Heartstopper

GRAND FINAL: Norwood v Glenelg, 22 September 2024

As Woody Allen once wrote, sometimes to have a little luck is the most brilliant plan. Glenelg rode its luck in 2024, having undertaken to strive for more in the wake of its brilliant 2023 campaign. But this year was to prove no easy road: Norwood and Sturt dominated the minor round, finishing first and second. And the Tigers, lumbering behind those two teams, were generally winning by narrow margins: they lost Lachie Hosie, one of the great attacking spears from its trident, early in the season, and coming home in the second half, it lost to Adelaide (39 points), Port Adelaide (14 points), Sturt (20 points), and North Adelaide (28 points). The nadir was reached at Elizabeth when, having kept Central Districts goalless in the first half, they succumbed in the wet by a point, thereby giving the Dogs 3rd place and the double-chance. Glenelg finished 4th, needing to achieve 4 knockouts in a row.

Then, in the last minor round, the tide started to turn: at the Bay, against a grossly undermanned South Adelaide (of whom a staunch Kingstonian joked they were playing their under-12s in key positions) Glenelg rediscovered its mojo: the Defence was solid as ever but the mid-fielders, led by Corey Lyons, James Bell and Matthew Allen, set the game alight. And the attack, led by Liam McBean (5 goals), Luke Reynolds (3) and jack-of-all-trades Riley Holder (3), polished off a 21.22 to 3.12 rout. Good luck remained in the Elimination Final, where the Eagles were short of top staff, and even shorter after their brave captain was carried off with a broken jaw. Defence again was miserly; the mids dominant, and Matt Allen, Luke Reynolds, and Will Chandler, with 3 goals each, outscored the entire opposition on their own: G: 19.17 to E: 8.12.

Meanwhile, the Double Blues, the only team the Bays couldn’t beat all year, gave-up a 5 goal lead early in the third quarter and were overrun by a fast-finishing Centrals in the Qualifying Final. So we had to face an extremely good team looking to make amends, and in the following week’s First Semi-Final, Sturt set about pulling our wings off early. The match see-sawed for three quarters, the Blues leading by a goal at the final change, but in the 4th, Glenelg went-up several levels and kicked 6 goals to Zip: G: 14.5 to S: 9.4 (Reynolds and McBean with 4 goals apiece). At the end of this win-against-the-odds, Coach Darren Reeves embraced a spectator (Lachie Hosie), who was now believed fit enough to take his place in the side: that loss to Centrals in round 18 was starting to look fortuitous.

In the Second Semi-Final of the double-header, Norwood destroyed the Dogs by 59 points.

So, to the following week’s Preliminary Final. Our 3-pronged trident was restored, and it was felt we could match Centrals and more. Whilst the game was fairly close for much of the time, the Tigers were ahead, stayed ahead, and then forged ahead, winning by a decisive 38 points, with 4 goals each to Hosie and McBean. G: 15.8 to CD: 8.12.

As the natural light turned crepuscular and the artificial light intensified, one could hear Dogs fans chanting “Go Norwood.”  Fair enough; they’ve never liked us.

THE “BIG DANCE”

Norwood in 2024 was awesome: led by Magarey medallist Harry Boyd in ruck, they had the best defence, lightning-fast runners in the middle and potent forwards. But they were not invincible, and Glenelg took comfort from having beaten them flat in round 16 at the Bay. With Hosie back, the attack looked strong, and James Bell had been superb throughout the finals. Still, the Redlegs were deserved short-priced favourites and your correspondent (resembling a bundle of nerves), fearing we were to lose a 4th Grand Final to Norwood, had no doubt that if we did, we would do so with honour.

It was a perfect day for football, sunny, dry and a little chilly. Norwood dominated early in the first quarter. Its tackling and general pressure were elite; but both sides pitched in with abandon, and there were several heavy clashes. Norwood missed a couple of shots it would normally nail; but Jackson Callow scooped-up a loose ball in a rare absent-minded moment from our defence, and got the first goal. Not until 16 minutes in did the Bays snag a goal – Lyons passed to Curren, who kicked to a crowded square, where Cole Gerloff jammed football on boot and it dribbled through. Norwood answered but in the 19th minute, Stretch cleverly ducked a tackle and kicked to McBean, too tall and wily for his opponent, and he marked and goaled (a sign of things to come). At quarter time, the Legs led 2.4 to 2.2. Five minutes into the first quarter, Norwood received a heavy blow: Will Gould had Finn Heard in his way and shoved him to the ground, in a move that looked innocuous, though illegal. But Heard landed so awkwardly that his right arm was dislocated, and he would spend the rest of the game on the bench, with his arm in a sling.

