SANFL Wheelchair League Round 2 Match Wraps

By JORDAN ROUTLEY

Norwood 31.6.(192) def West Adelaide 1.1.(7)

Norwood earned a valuable percentage boost with a mammoth 185-point victory over West Adelaide at The Lights Community and Sports Centre on Friday night.

The win rocketed the Redlegs to the top of the ladder and consolidated their hot start to the year following a strong performance against the Eagles last week.

With superior height and speed across the court, Norwood were never seriously challenged as they racked up the highest ever score and margin of victory recorded in the SANFL Wheelchair League.

Gun forward Jamie Smyth was the star of the show, slotting a league record 24 goals along with 58 disposals, 33 marks and 14 clearances in a spectacular performance.

Smyth was well-supported by his fellow forward and captain, Grand Leonard, who bagged seven majors from his 32 disposals as he worked tirelessly up front.

Darren Schultz (23 disposals, 18 marks and 13 hit outs) used his height advantage to command the ruck duels and continually get the ball moving for his team with some quality taps.

Richard Davis (19 disposals and eight forward entries) was typically reliable down back, while Chris Simpson (17 disposals and 10 marks) displayed terrific composure with ball in hand to repeatedly launch the Redlegs forward.

Rick Leonard (13 disposals and 15 hit outs) worked hard around the court during his stints in the ruck, while Michael Neroni and Luke Manhire made some crucial intercepts to halt the Bloods’ attack.

On a lean night for the struggling Bloods, Tony Wade (12 disposals) battled valiantly as an undersized ruckman and pushed into defence to provide much-needed support.

After being starved of opportunity up forward in the first half, Hallam Chitty moved into the ruck after the main break and competed strongly, finishing with 16 disposals and seven hit outs.

Jake Bilsborow (18 touches and seven marks) worked tirelessly to repel his team from defence, while Fabio Savoia provided a rare highlight with West’s only goal for the night in the first term.

Central District 14.3.(87) def Woodville-West Torrens 10.4.(64)

Central District produced a stirring comeback to topple defending champions Woodville-West Torrens by 23 points in an enthralling SANFL Wheelchair League encounter on Friday night.

In a game of heavy momentum swings, the Eagles got out to a 23-point advantage midway through the second term, only for the Bulldogs to pile on four quick goals to snatch the lead just before the main break.

The Eagles regained an eight-point break at the final change, before Central scored six goals to one in a barnstorming last quarter to come out on top.

Star recruit Jay Dohnt was pivotal in the Bulldogs’ fightback, scoring six goals from 34 disposals, 15 marks and seven clearances as his speed and skill in the front half proved telling.

Forward Stewart Webster fought through some strong attention from the Eagles to again be the focal point up front, bagging eight goals to go with 19 disposals and 16 marks, including several impressive contested grabs.

Stewart’s son, Jack (24 possessions and 14 marks), showed incredible composure in a high-pressure contest, often clearing the danger in defence with some sublime passing.

Darren Peters (18 disposals, 13 marks and 21 hit outs) fought strongly in the ruck and had some important moments working back into defence to be a key contributor.

Missing several key playmakers, including Adam Roocke, Cooper Sipllane and Siraj Habib, the Eagles showed plenty of fight despite fielding a relatively inexperienced team.

Stalwart Wayne Hale was the shining light for the Eagles in defence, finishing with 42 disposals, 31 marks and 10 forward entries as he worked hard to continually clear his team from defence.

Debutant Peter Routleff (26 disposals and 20 marks) could not have been more impressive in his first league match, making several crucial intercepts and showing superb composure.

At the other end, veteran Trevor Jarrett was a reliable target in attack, scoring eight goals from 24 disposals and 16 marks as he proved a handful for the Doggies’ defence.

Recruit Lloyd Townsend (34 disposals, 25 marks and six clearances) was everywhere in the ruck, working around the court to pick up plenty of the footy and set up numerous attacks for his team.

Steve Edge (14 disposals and two goals) had some important moments in attack and proved a likely threat with his marking prowess.