We've just passed the halfway mark of the 2024 SANFL season, with premiership contenders and struggling sides emerging from their opening 10 games of the campaign so far.
Here we look at each club's state of play, their run home to finals and leading best and fairest contenders ahead of the final stretch.
Norwood
Position: 1st
Wins: 8
Losses: 2
Percentage: 56.83%
Biggest win: 83 points v Port Adelaide, Round 11
Biggest loss: 39 points v Woodville-West Torrens, Round 8
Norwood have avenged last year's horror 0-8 start to the season to sit 8-2 in 2024 and put themselves in contention for a second flag in three years.
The Redlegs won their first seven matches to sit two games clear on top of the ladder, taking down fellow contenders Sturt, Glenelg and Central District in impressive displays.
Norwood's defence was seemingly impenetrable early on, conceding an average of only 48 points per game across the first seven rounds.
The highest score they conceded in this time was just 59 points to North Adelaide, having kept quality attacking outfits Sturt and Glenelg to 50 and 47 points respectively.
The back six at The Parade is largely unheralded, with no-frills key defenders Tom Donnelly and Tom Graham locking down on the opposition's most dangerous forwards, while Pierce Seymour reads the play expertly as an intercepting weapon.
Matt Ling has thrived since moving to half-back late last year and along with recruits Cooper Murley and Alastair Lord provides spark and creativity with ball in hand
With a game style built on extreme pressure at the contest that thrives on the small confines of Norwood Oval, even the best teams have struggled to move the ball with any fluency against the Redlegs.
Adding key recruits Billy Cootee and Mitch O'Neill over the off-season, Norwood's midfield has elevated to another level, now boasting some of the most dynamic ball-winners in the competition.ย
In a sign of the talent now gathered at The Parade, Cootee, O'Neill and Baynen Lowe were all selected in South Australia's midfield unit that decimated Western Australia last month.
They have been incredibly well-served by ever-reliable ruckman Harry Boyd, who continues to stamp his claim as the competition's best ruckman.
Jake Creswell and Jordan Boyle have been consistent performers on the wing with their run and ability to cover in defence and attack.
While Norwood's defensive strength has been proven for several years, their attacking prowess is an ongoing concern, ranking last for points scored in 2023.
A mammoth 11-goal third quarter against Central showed what they are capable of, but doubts still linger as they rank fifth in the competition for points scored.
Norwood have only managed two triple-figure scores across 10 rounds, which has hampered their ability to build percentage and put teams away earlier in contests.
Playing in such high-pressure games, Norwood's ball use going inside 50 often lets them down, with sloppy turnovers gifting the ball back to the opposition.
The Redlegs have also occasionally cost themselves with poor conversion in front of goal, going at just 47.6% accuracy across the first 10 games.
Key forwards Connor McLean and Jackson Callow have been important marking targets inside 50 and lead up to the wings as bail-out options when exiting defence.
While scoring remains an issue, one of the biggest positives so far this season has been the sudden emergence of first-year talls Izaak Twelftree and Finn Heard.
Both are ranked in the top 10 across the league for contested marks, possessing strength and aerial abilities that belie their age.
After such a strong start to the year, Norwood were well below par in their two losses heading into the bye.
It is no surprise that these losses coincided with the absence of O'Neill and Cootee, with the Redlegs' midfield soundly beaten in both games.
Woodville-West Torrens exposed their defence in a manner that has not been seen all year, kicking 99 points off the back of express ball movement that the Norwood back six simply could not handle.
Similarly, Sturt's midfield was dominant in the King's Birthday clash, allowing the Double Blues to lock the ball inside their forward 50 for extended periods and hold Norwood to a season-low of just 37 points.
Another area of concern for the Redlegs is their performances in last quarters, having only scored 14 last-quarter goals for the season, five of which came against Port Adelaide last week.
In the three weeks before the bye, Norwood were outscored 12.13 to 1.5 in the final quarters.
For a team that mastered a final-quarter comeback against North Adelaide to snatch the 2022 premiership, this is undoubtedly an issue the Norwood coaches will want to address.
Best & Fairest contenders:
Harry Boyd has already got one hand on the Michael Taylor Medal with an outstanding start to the season that has seen him confirm his status as the league's best ruckman.
O'Neill and Cootee will also feature heavily in the votes despite missing several games.
Baynen Lowe has been a revelation since moving into the midfield and looks right at home, playing a key role in Norwood's bright start to the year.
Matthew Ling has been a dynamo at half-back and integral to Norwood's ball movement, earning a state jumper for the first time against WA.
Finn Heard has cemented his spot in the team with his competitiveness and versatility, while Tom Donnelly often goes under the radar but consistently gets the job done against more highly fancied opponents.
Injury report:
While relatively healthy earlier in the year, Norwood's injury list is starting to stack up and features some important names.
Mitch O'Neill is still at least one more week away with an ankle complaint, while Henry Nelligan went down in the loss to Sturt and is unsure of a return date.
Matt Panos hasn't played since Round 4 and faces a lengthy stint on the sidelines with a knee injury, while Cory Stockdale's knee injury continues to linger.
Liam Robinson went down with an ankle injury in the reserves last week and faces a 4-6 week stint on the sidelines.
