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Sturt has rid itself of the finals blues. And in beating a lack-lustre Norwood into submission with a devastating 71-point win in today's first semi-final at Adelaide Oval, the Double Blues sent an ominous warning.
Rick Macgowan's men are clearly on a mission to atone for last Sunday's shock loss to Central District in the qualifying final, their hunger reaching its peak in a seven-goal premiership quarter in which the Redlegs were held goalless.
"I wasn't so concerned about outside pressure it was pressure from within," said a relieved Macgowan after claiming his first finals win as a coach.
"We'd been good all year and had a disappointing game so it was full credit to the guys to put that behind us and get a good result. There's always that fear of losing any game but we're always confident we can win - our greatest opposition is ourselves."
The rampant Blues smashed Norwood where it counts, winning the clearances 48 to 27 and dominating the ball out of the centre square with a 15-7 advantage.
This was largely due to the influence of Adam Thomson (35 disposals) and Jade Sheedy (31) who lifted their output dramatically on last week.
"We'd been pretty average in that area of late so it was something we focused on - at ground level we hunted the ball well," Macgowan said.
"They're (Thomson and Sheedy) quality players and when they are playing well the side's going to play well."
Sturt utility Michael Coad proved why he's so important to the Blues by doing a solid job on Norwood dangerman Taylor Walker (3.3) while Tristan Gum, Craig Evans and late inclusion John McDonald (4.1) helped their team lead at every change.
"He's a good player, he's probably been ready for about six weeks playing well in the reserves," Macgowan noted of McDonald.
"Fortunately he took his opportunity and kicked some important goals."
Norwood is still winless against the Double Blues in first semi-finals, losing its fourth today to its eastern rivals.
The only thing the Redlegs managed to avoid was the largest losing margin in a first semi-final, which stands at 83 points.
"It was really disappointing, unfortuntely it all caught up with us in the end and we were a bit thin on the ground with numbers," Norwood coach Trevor Hill said.
"Full credit to Sturt they were the better side. I think the top three sides have a significant edge on the rest of them."
The Redlegs lost impetus in the centre square when lead ruckman Stephen Doyle went down with a calf injury in the second term.
"He's (Doyle) been the story of the last few weeks we just lost too many players at critical times," Hill said.
Redlegs midfielder David Trotter was tireless while good mates Stuart Bown and Matthew Dawes - playing in their final match - could also hold their heads high.
Courtesy of The Advertiser
Story by Zac Milbank
Adelaide Oval
Goals:
Sturt: Chambers 6, McDonald 4, Evans 2, Thomson 2, Perrie, Cubillo, Whiteman, Fittock, Feast
Norwood: Walker 3, Trotter 3, Donohue, Gallagher, Davis
Best:
Sturt: Thomson, Sheedy, Gum, McGlone, Coad, Crane, Evans, Fittock
Norwood: Trotter, Bown, Dawes, Nitschke.
Injuries:
Sturt: Bentley (hamstring) withdrew from selected squad.
Norwood: Doyle (calf), Weatherald (corked thigh), Aish (groin) withdrew from selected squad.
Umpires:
T. Dey, C. Rowston, S. Hay.
Click here for player stats
Earlier in the day Sturt defeated Port in the SANFL U17 Grand Final
Sturt 4.2 | 8.2 | 16.4 | 19.5 (119)
Port 4.3 | 8.5 | 10.7 | 16.9 (105)
Goals:
Sturt - Giles 7, Harmes 4, M O'Sullivan 3, Trengove 2, Hughes, Scott, Pope
Port - Solly 5, Milera 4, Gray 2, Stringer, Rawlings, Flynn, Rose, Lycett
Sturt 3.3 6.10 13.14 19.19 (133)
Norwood 2.2 3.3 3.5 9.8 (62)