South Adelaide’s premiership defence has received a significant boost after securing a top-two finish with a hard-fought 15-point win over Norwood at Coopers Stadium.

The Panthers dominated territory in the early minutes, generating several inside-50 entries but failing to convert them into scoreboard pressure.

Shae Archbold’s snap from a tight angle was ambitious, but it drifted wide and went out on the full.

Promising scoring opportunities continued to be created from South Adelaide’s forward pressure, with relentless tackling and desperate smothers forcing Norwood into repeated turnovers.

Soriah Moon continued her outstanding season in the ruck, winning several hit-outs to advantage and acting as an extra midfielder at stoppages through her clearance work.

Despite numerous promising attacks, South struggled with their final disposal inside 50, allowing Norwood to stay in the contest and threaten against the run of play.

Norwood nearly opened the scoring, but Esther Schirmer produced a superb smother to deny a close-range chance.

Moments later, however, the home side managed the first score of the match via a rushed behind.

A turnover in South’s defensive half was quickly punished with a chaotic forward entry from Melissa Anderson, resulting in a shot on goal by Hope Taylor.

The kick sailed through the middle but was ruled touched off the boot. Taylor’s behind would be the final score of the term. At quarter-time, the scores were level.

Norwood began the second quarter with several threatening entries, but South’s defence held firm—Tiffany King standing tall under pressure with composed ball use.

After absorbing the early attacks, South launched a counterattack, with Archbold delivering the ball to former AFLW Crows player Jess Waterhouse inside 50, though their soccered attempt went wide.

Caitlin Couch provided fierce pressure around the ball, laying multiple strong tackles, including a desperate chase-down to deny Norwood a golden scoring chance.

Momentum began to shift in South’s favour, driven by their contested work. Lauren Clifton was instrumental, showing poise and strength in tight situations.

Anderson nearly broke the goal drought with a long-range bomb from 60 metres, only to see it bounce the wrong side of the post.

Moon’s dominance at stoppages continued, shrugging off a tackle before linking with Sam Pratt, who launched a tumbling kick into attack.

Waterhouse gathered the tumbling kick cleanly, settled themself and slotted a long-range major—the first of the game. The late goal gave South a seven-point lead at the main break.

The Panthers came out firing in the third term, earning a free kick to Laquoiya Cockatoo-Motlap at the top of the square. Her set shot missed to the left, letting Norwood off the hook.

Down back, Jaslynne Smith once again led the defence with calm, assured play under pressure.

Eventually, Norwood broke through via a composed set shot from Kiana Lee, narrowing the margin to a single point.

Needing a reply, South surged forward. Emily Brockhurst’s quick snaps resulted in back-to-back rushed behinds, nudging the lead slightly.

The intensity lifted, and a brilliant individual effort from Smith—breaking tackles and finding Moon—set up another promising forward entry.

Moon’s kick landed on Anderson’s chest, and this time she made no mistake, drilling a long-range goal to extend the lead to nine points.

However, Norwood responded through Lani Cocks, who converted a tough boundary-line effort to cut the margin to just two points.

In the dying moments of the quarter, South launched a final attacking push. As a pack formed under a high ball, Archbold’s strong hands stood out, pulling in a contested mark.

Her set shot from 35 metres, however, faded wide. At three-quarter time, South held a narrow three-point advantage after a bruising, even contest.

With the game on the line, both sides came out with urgency in the final term.

Tabitha Prosser’s relentless tackling continued to disrupt Norwood’s ball movement, while Schirmer’s composure and precision across half-back launched several attacks.

Though both teams battled between the arcs, it was Norwood who looked more dangerous. Sam Pratt intercepted with a diving mark on the last line of defence to once again deny the Redlegs.

Shortly after, she found herself in space in the middle, streaming forward and drawing a downfield free kick after a late hit.

The resulting shot fell to Seraphina Moon, who missed the set shot, but the behind was soon made irrelevant when Doreena Hansen found space in heavy traffic and dribbled through a vital goal.

Moments later, she doubled her tally, outmuscling her opponent in the forward pocket and running into an open goal to stretch the lead to a game-high 16 points.

Norwood offered a late reply through Lee, giving the home side the faintest hope, but with just two minutes left, it proved a consolation.

Hansen wasn’t done yet. She gathered a centre clearance from Clifton, spun out of trouble, and coolly slotted her third of the quarter—sealing the win in style.

As the final siren sounded, South Adelaide had outlasted a spirited Norwood outfit to claim a 15-point win and lock in a top-two finish as finals approach.

The Panthers will aim to continue their winning form when they take on third-placed North Adelaide at Prospect Oval on Saturday, 28 June at 11:30am.