Round 12 Hostplus SANFL Snapshot – Sunday

Norwood’s faint finals hope received a significant boost after it surged late to record a vital 17-point win against Port Adelaide at Alberton Oval.

Leapfrogging the Magpies into sixth spot on the ladder, the Redlegs are now suddenly within two wins of fifth-placed Woodville-West Torrens with seven rounds to play.

And it was captain Jacob Kennerley who provided the match-winning spark during the final term which gave the visitors the momentum to claim the premiership points.

In a contest which continually ebbed and flowed, Kennerley kicked two goals in succession to give the Redlegs a 16 point buffer 14 minutes into the last quarter.

Norwood’s skipper initially missed a simple set shot from close range but made the most of his reprieve after receiving a 25m penalty which marched him to the goal line.

Within three minutes, he hit the scoreboard again with an eye-catching snap from the bowling club pocket, the Sherrin having just enough momentum to bounce through for a major.

Once Tasmanian Connor Ling converted his free kick for catching Port’s Jack Watkins holding-the-ball, the Legs were well on the way to a hard-earned victory on foreign soil.

Kennerley finished with 20 disposals and six marks to go with his game-breaking brace while Baynen Lowe was classy with his 25 disposals and a goal.

Redleg Nik Rokahr tallied a team-high 27 possessions while Billy Cootee nailed a massive set shot late in the last quarter to cap off his 19 disposals and eight clearances.

Matt Ling was important early in the encounter, making a valuable intercept before kicking truly from long range while Pierce Seymour is enjoying a career-best campaign, this time registering 16 disposals and eight marks.

Norwood tall Tristan Binder booted three goals while Finn Heard kicked two.

Port’s Watkins had 24 possessions and four clearances while Jez McLennan, left out of the team to play at Tanunda last round, returned to collect 20 disposals.

Mani Liddy was prominent early with nine touches in the first term before finishing with 19 for the match while Jackson Mead had 18 disposals and 10 tackles.

Magpie forwards Jeremy Finlayson and Ollie Lord hit the scoreboard with five goals each.

A slick Adelaide outfit looked impressive as it eclipsed fellow finals five contender Woodville-West Torrens by 100 points at Adelaide Oval. 

Slamming on an impressive 22.17 (149), the Crows led at every change as they powered away from the Eagles in the second half to boot 13.8 to 3.3.

Leading all the major statistic categories in convincing fashion, Matthew Wright’s men had 59 inside 50s to 33, 20 more clearances and 33 more marks.

Adelaide’s ball movement was speedy through the corridor at the home of SA footy, sending an ominous warning ahead of the major round at the venue used for SANFL finals.

Crow Chayce Jones built his confidence with 28 disposals and eight clearances while Billy Dowling put pressure on AFL selection with 25 disposals and two goals.

Adelaide’s Luke Pedlar had 24 disposals and a goal while Harry Schoenberg also enjoyed the space with 23 disposals, eight clearances and a goal.

Crows defenders Nick Murray (20 disposals, seven marks) and James Borlase (19 disposals) were rarely troubled while Sid Draper was again solid with 18 touches.

Brayden Cook booted a game-high four majors for Adelaide while Ned Atkinson and Luke Nankervis each kicked three goals.

Now laden with consecutive losses of no less than 100 points, the Eagles had Kobe Mutch record 27 disposals and seven clearances while captain Joey Sinor had 26 disposals.

AAMI Rookie Jack Cook – fresh from his role of joint vice-captain of the SA U18 team – impressed on debut for the Eagles with 24 disposals while regularly taking the kick-in responsibilities.

Eagles Max Beattie and Deakan Jackson kicked two goals each.