"The running of the bulls" from 'The Outer Eye'
Norwood visited the much feared 'Bullring' to play Noble park in Rd 7 of EFL Division 1 action on Saturday. After previous attempts in years gone by had ended in honorable losses, there was hope that this time we could come away with the points for the first time. However, after a torrid experience in which we were dominated right from the start until virtually the finish, we left the ground chastened and with a hard lesson learnt, going down by 59 points.
Norwood's timings for visits to highly rated oppostion grounds has been less than ideal this year. Firstly, in Rd 3, we visited Vermont on the staging of their 1000th EFL game, a hyper-charged fixture attended by many of the Vermont faithful past and present. Powered at least in part by the emotion of the home crowd, that game finished badly for us as we fell 3 points short. On Saturday we rolled up at Noble Park - straight into their 10 year 2003 Premiership reunion celebrations, a raucous home ground - another electric atmosphere and just to top it off, the added quirk that our current coach - Denis Knight, was the Noble park premiership coach that year. This timing has been unfortunate, but to use it as an excuse is unacceptable, because this is what the highest levels of EFL footy are all about. If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best....
So it should have come as no surprise that Noble "came to play". And did they play. We had no answer in the first quarter as Noble dominated every facet of the game. By quarter time the score was 6.5 - 1.1 and the pattern of play had been set. To make matters worse, Matt McCormack, one of our best players for the day, had been yellow-carded for a late bump and was to spend the compulsory 15 inutes in the sinbin because of it. Hopes hinged on a better 2nd quarter performance, but nothing changed. We could not get the ball, when we did, we could not penetrate the Noble half-back line, allowing them to rebound far too easily. Their powerful forward Brett Dore feasted on this supply, marked everything and converted 5 times. By half time this game was done and dusted as Noble led by 51 points 10.6 - 2.3.
After half time we were playing for pride and to avoid total humiliation, but the third quarter started equally badly, the margin blowing out to 65 points before a couple of late 3rd quarter goals eased the suffering somewhat. Noble had continued to dominate however, and only poor conversion prevented them going further ahead. At 3/4 time we trailled by 55 points. We started the 4th quarter brightly, earning our first passages of continued possession for the day, resulting in a goal to Brenter at the 4 minute mark. This was followed up with a couple more to reduce the margin to 41 points midway through the last quarter. Hopes of drawing some small positives out of the day emerged. To their credit, Noble would have none of this, however, and reasserted their total domination scoring the last 3 goals of the game to put the exclamation mark on their performance, running out winners by a commanding 59 points, 15.20.110 - 7.9.51.
The discrepancy in scoring shots and possession was a true reflection of this game. Noble's power running, skill, spread and general intensity around the ball was a lesson for our guys. That is not to say that our boys didnt try, perhaps they just weren't prepared for the level of intensity which Noble were always going to bring to this emotional day. Whatever the underlying reasons, this is a lesson hard learnt, and if Norwood is to feature at the pointy end of the season, they will have to lift their own skill and intensity to match the standard set by Noble on Saturday. Perhaps its a blessing in disguise, as team and coaching staff can now use this benchmark as a standard which we must first meet, then exceed, in order to achieve our lofty aims for season 2013.
There is no better opportunity to do this than next week, when we host unbeaten ladder leading Balwyn at our own Fortress - Mullum Reserve. A strong showing here is required to reassert our claims for season 2013. A win would be priceless.
In the earlier games the 2nds were also well beaten whilst the U19s put in a strong perfromance, winning easily, to at least give us something to smile about.
Go Wooders
Last Modified on 27/05/2013 11:35