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NORWOOD OVERWHELM STORT
Double-Blues Fail Badly
HOME^IDE PLAY FINELY IN WET
Victory meant much to both contesting teams at Norwood
j today. To Sturt it meant a chance of gaining the coveted
minor premiership; to Norwood enhanced prospects of obtaining
. a place in the final four.
j With so much depending on the issue it was reasonable to
; expect a close and exciting contest. The display of Sturt, how
' ever, was inexplicable. From the bounce of the ball until the
final bell they never once played with any degree of confidence. !
Norwood were overwhelmingly superior in every department,
1 and handling the greasy ball surely, went further and further ;
I ahead as the game progressed. Sturt after falling far behind in
| the first few minutes of play never revived hope in the breasts
' of their supporters. Judged as a team theirs was an inglorious ?
] exhibition. . . . :
Position of Clubs .
Pts. Prem.
.. . t „. P. W. L. D. For Afl. Pts.
WestTorrens 12 10 II 1,013 755 21
Stnrt ? 12 9 3— 1,083 808 IS
Port .. ., .. 12 .8 4— 968 812 16
Norwood ... J2 7 4 I 990 748 15
South ? 12 7 5 — 836 860 14
North ? 12 3 9— 708 945 6
West ? 12 3 9— 739 1,001 6
GleneJg .. .. 12 —.12— 688 1,146 —
jQN' the advice of Dr. Pellew, Mutton re
frained from taking the field -svtih
Norwood, while S. Scrutton and Colqu
loun were unable to strip for Sturt on
account of injnries. Hutton and M. Riley
took their places. Umpire Waters had
charge of the match.
NORWOOD'S GREAT QUARTER.
Several times this season teams have
astonished opponents and spectators by
etrea'king away early in the contest and
piling up goal after goal with monotonous
regularity. It was Norwood's turn to
day. After Boesler, playing in defence,
*ad turned an attack, Wadham isecured at
lalf forward and punted a goal from a
long way out. This was the beginning of
a remarkable sequence of goal-producing
drives. Twice Barron dashed through a
crowd and handballed to a comrade, but
drizzling rain had made such tactics dan
gerous, and both times the Norwood half
back line thwarted the moves.
Eiley and Lill brought roars from the
crowd with brilliant marks, but Sturt were
finding it difficult to pass the centre lines.
VVestley had a try, but Golding, realising
that he could not mark the ball, jumped
for it one hand and touched it— a point
Potta marked brilliantly twice, but
'TVhitehead saved at half back. He tried
to run, however, {.nd an attempt to hand
ball the leather to a comrade resulted in
it striking an opponent. It bounced across
to Bent waiting, all alone, near goal. A
rquick left foot snap by the red-and-blue
goalsneak brought six points.
Sturt seemed temporarily to develop a
jnania for 'handball.- Almost every time
a double-blue player secured the leather
he dwelt, searching for a team mate to
.hand it to. Norwood, on the .other hand
put their foot to the leather, and with the
?S£n(* to '*'* tnem kept hammering away.
,The next goal came from Bent, the ball
bouncing into bis hands from a Sturt
player's back.
Roesler was tattling gamely in defence
for Sturt, but with goals coming easily,
^Norwood began' to play more and more
«onfidently. Heinrich forwarded to Wad-'
ham, and their fourth major went up, and
almost immediately Lee added, another.
Golding stopped the next red-and-blue
.thrust on the goal line, and Barron and
Ban figured in a brilliant handball rush
.?down midfield. As usual, however, too
jnuch was attempted, and White, Lee, and
Potts were enabled to once more place
Norwood on the offensive. ,Lill marked
«nd passed to White, who in turn passed
fto Wadham. 'It's there.' Norwood sup
jwrters cried,. as their tall follower piloted
0c ball through.
Sturt were absolutely nonplussed by the
Overwhelming superiority of the redlegs.
Worse was to come. First Potts and then
Bent secured, and, following precedent,
Jicked goals.
