Round 11 Hostplus SANFL Snapshot – Sunday

By STEVE BARRETT

Reigning Magarey Medallist Tom Lewis celebrated his 100th SANFL game by donning his Superman cape and sending Sturt soaring to a 42-point victory over Port Adelaide at Thomas Farms Oval.

Lewis racked up game highs of 31 possessions – 25 of which were contested – and nine clearances, as well as a team-best seven tackles in a typically lion-hearted midfield display in the absence of fellow engine-room igniter Will Snelling.

Lewis iced a memorable performance by kicking a goal late in the fourth quarter and celebrating by mimicking Superman’s famous Clark Kent shirt-opening transformation.

The milestone man wasn’t the only Double Blues hero.

Ash Johnson marked a fairytale return to the SANFL, booting four goals in his first league appearance since May 2021.

Will Coomblas (21 disposals) starred in defence, Tom Emmett (20 touches, 2.3) presented strongly all afternoon in attack, and Martin Frederick (20) provided valuable midfield support for Lewis.

Sturt nailed six of the last seven majors to blow out the final margin after the Magpies had closed the gap to 10 points.

Will Brodie (29 disposals, one goal), Jack Watkins (28), Will Lorenz (26) and Christian Moraes (20, two goals) were strong performers for Port.

All four were particularly present early, bossing Sturt – Lewis aside – at the contest.

At the first change, the Magpies led the possession count 100-68, clearances 10-4 and inside-50s 16-8, but they couldn’t capitalise on the scoreboard, trailing 4.1 to 2.4.

Port trimmed its nine-point quarter-time deficit to five at half-time, before pinching the lead on Xavier Walsh’s smart left-foot snap, a minute into the third term.

Sturt responded with five unanswered goals, highlighted by Johnson’s party trick when he kicked the ball over his head, with his back facing the goals.

The Double Blues’ buffer stretched to 22 points at three-quarter-time, before the Pies rallied again.

Goals to Alex Van Wyk and Mitch Zadow made it a 10-point ballgame, five minutes into the fourth, before Jed McEntee’s back-to-back majors had Sturt breathing easier and knocking on the door of the top three.

By STEVE BARRETT

Premiership favourite Norwood issued another striking statement of intent, consolidating top spot on the Hostplus SANFL League ladder with a clinical 66-point win over Adelaide at Coopers Stadium.

After getting off to a flier against the Crows, the Redlegs were challenged at times in the first half, before completely running their opponents off their feet for much of the contest.

Cooper Murley amassed a career-best 41 disposals for Norwood, while Nik Rokahr (34), Declan Hamilton (30) and Jack Heard (28) were all prolific in different areas of the ground.

When the Redlegs had the ball in hand, they refused to cough it up, exemplified in their landslide advantages in possessions (444-286) and marks (110-67).

Jackson Callow showed he has overcome his goal-kicking ills, booting five majors, while Jayden Gale and Max Hodges slotted three apiece.

Finn Heard was the early architect of the Crows’ demise, racking up the first six clearances of the game, four of which resulted in Norwood goals.

After trailing 4.1 to nil, Adelaide came alive with the next three goals, before creeping to within four points when Finnbar Maley slotted his second major at the 12-minute mark of the second term.

The Legs’ response was powerful.

They kicked the last four of the half, capped by Murley’s free kick in the dying stages, which bounced through from inside the centre square – his 20th touch – to boost the margin to 27 points.

Inaccuracy plagued the Crows, who had the same number of scoring shots (17) at three-quarter-time, only to trail 12.5 to 5.12.

Callow kicked his fifth goal early in the fourth stanza as the floodgates opened for Norwood.

Refusing to put the cue in the rack, the Redlegs booted four majors in the time-on period, three of them long shots on the run as Adelaide’s resistance wilted.

Draftee Mitchell Marsh booted the goal of the game, in the 10th minute of the final quarter, a stunning long-range, left-foot finish from a tight angle in front of Coopers Hill.

Billy Dowling (31 disposals), Lachlan Sholl (26) and Sid Draper (20) found their share of the football.

Top-up key defender Dayne McGary curbed the dangerous Tristan Binder, while Reilly O’Brien, despite being well beaten at ground-level by Finn Heard, still amassed a game-high 34 hit-outs.