Runnin’ Away with It
Sunday’s Grand Final will see Norwood aim to be premiers for the second time in three years. This year, Norwood finished as minor premiers. This is different to 2022, where the Redlegs won the flag from third. Jade Rawlings, Norwood’s coach, says that there is no extra pressure on the club;
“I think we’ve had plenty of challenges in the last couple of years and we’ve handled it really well,” Rawlings began.
“This is just another [challenge].
“Our team structure has been pretty solid for most part of this year. We’ve found a profile that works for us.”
Norwood, last year, had an awful premiership hangover. The Redlegs had just six wins and one draw from the minor rounds, finishing seventh and four points from Port Adelaide in fifth.
However, Rawlings said that it didn’t drive Norwood heading into this year;
“2023 was one of my proud years because the challenges are presented and you haven’t coached a team until your team is going no good.
“[Last year], the leadership of Jacob [Kennerley] and Matt Nunn, who is no longer with us, in conjunction with other senior leaders in the club, kept the group going.”
The B-team for Norwood also had a strong season, and will be taking on the Double Blues in the Reserves Grand Final.
“To be able to have two teams in it [Grand Finals], it makes a huge deal for our supporters and our club,” Rawlings said.
Norwood’s league team have only played one game in September, a reward for finishing top spot. However, Rawlings isn’t worried about the team being underdone;
“We’re ready.
“[We’ve] structured up a program. It’s going to keep the condition on edge, but also fresh enough to be ready to train properly and then compete on Sunday.
“We push pretty hard with our training and it tries to replicate games as much as possible.”
Norwood captain Jacob Kennerley said that the squad was feeling “really good” as they prepare for Sunday’s Grand Final;
“We’ve attacked this year really well, put in a heap of hard work since October, November last year,” Kennerley recalled.
“We’ve had a couple extra weeks to sort of think about and prepare, and I’ve been so proud of my group this year.”
The first bounce of the big dance is set for 2:30pm on Sunday. The game is broadcast on Channel Seven, SANFL Now, 1629 SEN SA and SEN App, Triple M, Fiveaa and ABC Sport. Alternatively, you can also tune in Radio Italia Uno 87.6 FM, for its stream at 1:30 PM.
The Norwood Football Club are hosting an afterparty at Coopers Stadium from 5:30pm on Sunday. Tickets are just $10 for adults.