The second quarter opened with some slick work from the Bays: McGree, battling gamely with Boyd all day, took a great mark and kicked to where Matt Allen gathered, evaded a defender and passed to McBean in the square, who goaled. But 3 minutes later Callow duped young Adams into reacting and “earned” a free, from which he goaled. 2 minutes later a very polished Baynen Low received a “nothing-burger” free and scored; Glenelg countered with a great snap from Lyons. Hunter Window hit the post and levelled the scores but in time-on the Redlegs revved-up and got three unanswered goals, to Nelligan, Binder and Low. That last forward movement was fast and skillful, opening-up an 18 point lead for Norwood, and only a decisive defensive mark by Oscar Adams prevented another one in the dying seconds of the half. The Tigers had their hands full. Reynolds, Hosie and Chandler could not get into the game, Hosie being stifled by Alec Wright and, prone to wear his heart on his sleeve as he is, Lachie looked exasperated. At half-time, Norwood were superior, leading 7.5 to 4.5. They had hardly lost a game all season, but had never lost one when leading at half-time.

Norwood opened the third quarter like a team that knows how the game is – sensing Glenelg was on the ropes, they went-in hard. Gaining possession after his mates had applied intense pressure, Twelftree snapped a kick that just went the wrong side of goal; Callow bent back Oscar Adams like he was a pretzel; Morris took a spoil and launched the Legs forward, and, in the hurly-burley, Callow kicked into the square, Binder broke free, gathered, and pulled a rabbit out of his hat. Norwood 25 points ahead, in a low-scoring game, 9 minutes into the 3rd term. Your correspondent had a blasphemous thought – head for home. But Glenelg these days doesn’t rattle. You could sense the teammates collectively saying to each other, “OK, we don’t know how to beat these guys – so we’re going to try everything we can think of.” That is what they set out to do.

12 minutes in, after repeated attempts to buy a goal, Jonty Scharenberg got a hand-pass to Matt Allen, who passed to Hunter Window, who dinked a little delivery to McBean, deep in the pocket. McBean’s job is to kick these impossible goals, which he did, and the Tigers had a pulse. But 3 minutes later, a Lyons kick into the forward line was punched clear to Reynolds, adopting classic front-and-centre play, who kicked around the corner for a goal. 8.7 to 6.5, and this goal was the one that had the Bays believing they could clamber back into the contest. The mid-fielders in particular – Bell, Lyons, Snook, Allen, had lifted their work-rate to well above that bar set by the Fair Work Act. They were indefatigable; they were furious. Norwood answered the challenge, like all good sides, and suddenly – game on.

Twelftree missed narrowly, and hectic clamouring for the ball ensued, until Martini broke free and kicked to the square – McBean, loitering at the back of the pack, marked and kicked a goal, to bring the Bays within a tantalising 8 points. But a minute or so later, their opponents responded, and Cresswell, arguably pushed as he kicked for goal, was given a free that he sent forward. The kick fell short but Hamilton grabbed the ball, avoided 2 flailing defenders and snapped a major. 9.7 to 7.5. There was some frantic back-and-forth over the next 4 minutes, ending the third quarter with Norwood leading 9.7 to 7.6. 

And so to the final stanza, in a game that had had almost everything. In the first couple of minutes, each side got a point, but significantly, one of those was from a Hosie mark – at last, a touch! But about 2 and a half minutes in, Scharenberg took a good mark and sent a great pass in to McBean, who was towelling a desperate and accomplished full back. The captain got his 5th goal: 9.8 to 8.7. Norwood counter-attacked again but Hamilton’s brilliant shot was tapped over the line by Gould for a point, to put the Legs up by 8 points (for our overseas readers, a goal in Aussie Rules is worth 6 points, a point, or ‘behind,’ is worth 1).  Meanwhile, more luck: Glenelg worked out that Harry Boyd was mortal – he bled. For the next 15 minutes or so, he would be off and on the field, getting his bloodied eye staunched. 5 minutes in, Lyons gave to Stretch who kicked to Hosie, brought down in a dangerous tackle, and the (hitherto) ‘Invisible man’ finally had his goal – Norwood 2 points up. It was clear to all that the game was up for grabs – the past was prologue; it would come down to guts, determination, fitness, and luck – a rushed point to the Bays made it 1 point the difference. Norwood surged forward but as Morris got clear to create a scoring opportunity, he was nabbed by a desperate Archie Lovelock – one of those ‘1%ers’ that can turn close games. From there, he kicked to Adams who gathered and handed-off to Nick Stevens, heading Glenelg’s way. Stevens, a great youngster trying his heart out on the day, sent a glorious pass to Hunter Window. Window then matched it with a superb pass to the leading McBean.

