Port Adelaide has fallen by seven points on a cold and windy day at The Parade, in what was a tightly contested scrap with traditional rivals Norwood.

In the match played for the Williams-Gallagher Cup honouring the players of the 1997 SANFL Premiership between the two sides, the Magpies were unable to withstand Norwood’s relentless forward pressure, ultimately falling to the Redlegs 8.5 (53) to 8.12 (60). 

The loss sees Port Adelaide’s move to a 4-6 win-loss record, staying outside of the top-five on percentage in their hunt for a finals berth.

Norwood claimed the early advantage after winning a valuable toss, allowing them to kick with the breeze in the first quarter, a decision that saw the majority of the play conducted in Norwood’s attacking half. 

Led for the third week in a row by captain Tom Jonas, the Magpies’ defence held strong as the Redlegs piled on the pressure, scoring the first two goals of the contest. However, rebound 50s and efficient scoring saw the Magpies answer right back, with Cody Szust and Orazio Fantasia both hitting the scoreboard.

The opening moments of the second quarter saw a blistering centre clearance goal from Francis Evans, setting the tone for what would turn into a dominant quarter for Tyson Goldsack’s side. Second goals for both Evans and Fantasia, as well as breeze-riding bombs from Jase Burgoyne and Dante Visentini saw Port Adelaide win the quarter five goals to two, taking a 13-point advantage into the main break.

Darkening skies in the second half saw the lights turn on and the heavens open, with a brief but heavy shower compounding the influence of the breeze on skills both around the ground and in front of goal for both sides.

Relishing their home ground advantage, Norwood was able to continue their forward half supremacy, resulting in a pressure-battle that Port Adelaide’s gallant defence ultimately couldn’t hold on to. Coach Goldsack pointed to the differential in the marks column (Norwood’s 50 to Port Adelaide’s 26) as an indicator of his side’s inability to control the play late in the game, as well as to shut down Norwood’s intercept defenders who capitalised on wayward kicking.

“Our best is really good. It’s just a question of how long we can maintain our best for,” Goldsack said.

“The effort was there, we didn’t roll over. That effort has been there for the last month or so, it’s just about getting it right for longer.”

Despite the tough loss, there were a number of exciting performances from some of the Magpies’ young stars. Jackson Mead (26 disposals, 12 tackles, four clearances) was everywhere in the first three quarters, before a hard tag saw his impact quelled, while Jase Burgoyne (25 disposals, one goal) put his line breaking skills on full display. 

Francis Evans (15 disposals, three goals) once again showed his versatility, playing an important role between inside midfield and deep forward that saw him kick three goals, in what was a relatively low-scoring and hotly contested affair.

Captain Jonas, Murphy Short and Jake Pasini fought valiantly to halve contests and repel Norwood’s barrage of forward 50 entries, while Jake Weidemann provided a valuable spark up the wing late in the game.

Port Adelaide will look to make amends following next week’s bye, as they return to Alberton Oval to battle West Adelaide.

Scoreboard
Norwood           2.5     4.8     6.10    8.12   (60)
Port Adelaide    2.1     7.3      7.3     8.5  (53)

Goals: Evans 3, Fantasia 2, Burgoyne, Szust, Visentini
Best: Burgoyne, Evans, Mead, Jonas, Short, Weidemann