Redlegs slip and slide to a crucial win over Bulldogs

NORWOOD slipped and slid its way to a fourth straight win and continued its run at a top-three finish against Central District at The Parade on Friday night.

27/06/14 - SANFL: Norwood v Central District at The Parade. Central's Murray Stephenson and Norwood's Michael Newton. Photo Tom Huntley

NORWOOD slipped and slid its way to a fourth straight win and continued its run at a top-three finish in a mud pit against Central District at The Parade on Friday night.

A 15-minute torrential down pour before the opening bounce and heavy periods of rain through the night ensured a dour struggle but it didn’t bother the Redlegs, who eventually ground the Dogs into submission with a hard-nosed performance.

The win improves fourth-placed Norwood’s record to 7-5 ahead of a week off and sets it up for a tilt at a double-chance in the final six weeks of the minor round.

Central showed plenty of grit early in the contest but was given a lesson in wet weather football after quarter time, and now faces an uphill battle in its bid to for a 15th consecutive finals appearance.

Roy Laird’s men are now 4-8 in ninth-place and may need to win all six matches on the other side of their weekend off.

Trent Goodrem kicked a goal for the Dogs in the first minute of the match after a clean passage of play involving Ryan Williams and Paul Thomas.

It was the only goal, and the only clean passage of play, of the term, as both sides scrapped for yardage and showed commitment in tough conditions.

Central forward Dallas Hill missed a golden chance to extend the Dogs’ lead seven minutes into the second quarter after electing to dribble the ball through from 20m, rather than run to the square and make a certainty of it.

It would prove a telling moment as Norwood began winning the war for territory.

Callum Bartlett got the Redlegs’ first goal of the match 10 minutes into the term after being awarded a dubious free kick at a stoppage, before spearhead Michael Newton banged through three telling goals before the main break.

The big forward’s kicking in the conditions was a feature and the Redlegs owned a commanding 24 point halftime lead.

The rain continued to tumble in the third term, ensuring goals remained a rare commodity. Central kicked its first major in more than an hour when Jacob Gilbee got on the end of a good pass from Jackson Potter midway through the term to close to with 19 points.

A 10-minute slog followed before Bartlett goaled brilliantly from the pocked to snuff out the Dogs heading into the final term.

Forward turned midfielder Matt Panos was outstanding again for the ’Legs and is fast becoming a stars of the competition.

NORWOOD 0.2 4.8 5.11 8.11 (59)

CENTRAL 1.0 1.2 2.2 4.7 (31)

BEST - Norwood: Panos, McGuinness, Newton, Bartlett, Jeffries, Baulderstone. Central: Schiller, Williams, Waldhuter, Potter, Jenner, Thomas

GOALS - Norwood: Newton 4, Bartlett 2, Panos, Phillips. Central: Goodrem, Gilbee, Waldhuter, Retzlaff

UMPIRES — Medlin, Deboy, Lally

INJURIES — Norwood: C. Evans (knee)