Blue skies and a southerly breeze blowing straight across the ground was the scene for Rd 2 of EFL 2012 as we hosted the competition's powerhouse - Noble Park. The game began well for Norwood with big Monky drifting forward onto a loose ball and bombing from 40m for a goal. Our midfield clearance work, so often an achilles heel against the strength and speed of Noble Park in the past, was really taking it up to them this time as we continually pressed forward. A nice snap from Nick Nagel and a running goal from Dave Blackie coming straight off the bench saw us take a 5pt lead into 1/4 time, 3.2 - 2.3.
The 2nd quarter saw Norwood make a statement - "hey, we can match it with the big boys" as we continually won the ball from clearances and moved it forward with purpose. Skayve Johnson was marking everything across half forward and was rewarded with a goal, Brenter added another after some clever work and when Nick Nagel and Matt Aver added further goals, we led by 27pts in the shadows of half time. A late goal to Noble took some gloss off, but we still held a very impressive half time lead of 21pts, 7.7 - 4.4. A feature of our first half was our relentless attack on Noble when we didn't have the ball, pressuring and harrassing them into mistakes and hurried kicks, not allowing them the time to setup their precision passing which we have seen so often in the past.
At some stage Noble were always going to mount a challenge, you just don't win premierships at this level by lying down easily when the opposition is playing well and has the ascendency. The 3rd quarter saw Noble's push for victory, as their full-forward Luke Mann went nuts for 15 minutes, taking 3 marks and gaining one free to slot four calm goals and bring Noble back into the game. In this quarter it was Noble's turn to control the clearances and general play, but steadying goals to McCormack and Blackie saw us keep our lead. At orange time we held a 9pt lead, 9.9 - 8.6.
The question on everyone's mind was, could we hang on? Would we be rewarded for our efforts, or would it be a gallant defeat?. Early in the last quarter it looked like it might be the latter, as Noble continued their 2nd half press. Our defence, led by Nick Edge and Jake Ford, were doing their level best to keep Noble at bay, but 2 goals saw them take the lead for the first time at the 15 minute mark. It seemed we would need at least a couple of goals to win the game. We pressed forward and Justin Gould pounced, converting from 20m to hand us back a slender lead at the 17 minute mark. Play went from end to end, with every contest seeming to matter as precious ground was made and lost. We had a couple of chances to extend our lead beyond a goal, but could not convert. Noble continued to push, but undying defensive efforts from Paul Maaskant, Ev Johnson, Stuey Hill and Matty Decler kept them from converting. The clock ticked into time-on and then inexorably past the 25, 26 and 27 minute mark as anxious eyes continued to divert to it, each second taking an eternity. "Why is this quarter so long??" we kept asking (it wasn't really it just felt that way). Finally, with the ball locked on the Noble half-forward line, the siren sounded with Norwood ahead by 5 pts, 10.13 - 10.8 and screams of triumph, relief and delight rang out across Mullum reserve, David had slain Goliath.........
A truly memorable win for the faithful who were there that day, and a warning shot across the bows of the EFL 1st Division competition that Norwood is here to play this year. As is often the case during great wins, every player had some impact on the result. None more so than big Monky who rucked tirelessly against Noble's menacing "Brute Bernard" ruckman all day. Onballers Maaskant, Blackie and Holmes were outstanding at giving us first use, while down back Edge and Newman also stood out. The Johnson brothers also continued to stamp their class on the competition with book-end roles at either end of the ground.
And so, with two wins from two starts against fancied opposition, Norwood maintains top spot on the ladder. Such is the evenness of the competition, however, that only 3 sides remain undefeated and we're only two games in!! And, as is often stated in this column, there is no time to sit back and relax in EFL first division as we make the trek to another fortress - Balwyn Park (scene of a famous Norwood victory in 2010), for Rd 3 and another test of our ever growing aspirations in 2012.
Go Wooders |