A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| Norwood | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Names | ||
| Full name | Norwood Football Club | |
| Nickname(s) | Redlegs | |
| Motto | Fortis in Procella (Strength in Adversity) | |
| 2023 season | ||
| After finals | 7th | |
| Home-and-away season | 7th | |
| Leading goalkicker | Connor McLean (24) | |
| Best and fairest | Nik Rokahr | |
| Club details | ||
| Founded | 28 February 1878 | |
| Colours | Navy blue, red | |
| Competition | South Australian National Football League | |
| Premierships | SANFL (31): 1878, 1879, 1880, 1881, 1882, 1883, 1887, 1888, 1889, 1891, 1894, 1901, 1904, 1907, 1922, 1923, 1925, 1929, 1941, 1946, 1948, 1950, 1975, 1978, 1982, 1984, 1997, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2022 SANFLW (1): 2017 | |
| Ground(s) | Coopers Stadium (Capacity: 10,000) | |
| Uniforms | ||
| ||
| Other information | ||
| Official website | norwoodfc.com.au | |
Norwood Football Club, nicknamed the Redlegs, is an Australian rules football club competing in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) in the state of South Australia. Its home ground is Coopers Stadium (Norwood Oval), which is often referred to as "The Parade". It is one of the two traditional powerhouse clubs of the SANFL, the other being Port Adelaide, who together have won half of all SANFL premierships (see Port Adelaide–Norwood SANFL rivalry). The club has won 31 SANFL premierships and 1 SANFLW premiership.
History
1878–1899: Nineteenth-century powerhouse
Right: Norwood's victorious 1888 Championship of Australia team.
| 1888 Champions of Australia | Wins | Losses | Total |
| Norwood | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| South Melbourne | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Venue: Kensington Oval, Adelaide | |||
The Norwood Football Club was formed at a meeting held at the Norfolk Arms Hotel in Rundle Street, Adelaide on 28 February 1878: it was resolved that the club colours would be those of the old Woodville Club.[1] At a subsequent meeting with 12 members present at the Norfolk Arms Hotel on 14 March the colours were confirmed as blue guernseys and knickerbockers, and red stockings and cap.[2] The new club gained a number of leading players from the then recently dissolved Woodville Football Club (1868–1877), including its Captain J.R. (Joe) Osborn who would become Norwood's inaugural Captain.[3]
Norwood's first home ground was the current CBC College oval in the east Park Lands near the tramway and opposite the Kent Town Brewery.
Norwood played their first SAFA match against South Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on 16 May 1878, who were the current reigning premiers from the inaugural season: Norwood went on to win the match 1 goal to nil, with future Australian Test cricketer and Captain George Giffen kicking Norwood's goal from a running kick.[4] During this match the players donned distinctive red stockings which gave rise to the nickname 'Redlegs', the moniker which has remained synonymous with Norwood ever since.[5]
| 1889 SAFA Premiership Playoff Australia's First Grand Final. |
G | B | Total | |||
| Norwood | 7 | 4 | 7 | |||
| Port Adelaide | 5 | 9 | 5 | |||
| Venue: Adelaide Oval | Crowd: 10,000 | |||||
Norwood won a premiership in its first year of existence and then followed with five more in a row. Only Port Adelaide in 1954–1959 has managed to repeat the feat of winning six premierships in a row. Norwood eventually won 11 pennants between 1878 and 1899 and was the most successful team of the 19th century. In 1883, after winning the pennant for the sixth successive year, Norwood became the first South Australian club to record a win over a Victorian team, when it defeated Essendon.[6] In 1888, Norwood were proclaimed 'Premiers of Australia' when they defeated South Melbourne in three matches at Kensington Oval.
Norwood and Port Adelaide became famous rivals after a particularly tough match in 1894.
Early champions of the club include Alfred 'Topsy' Waldron, who captained the club for nine years; Alby Green, the first player to win the Magarey Medal for the best and fairest player in the competition in 1898; and Anthony 'Bos' Daly, who kicked 88 goals in 1893, including an astonishing 23 goals in one match. Daly's goal tally would not be surpassed for another 37 years, and his tally of 23 goals in one match has only ever been equalled by the great North Adelaide full forward goal kicker Ken Farmer in 1940. Daly was widely regarded as "the greatest South Australian footballer from 1877 to the close of the nineteenth century".
1900–1915: pre-WWI era
Right: Seven-time Norwood leading goalkicker William Miller
| 1904 SAFA Challenge Final | G | B | Total | |||
| Norwood | 9 | 8 | 62 | |||
| Port Adelaide | 8 | 10 | 58 | |||
| Venue: Jubilee Oval | Crowd: 11,000[7] | |||||
The 1904 Grand Final was a memorable one for Norwood who were down by 35 points at three-quarter time against traditional rival Port Adelaide. Norwood then produced an extraordinary burst of football with a goal by centre half forward Dean Dawson followed by two goals each from full forward, Bill Miller and half forward flanker, Stan Robinson. Norwood was only two points down with a minute remaining. Tommy Gibbons held a mark on a seemingly impossible angle. His kick sailed through the goal posts to give Norwood a four-point victory 9.8 to 8.10.
| 1907 Championship of Australia | G | B | Total |
| Norwood | 13 | 12 | 90 |
| Carlton | 8 | 10 | 58 |
| Venue: Adelaide Oval | |||
Norwood were proclaimed the Champions of Australia again in 1907 when they defeated the Victorian premier, Carlton, 13.12 to 8.9 after Norwood scored 7 goals in the first 20 minutes of the third quarter. Norwood would beat Carlton again in 1921, but on this latter occasion both clubs were runners up in their respective competitions.
1919–1944: Interwar period and WWII competition
1922–1924: Thomas Leahy success
For his brief coaching stint, Thomas Leahy proved remarkably successful, leading the Redlegs to back to back premierships in 1922 and 1923, a feat that would not be repeated for 90 years.
1925–1929: Walter Scott era
Walter Scott was captain-coach of the Norwood Football Club for five years, leading his team to two grand finals in 1928 and 1929, winning the latter against Port Adelaide.[citation needed]
1945–1956: Jack Oatey era
Over a coaching stint of 12 years, Jack Oatey led the Redlegs to three premierships in 1946, 1948, 1950.[citation needed]
1957–1973: Premiership drought
The period spanning the 1951 and 1973 seasons, totalling twenty three years, was the club's longest without a premiership.