EFL: North Ringwood records its fourth win of the season with a 17-point victory over Norwood
NORTH Ringwood posted a gutsy 17-point win over Norwood to record its fourth victory of the season, leaving the Norsemen with some soul searching to do if they are to make finals.
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WITH the game on the line, one team lifted and the other languished.
North Ringwood produced a five-goal final quarter on Saturday to post a 17-point win over Norwood, leaving the Norsemen with some soul searching to do at the interleague bye.
The improved Saints only hit the lead for the first time in the game in the opening minute of the final term when Alex Mackinnon nailed a shot from beyond 50m off just a couple of steps.
Recruit Jayden Hoegel gave North Ringwood an 11-point buffer just 90 seconds later when he slotted his fourth major, with the Saints easing to a 11.10 (76) to 7.17 (59) victory.
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“We stuck at it, we were very lucky early, Norwood were all over us early, had a lot of shots at goal and they still ended up with more scoring shots than us,” North Ringwood coach Brett Moyle said.
“We were able to hang tough and stay in it and as the game wore on I thought we were able to get more into the contest and gradually got on top in the end.”
Norwood controlled proceedings for much of the first half but was left to rue a series of missed opportunities.
The Saints first goal only came at the 21-minute mark of the second quarter through the agency of Jack Murfett from inside the centre square, with Hoegel following up that effort just moments later.
Leading by nine points at the long break, Darin Stewart, Leigh Williams and Sam Blease each missed relatively straightforward chances at the start of the third quarter to keep the Saints in the contest.
The Norsemen finished with +7 inside 50s for the third term but failed to put North Ringwood away, leading by just a point at the final change.
Norwood’s chances of squaring its season at 3-3 were further dented when Jamie Bennell came from Quambee Reserve just before the final break, appearing to favour his quad.
With the momentum turning in North Ringwood’s favour and Norwood’s finals chances perhaps hinging on the final quarter, it was the Saints who proved more desperate in the last quarter.
Hoegel finished with his second consecutive four-goal haul, while Matthew Payne, Aaron Fenton and Curtis Dunne were each among North Ringwood’s best.
The result kept the Saints in touch with the top five with a 4-2 record, while Norwood will be left to play catch-up football for the third consecutive season if it wants to play finals after logging just two wins from the opening six rounds of the Eastern Football League Division 1 season.
“To be honest, if you had have offered me that (4-2) at the start of the year I would have taken it,” Moyle said.
“Really good effort against Vermont in one of those losses and we’ve put in one poor performance in the six, the other five have been pretty good.”
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