Novita SANFL Wheelchair League Round 7 Match Wraps

By JORDAN ROUTLEY

Woodville-West Torrens 16.5.(101) def Norwood 7.7.(49)

Woodville-West Torrens wrapped up the Novita SANFL Wheelchair League minor premiership and a spot in the grand final with a comfortable 52-point victory over Norwood in Round 7.

The win was set up with a devastating first half in which the Eagles scored 10 goals to two and led by 47 points at the main break as they kept Norwood to just eight forward entries.

The defending champions were boosted by the return of young gun Cooper Spillane, who plied his trade at both ends of the court to finish with 27 disposals, eight forward entries and eight goals.

Adam Roocke overcame some close attention from Norwood to gather a game-high 44 disposals, 35 marks and 11 score assists, with his pinpoint passing into attack creating plenty of scoring chances for his forwards.

Captain Trevor Jarrett was prominent early in the game with six first-half goals and was a key pillar in establishing the Eagles’ early lead, before spending much of the second half on the bench to finish with seven.

Soraj Habib worked hard in defence to gather 15 possessions and 12 marks while also executing some crucial blocks to halt Norwood’s attacking forays.

Wayne Hale was again steady at the back and showed great composure in key moments, while Steve Edge acted as an effective decoy up front and scored an early goal.

In a defence that was often under immense pressure, Norwood had Richard Davis work tirelessly in the backline to tally a team-high 27 disposals and 20 marks as he repelled the Redlegs from danger on numerous occasions.

Chris Simpson also toiled valiantly in defence for Norwood, showing great poise with his 23 disposals and often working up the court to help set up attacking forays for the Redlegs.

Rick Leonard (24 disposals and 11 hit-outs) competed strongly in the centre against Roocke and had some important moments pushing into defence, while Jamie Smyth led the way up forward with six goals and showed great polish in front of the sticks.

Central District 12.6.(78) def West Adelaide 6.8.(44)

Central District’s grand final hopes received a major boost following a hard-fought 34-point victory over West Adelaide at The Lights Community and Sports Centre.

After a blistering start in which they scored nine goals to two in the first half, the Bulldogs were forced to hold off a spirited West Adelaide fightback that saw them get within 22 points in the last term.

Having spent the last two games up forward, Bulldogs captain Shaun Whitbread returned to his customary centre position and had a huge impact, collecting 37 disposals, 14 hit-outs and 14 forward entries as he worked tirelessly across the court.

Meanwhile, Stewart Webster enjoyed a superb night in attack to finish with nine goals from 26 disposals and 23 marks, with his height and strength causing huge issues for the West Adelaide defence.

Henry de Cure also had some positive moments in scoring two goals while also spending much of the second half in defence, where he executed some good blocks.

Jason Tippins also split his time between forward and defence to finish with 14 disposals and one goal, while James Barker made some great saves in defence with his 13 disposals and set up numerous forward entries.

West Adelaide’s Giang Danh again showed his terrific versatility in playing across all three thirds throughout the evening, collecting 35 disposals, 22 marks and nine forward entries as he displayed impressive composure under pressure.

Moving into the centre in the second half, the Bloods’ player/coach worked hard to offer support in defence and often helped his team clear the danger with his clean ball use.

Hallam Chitty was a constant presence in attack and worked through some close attention from the Bulldogs to register 23 disposals and three goals, while Johnny Phanratary played one of his best games for the Bloods to finish with three majors.

Tony Wade was a valuable contributor in defence and made some excellent saves among his 15 disposals, while Belinda Rutherford also helped West exit the defence on several occasions.