The 2024 SANFL Grand Final was a thriller, with Glenelg snatching their seventh title with a stellar comeback win over the Redlegs at Adelaide Oval on Sunday.
Here's our wrap-up of the season decider...
Norwood 11.10.(76) def by Glenelg 12.9.(81)
Glenelg produced a stunning comeback to overcome Norwood and claim back-to-back premierships by five points in a thrilling grand final at Adelaide Oval on Sunday.
It is only the second time in club history they have won consecutive titles and their third flag in six years, capping off an unprecedented era of success at Tigerland.
Glenelg also became the first team since North Adelaide in 2018 to win the premiership from the elimination final after missing out on a top-three spot following an inconsistent season.
But the Tigers found their best form at the right time of the year to win four consecutive cut-throat games to lift the cup.
Winning the minor premiership and advancing directly to the grand final with a thumping win over Central District in the semi-final, Norwood will be left to lick their wounds after squandering a golden opportunity to win their 32nd premiership.
The loss was hauntingly similar to their 2018 defeat to North Adelaide, where they finished top only to be beaten by the fifth-placed Roosters on the big stage.
The Redlegs led by 25 points midway through the third term before Glenelg made their move, kicking eight of the last 11 goals to surge over the line.
Captain and former Richmond forward Liam McBean was instrumental in the victory, kicking seven goals, including five in the second half, to win the Jack Oatey Medal as best on ground.
Played at a frenetic pace early on, the contest was a tight tussle for much of the first half before Norwood broke clear with three quick goals to lead by 18 points at the half.
When Tristan Binder snaffled a clever chance early in the third to extend the lead to 25 points, Norwood seemingly had all the momentum.
Glenelg soon replied with three majors of their own to trail by 13 points going into the final break.
The Tigers continued their run with three more goals to start the last quarter and take the lead with 12 minutes gone.
An arm wrestle ensued for the remainder of the match as Harry Boyd put Norwood back in front with a snap out of the ruck.
McBean and Lachie Hosie nailed clutch set shots to build a 10-point buffer for the Tigers before Declan Hamilton kept the Redlegs in it with a cracking dribble goal in the 23rd minute.
Norwood continued to push and made two more attacking forays that were superbly thwarted by the Tigers, who did enough to hold on for a famous victory.
Despite ultimately coming up short, Norwood's effort, endeavour and intensity could not be questioned, laying 23 more tackles and winning clearances by 14 as they cracked in at the contest.
It was on the outside where the damage was done, with Glenelg's run and spread away from stoppage allowing them to find space and control the ball more effectively.
Norwood finished with just 31 marks for the day to Glenelg's 87 as they struggled to maintain possession.
As the game wore on, Norwood's midfielders were simply unable to keep up with their Glenelg opponents as the Tigers' mids worked hard to create an outnumber at stoppages and get the ball moving their way.
Another major difference in the game was the striking contrast in ball use between the two teams, with Glenelg making smarter decisions with ball in hand.
Particularly in the last quarter when the game opened up, the Tigers were able to pinpoint reliable targets inside 50 which set up quality scoring shots, while Norwood often blasted away to Glenelg's loose man in defence, resulting in repeated intercept marks.
Across the day the Tigers took 17 contested marks to four as they dominated the aerial battle in defence and attack.
McBean was the main culprit up front, taking five contested marks as he proved too strong for Norwood's Tom Donnelly in the one-on-one contests.
Hosie recovered from a statless first half to kick two crucial goals in the last quarter, including a mercurial drop punt from deep in the pocket.
Small forwards Archie Lovelock and Hunter Window were again hugely influential with their running power and pressure as they worked hard up the field to provide defensive cover at stoppages.
Matthew Snook (22 disposals and eight clearances) was brutal at the contest in what turned out to be his final SANFL game after announcing his retirement following the victory.
Corey Lyons (24 disposals and a goal) had a huge impact through the middle and found plenty of the ball, while James Bell (22 disposals and eight tackles) was a dangerous weapon with his burst from stoppages.
Chris Curran (18 disposals) was a key component on the wing, while Cole Gerloff (12 touches and a goal) had some important moments.
Cameron McGree (19 hit-outs and four tackles) fought well against Boyd in the ruck and made life difficult for the Magarey Medallist.
Will Gould (15 disposals and nine rebound 50s) was resolute in defence and competed strongly against Izaak Twelftree and Binder.
Oscar Adams (10 disposals and five marks) played a critically important role on Jackson Callow and nullified the Norwood big man while taking several saving marks.
Max Proud (16 disposals and seven marks) played mostly as a loose man in defence and read the play superbly to cut off countless Norwood attacks.
Jonty Scharenberg (14 disposals and seven marks) had the better of his duel with Jacob Kennerley while Alex Martini (14 touches) was his usually reliable self.
A silver lining for shattered Norwood fans is that the club's newest batch of recruits for this year were among the better players on the ground and all had an impact to varying degrees.
Mitch O'Neill (25 disposals and six clearances) was a key playmaker for the Redlegs with his clean skills and dynamic clearance work on full display.
Billy Cootee (20 disposals and seven tackles) also made his presence felt around the stoppages and proved a handful at different stages.
Baynen Lowe (23 touches and two goals) was a dangerous weapon with ball in hand with his pace and ability to take the game on when needed.
Boyd (40 hit-outs and nine clearances) fought through some heavy attention from the Bays but eventually got on top in the ruck duel.
Jacob Kennerley (12 disposals and five clearances) was tough in the clinches but largely subdued when resting in the forward line.
Jackson Callow (two goals and three clearances) was tireless in his effort to provide a marking target and also occasionally pushed into the midfield.
Binder (two goals) competed hard and took his opportunities in front of goal, while Twelftree impressed with his marking and leading but failed to finish his good work with 0.3.
Tom Donnelly (13 disposals and 10 rebound 50s) could hardly have done any more to stop McBean as he battled bravely in the one-on-one contests but the height advantage proved too much in the end.
Pierce Seymour (16 disposals and six rebound 50s) provided stability in defence with his reading of the play and ability to get a spoil in the marking contests.
Jack Heard (15 disposals and four marks) used the ball and largely nullified Luke Reynolds in the one-on-one duels before Reynolds was able to find some space late in the game.
Alec Wright did an outstanding job on the dangerous Hosie and gave him no time or space to work, with one of Hosie's goals coming from a dubious free kick and the other opposed to Matt Ling.
Alastair Lord finished the game without a disposal but importantly kept his opponent Will Chandler to just four touches and minimal impact on the game.
