EFL: Norwood logs its first win of the season after a tense two-point win over East Ringwood

WHILE it’s early in the season, Norwood’s pulsating two-point win over an improved East Ringwood could prove to be a turning point in the Norsemen’s season ahead of a defining month.

David Johnson takes a mark for Norwood. Picture: Stuart Milligan

SLOW starts have come back to bite the talent-laden Norwood over the past two seasons.

While it’s only early in the campaign, Saturday’s pulsating two-point win over an improved East Ringwood could prove to be a turning point in Norwood’s season ahead of a defining month.

After scores were level with six minutes remaining, the Norsemen prevailed 11.14 (80) to 12.6 (78) to square their season at 1-1 after a Round 1 loss to Rowville.

Falling to 0-2 ahead of fixtures against Noble Park, Vermont, defending premier South Croydon, the undefeated North Ringwood and Balwyn, Norwood could well have been left to play catch up football — something it has become accustomed to in the past two years.

Norwood coach Patrick Bowden said he was breathing a sigh of relief after his side banked its first four points of the season.

“I think the competition is going to be so tight, the new structure that we’re finding with the VFL players coming back more often is going to really tighten up the competition,” he said.

“A team like East Ringwood, which got six wins last year, has been in the game for two weeks in a row and they’ve got seven or eight VFL footballers playing for them.

“We haven’t had a VFL footballer come back to us for two weeks in a row but we’ve been able to at least be in a game against Rowville and just get over the line against East Ringwood.”

Bowden said he would back his side to win each of its next five games, with a testing assignment awaiting the Norsemen against the Bulls on Saturday.

“All the talk at the start of the year was Noble was going to struggle this year but low and behold, an influx of some VFL footballers, a few new recruits, with (Kyle) Martin and (Jackson) Sketcher still running around, all of a sudden they’re playing pretty good footy,” Bowden said.

“That’s the season in a nutshell, expectations are a certain thing but once you get out there and start in the contest, every team seems to be pretty even.

“It’s going to be a tough few weeks but I’ll back us in to do the job.”