Norwood will contest the SANFL finals after beating West Adelaide in the final round
NORWOOD needed to beat West Adelaide to earn a finals berth, but it was not pretty after a powerful opening quarter.
NORWOOD is guaranteed a role in the SANFL finals after beating West Adelaide by 18 points in a low-standard final-round struggle at Richmond Oval on Friday night.
The Redlegs relied on a powerful first quarter performance when they built a 35-point buffer to earn a spot in the elimination final.
The Bloods must rely on Woodville-West Torrens beating North Adelaide at Prospect Oval on Saturday to avoid the wooden spoon.
Needing a response to the upset loss to Central District last week, the Redlegs were on song early as they challenged the Bloods with terrific pressure and precise movement.
The Redlegs were in complete control and that was reflected in the inside 50 count with the visitors having eight before the Bloods had registered their first.
Nine minutes into the contest, the Bloods were on the edge of the 50m arc searching for an avenue to goal, only to have Dom Barry intercept a pass and offload to Anthony Wilson in the clear to nail the goal.
It was typical of the Bloods, coughing up too many turnovers. And the Redlegs were only too willing to accept the gifts.
The Redlegs were too slick and polished for the Bloods and when Cole Gerloff bagged his third goal after just 17 minutes his side’s lead had ballooned to 37 points and the home side was on the ropes.
It took the Bloods 20 minutes to register a score and another minute for their first goal when Lyndon Hupfeld kicked the major while slipping onto his back.
Maybe the Redlegs thought the game was theirs for the keeping because their second quarter was devoid of the hunger and class of the first.
The Redlegs were sloppy and lacked the authority of their commanding first term effort as the battle developed into a scrappy affair. They added just two behinds for the quarter.
The ball movement of the Bloods lifted and they grew in confidence with Patrick Fairlie and Kaine Stevens finding plenty of possessions.
There was little on the line for the home side, but they were not leaving the season without a fight and late in the second quarter a raft of players got involved in some push and shove. It cost the Bloods a goal with a free kick in front of goal reversed.
The lacklustre action stretched into the third quarter with the Redlegs struggling to regain fluency in their game and the Bloods testing their opponents with their enthusiasm.