Print this pageNorwood coach Trevor Hill smirked when asked if his outfit was a genuine premiership chance after a highly impressive 66-point triumph over North Adelaide at The Parade on Saturday.
"I won't even think about being a genuine flag chance yet," he responded. "I'm more worried about Central next week."
The disciplined Redlegs looked every bit a title force as they dismantled a Roosters outfit struggling for confidence, form and, as coach Andrew Jarman noted, accountability. Norwood's work ethic, especially in congestion and then running into space with fluent ball movement, was exceptional, its passion and desire for the contest too much for insipid North. Some Roosters must learn a pat on the back is not a tackle and there needs to be more bodies put on the line. "Some of these boys have to play with accountability and not for themselves," Jarman said. "Some of that crept into the second half.
"Some boys are not training because of bodies and I have to draw a line in the sand - if you can't train then you can't play.
"If they are going to be selfish it reflects back on the rest of the group and I saw a bit of that in the first half.
"We have been hunted down a lot harder now. Every game teams are putting a lot more numbers around the stoppages. They are saying 'don't give North space, don't give North a chance to run'. So we have to review that aspect of our game."
The Redlegs, three points clear of fifth-placed North, face the Bulldogs, Glenelg, Port Magpies and Sturt in what looms as a crucial four weeks before the bye.
As for the Roosters, they would be looking over their shoulder with their grip on a top-five spot extremely tenuous.
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Story by Warren Partland