When the bell signalled the first change
fever the board read Norwood 8 goals 3 be
Jiinds, Sturt 3 bebinds. Against any
.learn it would have been a remarkable ef
fort on the' 'Dart of Norwood; against an
jeighteen with the reputation of Sturt it
.'was astounding. Summed tro-, the auarter
?jflras^a triumph, of team work aud;*wet-day
jtactia over spasmodic individual efforts
' kpd suicidal handball methods. The per
sistence with Tvhich Sturt stuck ~ to this
inode of advance was inexplicable.
iJ QUARTER TIME.
-^ Norwood .. .. ? .. 8—3
/ Start .. .. „ ? 0—2
(f STURT LOSE HEART
I Sturt, though overwhelmed, 'had
Ittruggled vigorously in the 'opening term.
?Jn the second quarter,, though assisted by
itbe breeze, they played like a dispirited'
.eighteen. After a period o£ up-and-down
play Richardson .was freed -at.' centre, and
cending well in Jackson made a gallant
attempt to mark, He' held -the ball at
arm's length, but tTmpIre Waters disal
lowed the mark, and almost immediately
afterwards awarded a free- kick. - Shirt's
first major wenf oh the board'. . '
Whitehead was playing well up to the
jHme of gaming possession, but he still per
sisted in running with the leather. He
attempted a handball pass, but the ball
.was intercepted, and Hepburn coolly
snapped it through the tall posts. Sturt
instead of improving -were going from bad
jto worse.
IflU at centre and Stephens in defence
,%rere playing finely, and White also was
jfloing grand work. The next Norwood goal
joune from Hepburn, Heinrichs and Gearen
jfiguring in. the rush that gave him the
JbaH. Almost immediately Hepburn re
ceived a free and again he scored the maxi
Norwood ware playing with Sturt. Scott
Jrtrode leisurely down the field and passed
jto Bent near goal. That player twisted in
fend out of two opponents and shot, but
jjthBm ball hit the post. This drive was
jtrpical of the superiority of Norwood.
^Executed with measured accuracy, the
jbnly difference between it and others was
Sbat the Tesult was not so great. Just
before the end of the term' G. Serutton
Joed a ehot for Sturt. Only a point was
scored.
» HALF-TIME.
* Norwood ? I .. 10—8
' Start ? 1-4
NORWOOD MAINTAIN SUPERIORITY
Any tope of a Sturt revival was quickly
joigpeued. Boon after the beginning of
the third quarter JLee found the central
Opening with a long screw punt. Norwood
twejw handling the ball as If it were dry,
fn marked contrast to Sturt, who almost
?nvarlably fumbled. Xt was not long be
jtoee another goal came. Bent this time
fcda* responsible.
* Ail interest had now gone out of the
jfeonfeBt, apart from individual efforts. De
? *P^^ Pow.sbowing of their side, eeve
»*V 6^5* performers were doing weft,
I»»k, .Barron, Roesler, Lyne,. and. Don
V *»l7 Wn«t perhaps the most prominent.
^Thojiouble was that there wei* so many
|s¥«* Jiofel in the double-blue armor that
.,.; ?.-?»-«' ?!?*?-?? ,. ..;./_„_._ _ - - .. .
it was practically ..impossible for their1
rushes to be maintained.. '-? ' ' ' ?'
Barron ran along the wing and tried,
but Ackiand was in the way. I^eak. liow
ever, dashed through a bunch and -snarjned
a goal. As if tc retaliate. Gearen sent the
ball swinging out to Wadbam, who passed
it to Rent. He made no mistake.
Riley took a fine mark, and Jackson.
Donnelly, and Leak figured in a chain of
passep — one of the few concerted Sturt
pfforts — and the Jastnamed clinched the
drire by kickine a goal from easy range.
Shirt began to play a slightly better game
Nicole passed to Barron and a point
came, but once again Norwood broke
a«-jr, and Lee from a free kicked a soil.
