AFL at Norwood Oval is here to stay after fantastic atmosphere sees Lions down Roos

Brisbane made light work of North Melbourne at Norwood Oval, but don’t let the blowout margin take away from the magnificence of footy in the suburbs.

Last year’s Gather Round re-emergence of the famous Norwood Oval - steeped in lore for more than 120 years - was almost the footy equivalent of the ‘Pub with no beer’.

Or, for some, it was the ‘Pub with not enough grub”.

Depending on your standpoint in those two inaugural Gather Round games last season at this charming suburban ground, there were either not enough outlets open or the thirst for a can and a sausage in bread on the terraces was simply irresistible.

Whatever the case, the AFL, the South Australian Government and even the Norwood Football Club were never going to leave anything to chance in 2024.

They opened more stalls, stocked more drinks and food, put more staff members on to cut the queues and catered for more than for less.

Stock it, and they will come, and they did in droves, all 9037 of them.

The crowd packed in at Norwood Oval. Picture: Ben Clark

“They get a bit thirsty over here,” Norwood’s SANFL coach Jade Rawlings said with a smile.

Oh, and they have even revived the Norwood Food & Wine Festival for the first time since 2012, which kicks off on The Parade on Sunday before the Richmond-St Kilda clash.

This was ‘Rockin’ the Suburbs’ in the best possible way, as the Norwood terraces, the outer, the grandstands and the Wolf Blass Community Centre were teaming with fans who had come from near and far to watch a lopsided Brisbane Lions-North Melbourne match.

The place was humming; the game not so much.

A short ground with a narrow boundary on one side - with Norwood’s Wall once the bane of opposition players who, legend has it, often came into contact with it - along with a relentless Lachie Neale from the first bounce and a undermanned, undersized North Melbourne defence up against Joe Daniher and Co made for a very one-sided clash.

But don’t judge the game, judge the experience, and on all those counts this blast-with-the-footy-past is thankfully now a part of the AFL experience going forward.

In a week in which the famous Norwood Redlegs were linked to an unlikely pitch for the AFL’s 20th franchise, to even the numbers when Tasmania enters in 2028, it was important for this game to go off without a hitch.

Fans started streaming onto The Parade hours before this 4.40pm (Adelaide time) start.

A car-load of Brisbane Lions fans had driven from Wangaratta; others had flown in from Queensland, a host of Kangaroos supporters had jetted in from Melbourne while others made the eight-hour road trek just to be there.

Those who couldn’t squeeze into the venue milled around outside the ground, with many watching the match on a big screen while perched in bean bags.

Adelaide-based North Melbourne supporter Craig positioned himself behind the goals at the Roger Woodcock End (named after one of Norwood’s favourite sons). He couldn’t get a ticket to watch his side play at Mount Barker last year, but was one of the first through the gates on Friday afternoon.

Brisbane were too good for North Melbourne. Picture: Ben Clark

Asked if there was enough beer and food this time around, he said with a smile: “Come and see me in an hour and I will let you know.”

In the interests of research (of course), this reporter lined up for a cold can in the bar in the left forward pocket at the Sir Edwin Smith Pavilion end of the ground.

The queues got longer as the sun beamed down; with the staff members even more busy than the scoreboard operators charged with changing Brisbane’s first-half running tally.

Rawlings said he couldn’t be more proud of Norwood - the club, the ground and the community - for the way they had embraced this starring role on the Gather Round stage.

While he didn’t want to comment about the speculation this week that Norwood could one day chase a future AFL licence, Rawlings said: “We have a great ground … it’s unbelievable, but it is more about what the ground (and the club) stands for, and that’s 146 years as a club and 31 (SANFL) premierships.” he said.

“This club means a lot to a lot of people here and to bring this ground to life as an AFL venue is important. We are a strong and proud club … It is not just about the past, it is also about the way you live in the present.”

Former Norwood coach Neil Balme said it was great to see the ground packed out again to almost its glory days.

Fans behind the goals. Picture: Ben Clark

“I wasn’t sure how it was going to go in the first year of Gather Round, but it’s great,” he said.

“The Norwood people are like most supporters … they are a bit mad and very committed, so they were always going to make this thing work.”

And that it did!

Norwood, formed in 1878, has called this famous ground home since 1901, with over 1000 matches played at the venue as well as a host of other sports, including national football league night championships, baseball, Redex trials, a one-off exhibition match between Australia and the West Indies and even a tennis match between Lew Hoad and Ken Rosewall.

It is history.

Thankfully, given its Gather Round resurgence, it is living history, not only in a SANFL sense, but in an AFL one.

No one is going to rain on that Parade.

Originally published as AFL at Norwood Oval is here to stay after fantastic atmosphere sees Lions down Roos