Sturt dominates but Redlegs progress to SANFL second semi-final

SOMETIMES there is no justice in sport. Sturt dominated the SANFL qualifying final at Adelaide Oval but it is Norwood who will take on Port Adelaide in the second semi-final.

SANFL - Norwood v Sturt - Qualifying Final at Adelaide Oval. James Watt tries to get away from Michael Chippendale. Photo Sarah Reed.

SOMETIMES there is no justice in sport. Sturt dominated the qualifying final at Adelaide Oval but it is Norwood who will take on Port Adelaide in the second semi-final after escaping with a seven-point victory.

The Double Blues went inside their attacking 50 on 20 more occasions than the Redlegs but the reigning premier’s ability to accept its chances proved decisive.

The Redlegs have had a habit of being quick out of the blocks and midway through the opening quarter they held a 16-point advantage and were asking questions of the opposition.

It was typical Redlegs, controlling play in defence and finding loose players such as Jace Bode to work the ball with efficiency.

They used quick movement to create headaches for the Double Blues defence and key forward Ben Newton was a potent target for the Redlegs.

The Redlegs are disciplined with their structures and they prey on opponent mistakes. And there was a steady stream of turnovers from the Double Blues amid the pressure of finals football.

Wasted opportunities in front of goal were a concern for the Double Blues and while the Redlegs had much more of the ball, the fact they had two more visits inside their 50m was evidence they were well and truly in the contest.

The Double Blues had the ascendancy for the second term but amazingly the Redlegs stretched their advantage to 16 points at half-time.

For much of the quarter the Double Blues were camped in attack, only to squander chances with poor delivery to key forward Michael Coad and Matthew Duldig.

It took 10 minutes for the quarter for the Double Blues to finally get some reward for effort when Coad kicked truly. The Double Blues’ pressure was outstanding and the Redlegs struggled to break free coming out of defence. The Double Blues had the supremacy everywhere but the scoreboard.

What the Redlegs did well was capitalise on their opportunities, nailing two late goals to give the Double Blues plenty to ponder at half-time.

The trend of the second quarter stretched into the third period with the Double Blues on the attack and challenging the Redlegs with a fierce commitment to the task.

When Duldig kicked an incredible goal off the ground with the back of his boot the margin was only three points and it was the Redlegs needing to find a few answers. But indicative of the contest, Coad and Duldig butchered prime chances and the Double Blues were punished when the Redlegs were able to grab two goals from their rare forward forays to regain a 15-point three-quarter time buffer.

NORWOOD 4.0 7.2 10.4 10.6 (66) STURT 2.3 4.4 7.7 8.9 (57)

Adelaide Oval

BEST — Norwood: Chippendale, Webber, Jefferies, Forster, Kirwan, Roocke. Sturt: Tambling, Kirkwood, Greenslade, Calabrese, Kurtze, Gore.

GOALS — Norwood: Newton 3, Roocke, Persinos, Phillips, Bode, Murphy, Wilson, Dawe. Sturt: Coad 3, Greenslade, Gore 2, Duldig.

UMPIRES — Philp, Haussen, Cook.