CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB - HOME OF THE SEAGULLS

PREMIERSHIPS - 2013

At last, after 90 years - back to back premierships

GRAND FINAL 2013

Venue: AAMI Stadium

Umpires: M Avon, L Haussen, C DeBoy             Crowd: 36,685

  1st 2nd 3rd Final Pts
Norwood 2.5 6.5 6.8 10.12 72
North Adelaide 1.2 3.2 4.7 4.8 32

Date: 2 October 2013        Win by 40  points

Best: B Zorzi, B Warren, T Dumont, M Grigg, L Stevenson, M Fuller, A Georgiou, S Baulderstone


Scorers:  B Warren 4, M Grigg 2.1, B Zorzi 1.1, M Fuller 1.1, M Thomas 1, L Davis 1, D Pfeiffer 0.3, B Dawe 0.1, O Fantasia 0.2, S Phillips 0.1, rushed 0.2

Jack Oatey Medal: Brett Zorzi

Game Review

A serious case of deja vu hit the Norwood Football Club after ninety years of trying. Back in 1922 Norwood defeated West Adelaide to win the premiership and fast forward to 2012, they repeated the dose. In 2013 a dominant minor round saw them minor premiers and after another comprehensive victory in the second semi final against West Adelaide they proceeded into the Grand Final. Back to 1923 Norwood won back to back titles, beating North Adelaide in the Grand Final. On to 2013 and North is trying to emulate the Redlegs 1984 effort of winning the Premiership from fifth position.

This year's team was massively different to 2012 with ten new faces. To quote the  Advertiser head line on the 7 Oct 2013 “Norwood's 'all-sorts' a special team” says Bassett. The coach was right, with three teenagers, James Aish, Orazio Fantasia and Trent Dumont, two players recently from non league ranks in Sam Baulderstone and Liam Davis while injuries to Kieran McGuinness, Matt Fuller, Darren Pfeiffer had stopped them playing in the 2012 final. Add AFL listed players Matt Thomas, Lewis Stevenson and Mitch Grigg, talented recruits Ben Warren, Jace Bode, Simon Phillips, Brett Zorzi and Mat Sucking and last but not least players that came from the country zones or through junior development, Alexis Georgiou, Andrew Kirwan, Brady Dawe, Ben Jefferies and Tim Webber filling out the 21.

In a surprise (and un-planned!) move that was to pay great dividends later, Norwood won the toss and kicked to the southern end against the breeze. Experience counts in grand finals and Norwood hit the ground running, bottling the ball up in their forward zone for much of the first quarter, but poor kicking for goal stopped them from putting scoreboard pressure on the Roosters. Finally at the eleven minute mark, Matt Thomas put Norwood's first goal on the board. A strong pack mark by Davis later gave Norwood their second goal. In between, Ryswyk had put North on the board and the damage could have been worse but for a great defensive clearing spoil at the top of the goal square by McGuinness.

In the second quarter Norwood got right on top with goals to Warren, (fine snap over his shoulder) a towering bomb from nearly sixty metres out by Fuller and a long goal from Jack Oatey medallist Brett Zorzi. In keeping with Norwood's year there was a very even spread of good players throughout the game and any of the mid fielders Grigg, Thomas and Dumont could have been in the running for the Jack Oatey medal. They won the midfield battles ( clearances 43 to 32 ) and as they had throughout the year, helped transfer the ball quickly into the forward line to score or to keep it pinned in the forward fifty. The perfect example came at the twenty first minute mark when the ball went from half back into Warren's arms in the goal square for his second of the quarter to push the Redlegs out to a 33 point lead. Unfortunately a poor last two minutes of the quarter allowed North two goals and the momentum, going into the half time break.

The third quarter saw North break the Norwood stranglehold at the stoppages and gain some quicker ball movement into their forward line through run and handball. They had the Redlegs under pressure but thankfully some great defensive efforts and rebound from the likes of Georgiou, Stevenson and company showed why the Legs had such a brilliant defensive record.

 The Roosters kicking poorly at goal with 1-5; many of their entries were wide going into the forward line and a couple of other opportunities went begging for the quarter allowing the Legs to hold the lead at three quarter time.

The last quarter came and Norwood got their back to back dream. Thirteen points up, kicking with the breeze, fresher legs and the Redlegs with their great shut-down, pressure football, finished the stronger.  Warren completed his excellent game at the nineteenth minute with a wonderful 30 metre dribbling kick from near the boundary line that curled round and through the big white sticks to give him four goals. Two goals from Grigg, the first  a roving snap over his right shoulder and then a 50 metre goal finished a tiring North team. This was to be the last game at AAMI stadium after forty seasons, a venue where Norwood were ultimately successful on seven occasions.


2013 GRAND FINAL TEAM
D. Pfeiffer B Warren S Phillips
M Thomas
B Dawe
T Dumont
B Jefferies
M Suckling
J Aish
J Bode
K McGuinness (c)
M Fuller
A Kirwan
A Georgiou
L Stevenson
 
COACH
Nathan Bassett

RUCKS
S Baulderstone
B Zorz
M Grigg


INTERCHANGE
T Webber
L Davis
O Fantasia
 
 



Page prepared by  G Keiller Oct 2013

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