Westley. who had injured his shoulder
;n the park, was transferred to the back
Vnes. and for a time Sturt attacked.
Whiteh'pad. risht fti front, caused a roar
bv 7Tii«sing an . easy chance, but shortly
affoj- 'Rarron rnp^e arnpnds ?with. 's&iibi$}[.
Jackson, a-no* TWnelly Y-rvtV tvfkef* be
hinds. apd. jurt h°fore/tli* bell _ttie first
named Tt^aver aMed another ifiitior, .
THREE-QUARTER TIME:.
Norwood ? '..- -. *. 4.4—*
Sturt ? .1 .. - 4— II
UNINTERESTING FINISH! ,
The last quarter was simply a irepe
lsUon of th« previous terms'. Norwood
did not increase their lead, but Sturt
had the wind. Tet the redlegB were
always masters of the situation. TTalf
way through the third quarter the rain
]iad stepped, but the ball was still
greasy and difficult to deal with. Kor
?vvood. however, seemed only slightly in
t*f-nvflnipnced. and continued to tiandle
tbe leather with remarkable .siirenesF.
It Tvap ponse tinae-liefore.-a-ig-oal -vras
scorod, but Barron .eventually marked,
a kick ooff by Ackland, and -funning in,
reduced Sturt's huege ' deficit by six
points. Stephens. Scott, White. Lill,
and Ooaren were dashing and effective
for Norwood, and though Sturt kept
hammering- away ' their attacks were
mainly stopped* at half 'back. Ekmnelly
nna Lyre persistently sent the ball for
?wr:»rd. and for some time it flew up
and down the -pround without getting
elore enough for pointa to be scored.
Jackson, wiio had nlayed a fair same
in the first portion of the contest, made
several serious blunders in this quarter.
Three times he seemed almost certain
to score, but failed. Jackson, however,
was rot the only Sturt man 'who made
mistakes. With the Unlev team it was
a game of mistakes. 'With Norwood in
an unassailable position,' the latter ; por
^on^flf the final ,term w^s ^almositr-. ale
void of scoring— ^Norwood;' weaee ehnS?&nt
to run out comfortable winners; Sturt,
though thev battlsa desnerateJy. to re
gain ground, were impotent.
FINAL SCORES.
Norwood ? / .. .. 14-^-11
Sturt .. .. ... ..' ? 5— (I
Goalkickers. — Xorwood— Bent (4), Wad
nam C4-, Lee (3), Hepburn (2V, Potts.
Sturt— Barron and Leak (2 each), Jack
son. - ?? ?.
THE. PLAYERS.
It is hard to pick outstanding per
formers among: the uniformly good Nor=
wood combination. Lillv however, was
great at centre and Stephens and White
showed today that they have regained
their best form. 'Gearei and Schu
macher were tricky - and: ieuisive, -while
Fotts (especially in the 'first auarter),
Wadham, Lee, Symonds,- and Hepburn
{ill performed ably. ? r ?
Bent was one of the .:best men on the
ground. It is almost uncanny bow be
anticipates the flights *6t: -the ball, and
once In possession he VBty . seldom fails
to make the fullest uke-ipjt an oppor
tunity, it is doubtful -^if there is a
better forward in Australia.
It is as difficult to pick good jter
formers for Sturt as it^'Is to pick out
snnding men for '' Norwood. Barron
and I«ak were brilliant ai times, but
the first named 'often attempted too
much. Roesler was- dashing: in defence,
w.ijle Donnelly, and Lyne,. in .the second
half, struggled hard and .effectively
Hutton. iilayjngf his SKsfcteague game,
did fairly well, wiiHe Richartfsoii, G
Scrutton, Golding, and Wflitehead were
responsible for solid ;. performances,
uichardson : came in for.- much criticism
lFoxn the crowd. , - The Sturt leader,
though not brilluint, played a. useful
game.
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