At the 11 minute mark, the Captain put through his 6th goal of the day, and the Tigers were, beyond belief, in front. They had been in front for 8 minutes and 5 seconds to that time; the opposition for 85.26 minutes. Norwood had a point rushed and then Boyd, back on the ground, inspirationally grabbed the ball from a ruck contest and slammed it though – Legs up by 2 points. Tired now, the players cut-and-thrust in absolute desperation, but at the 19th minute, Will Chandler wheeled and kicked to McBean who took a supreme mark, overcoming everything his opponent, the heroic Donnelly, could throw at him. Liam doesn’t miss: he kicked his 7th goal straight, and the Tigers were 4 points in front.

In time-on now, Glenelg threw down the gauntlet. Working overtime, Lyons found Martini, who found Bailey, who short-passed to Hosie, deep on the boundary. Lachie looked stuffed; gulping deep breaths, he kicked one of the best shots for goal of the day from a dead pocket, and opened up the biggest lead Glenelg had enjoyed – a goal + change (12.8 to 10.10). But Norwood were far from finished: pressing forward, a Hail Mary kick was picked off by Hamilton who, incredibly, wobbled through a goal to bring the game back to be decided by a single kick.

Yet more drama…lesser teams would have wilted by now, but a lesser team hadn’t come from the clouds to win in 2022. In time on, the Legs pressed fervently but Chris Curran put his head on the line and earnt a free kick the hard way. Glenelg managed to counter-attack and an errant clearing kick was snaffled by Window, who passed to McGree, whose kick forward was grabbed by Hosie. His kick looked to be a sealer but the goalpost had other ideas, smacking the ball to the ground, giving the Bays a lead of less than a goal, and Norwood possession. Sensing the clock, the Legs rushed forward and a long, frantic kick, deep into attack, was marked by the ice-cool Max Proud. Norwood, running out of time, rolled the dice, and in the pandemonium, Baynen Low might have earned a free, but Reynolds, running on empty, cleared to the wing. A Norwood defender grabbed the ball and set to return it to his teams’ scoring zone, but a desperate smother by Chandler, worthy of Jim Rawson, foiled that effort, and at 30 minutes and 13 seconds, the siren sounded on a game that had given fans of both sides, and of the game in general, more than their monies’ worth.

Glenelg: 12.9 (81 points)  Norwood: 11.10 (76)

Crowd: 35,129

The team was: Oscar Adams; Matthew Allen, Darcy Bailey, James Bell, Will Chandler, Chris Curran, Cole Gerloff, Will Gould, Riley Holder, Lachie Hosie, Archie Lovelock, Corey Lyons, Alex Martini, Liam McBean (C), Cam McGree, Max Proud, Luke Reynolds, Jonty Scharenberg, Matthew Snook, Nick Stevens, Billy Stretch, and Hunter Window.

As the celebrations went into the night at Glenelg Football Club, a friend sent me a text he had received from a lifelong Norwood supporter, and I quote: “Exciting! Those festering putrid pieces of malignant maggot mucus at Glenelg don’t deserve the right to draw breath. Vacuous excrement, odious swill, they really are rancid scum the lot of them. But I’ve heard that off the field they really are quite nice lads.”

To which I replied: “They ARE very nice lads.”

The Awards Night was held at the Marion Hotel on 3 October 2024; you can see the club’s report of the night linked here: https://glenelgfc.com.au/news/2024-best-fairest-awards-night-winners/

Apart from Riley Holder’s hilarious speech, the best was from Captain McBean, who – ominously for the rest of the competition – suggested the team’s belly wasn’t full of success just yet.

[Action photos courtesy of the SANFL.]