THERE is a fair chance one of the goal posts up the Ashley Street end joined the Woodville-West Torrens team song after the game following the Eagles’ nail-biting win over Norwood at Thebarton Oval on the weekend. The Redlegs hit five posters in the match, but remarkably all were to the same post including a shot in the final 30 seconds of the game that would have won them the match.

In a tight contest throughout the day in warm conditions, Woodville-West Torrens’ accuracy was the difference, kicking 7.1 (43) to 5.8 (38), with five of Norwood’s behinds coming off the woodwork. In a cruel twist for the visiting side – who ate up a 21-point three quarter time deficit to get within a kick late in the game – the final shot on goal from Jade Halfpenny cannoned into the same post as four previous attempts.

Woodville-West Torrens certainly deserved to come away with the four points, laying a massive 91 tackles in the win and bringing the heat from the opening bounce. An arm-wrestle ensued across the first eight minutes of the match before a free kick to McKenzie Dowrick broke the deadlock.

Her major was equalised four minutes later by Shai Hiscock with Norwood starting to get on top of the clearances and field position. They peppered away at the goals, starting with some great work off half-back from bottom-ager Charli Hazelhurst and reigning club best and fairest winner Tahlita Buethke.

Though they had multiple inside 50s late, they could not capitalise with Jade Halfpenny nudging her team ahead at the first break with a behind. The Eagles had their chances late too, with Lily Tarlinton twice almost getting on the end of a couple of marks but slipping through her grasp.

Norwood came out after quarter time a different side, but the pesky post started to make its impact felt. Within two minutes both Amelia Rusden and Kiana Lee had connected with the woodwork, the latter of which from a relatively straight forward 15m kick she would normally gobble up.

Those two misses proved costly as the Eagles – in a rare second term forward foray – got it to Grace Martin who produced an individual passage of brilliance with a finish to match. The overall finishing across the ground was not great with plenty of turnovers caused by the overwhelming pressure around the ball. When Halfpenny hit the same post for a third time, it was becoming an issue for the visitors.

Not so much for the Eagles, who yet again rushed it up the other end and in the final minute of the match, Dowrick snatched it out of congestion, spun onto her left and snapped one home to give her side an eight-point lead at the break.

The third term belonged to the Eagles despite Adrienne Davies kicking an early goal to trim the margin to two points. Over the space of the next 16 minutes, the Eagles had piled on three consecutive majors to Tarlinton, former Redleg Rosette Zerella, and Brianna Walling. With the margin at 21 points with only a couple of minutes left, it looked like the Eagles would head to the final change wiht a huge lead.

Instead, the in-form Elle Lineage won a free kick for being held inside 50 and she delivered with a huge goal as the time ticked into the 21st minute. But, as they had done all game, the Eagles had a response. Getting it inside 50 in the dying seconds, Martin kept handballing in front of her, drew an extra opponent and freed up Dowrick – who was often double-teamed – to soccer off the deck for her third goal.

Woodville-West Torrens was back in front by 21 points, with the 30 additional tackles the key difference between the sides. That, and the fact the Eagles only had one blemish from eight scoring shots compared to Norwood who had hit the post three times from four behinds.

After a last address from coach Brad Ferrall, Norwood came out fierce and from the opening centre bounce it was Sarah Branford who booted it long inside 50 to Rusden and the forward made no mistake this time running into an open goal delivering the Redlegs a much needed confidence boost.

Shineah Goody went further into defence to help out with some composure on teh last line and had a near individual passage of perfection from half-back, making multiple bounces, handballing and receiving back while not breaking stride nad booting it long inside 50. Though the Eagles did not score from it – and made a mess of some chances shortly after – they had not conceeded another goal to the eight-minute mark of the final term.

That was until Buethke received a free kick for too high on the lead and her subsequent set shot sailed through the middle. Midway through the term, the deficit was seven points and it was well and truly game on. Branford had gone to another level to join Buethke among the best, while Tesharna Maher – in her first game for the 2024 season – had a chance that was just touched on the line.

Halfpenny was marking just about anything that came her way and when she clunked it 30m out straight in front, it looked a foregone conclusion that the Redlegs would get within a kick. Instead, her kick drifted left and into the same post yet again. hen Hazelhurst pushed forward read it off hands and had a quick snap the crowd waited with baited breath, only for it to narrowly miss.

Still, the margin was a straight kick and the ball was up the right end for the Norwood fans. Over the next four minutes, the Eagles tried to close down the game with contest after contest, tackle after tackle, and even slowing play down when required with ball-in-hand. Then, in the last minute, it looked like the Redlegs had their chance to snatch a win.

Halfpenny – who had played well bar the efficiency on goal – won the ball off hands out of a pack and took her chance. As if a fitting – and unfortunate for Norwood – end to the game, the ball cannoned into the same post for the fifth time, and second in a row for the former Port Adelaide talent. Not long after the siren sounded, and the Eagles were on the board in the 2024 season.

Despite not scoring in the final term, Woodville-West Torrens had done enough to bank the two points and move onto Round 4 with some confidence. Goody (20 disposals, four marks, 14 tackles, three clearances, three inside 50s and three rebound 50s) lead by example in the tackling stakes, while Poppy Waterford was best-on around the stoppages, racking up eight clearances and laying nine tackles from 22 touches and five inside 50s, while Martin (18 disposals, four clearances, five inside 50s and a goal) was also strong.

The experience of AFLW-listed players Sachi Syme (20 disposals, six clearances and four inside 50s) and Najwa Allen (18 disposals, four marks, six tackles, five inside 50s and four rebound 50s) helped, as Lineage, Branford and Buethke all looked good throughout the match.

WWT EAGLES 1.0 | 3.0 | 7.1 | 7.1 (43)
NORWOOD 1.1 | 1.4 | 3.4 | 5.8 (38)

GOALS:
WWT Eagles: M. Dowrick 3, G. Martin, L. Tarlinton 5, B. Walling, R. Zerella.
Norwood: A. Rusden, T. Buethke, A. Davies, S. Hiscock, E. Lineage

RMC BEST:
WWT Eagles: P. Waterford, S. Goody, M. Dowrick, G. Martin, C. Leuzzi
Norwood: N. Allen, S. Syme, E. Lineage, T. Buethke, S. Branford