals up for grabs.

The fact the Redlegs are in the five on percentage means as long as they don’t lose, they’ll be playing finals footy.

Port has the same win-loss record as their old foe – seven wins, 10 losses. So, a win and the Magpies are in.

Apart from the fact we know the sides who love to beat the other will be hurling themselves in there with it all on the line, this clash – to decide the 2025 winner of the Gallagher-Williams Cup – is more mouth-watering because they are both playing the best footy they’ve played all year.

Norwood has won four of its past six games, Port three of its past five. The Magpies grabbed a spot in the five for the first time in Round 16, the Redlegs replacing them last week by beating a highly-competitive North Adelaide by 13 points.

Like everything this season it was tough going but it meant for the first time in 2025 the Legs had won two games on the trot.

To be in this spot, with their finals fate in their own hands, was something Norwood fans would hardly have dreamt possible as their injury-hit side under new coach Jade Sheedy kicked off the year with five successive losses.

But the Legs have lived up to their Fortis in Procella – or strength in adversity – motto and they’ve done that in the past two weeks against the Bloods and Roosters, trailing both midway through the last quarter before storming home to finally take charge of their destiny.

Leaving it late sums up Norwood this year and the Redlegs kicked five successive goals when they needed to most to wrest the game away from the Roosters, Sheedy proud how his side responded after, “early it didn’t look like our game at all, it looked like their game”.

The Magpies gave themselves a real shot of playing finals by knocking off fourth-ranked Central District by 14 points in Round 17, then they pushed back-to-back premier Glenelg all the way to the final siren in a 10-point loss.

Coach Hamish Hartlett was disappointed to fall short but pleased with the spirit with which his men played, noting there were “a lot of positives… we get ready for a huge game against Norwood”.

It’s also huge because of the quality of players who will be desperate to stand up when it counts.

While Watkins tops the league averaging 27 disposals a game, Norwood’s Nik Rokhar is third (26) and exciting Billy Cootee eighth (23).

The Redlegs have a couple of forwards who can turn a game in Tristan Binder (33 goals for the year) and Jackson Callow (32), who are fourth and fifth in SANFL’s leading goalkickers.

Port’s mid-season pick-up Ewan Mackinlay is looking more and more dangerous and kicked three goals against Glenelg but Jeremy Finlayson more than anyone can turn the game in the blink of an eye, as shown by his 30 disposals, 17 clearances, 15 hit-outs and two goals in the win against the Bulldogs.

Pierce Seymour and Jack Heard are pillars of strength down back for the Legs while Magpie Harrison Ramm stood up in about the toughest of all match-ups by keeping former team-mate Liam McBean goalless.

What a match-up it will be at The Parade. One, as Watkins says, worthy of a bumper crowd.