A five-goal haul from Kodah Edwards and a blistering six-goal final quarter helped South Adelaide overcome a slow start to record a commanding 51-point win over Norwood at Magain Stadium.

Despite sitting at the bottom of the ladder, Norwood made the brighter start, slotting the first two goals of the match.

Once settled, South began creating scoring opportunities, though they faced fierce tackling pressure from the visitors. Patrick Carman chose to hack a tumbling ball off the ground inside forward 50, with several players flying for the well-placed soccer effort.

Quick hands under pressure from Callan Hart and Thomas Simpson freed Kody Shortridge, who found space and finished from close range for South’s first goal.

Archie Van Dyk continued his standout season around the contest, attacking the ball with intent and showing composure in tight situations to find teammates in better positions.

The Panthers began to produce more dangerous forward entries, with Elliott Duffield marking strongly in the forward pocket after a precise pass from Jake Wigzell.

His set shot from the boundary missed to the near side, but it mattered little when Tom Connolly opportunistically soccered through a goal to level the scores.

Norwood hit back strongly, kicking three of the last four goals of the quarter to lead by 13 points at the first break. South’s only other goal in that period came from under-ager Angus White, who snapped cleverly across his body.

After an inconsistent first term, South wasted no time moving the ball forward to start the second quarter.

Max Savage gathered cleanly and snapped from distance; while the kick fell short, Simpson was awarded a free for front-on contact and made no mistake from point-blank range.

Minutes later, White intercepted an errant Norwood kick out of defence, burst away, and slotted a classy running goal from 35 metres to cut the margin to one point.

Scores were level after another Duffield behind, but he quickly redeemed himself by finding Edwards on the lead. The midfielder calmly converted from 30 metres to give South their first lead.

With momentum building, Edwards doubled his tally soon after, while White completed his hat-trick with another composed finish.

In defence, Kai Clark again provided quality rebound from half-back while competing strongly in one-on-ones, and Jackson Blacker refused to be beaten, displaying excellent defensive craft.

A five-goal quarter gave the Panthers a healthy 20-point advantage at half-time.

Needing a response, Norwood kicked the first two goals of the third term to cut the margin to nine points.

Missed chances from Carman and White could have helped South maintain it healthy buffer, but the Panthers soon steadied.

Quick ball movement through the middle found Edwards on the lead, and he converted to restore breathing space. Norwood answered, but South had the reply through Edwards once again.

Elijah Koop and Tyler Lock combined to send the ball forward. Despite falling short, Edwards swooped on the loose ball and snapped brilliantly from the boundary for his fourth.

At the final break, South’s lead stood at 13 points, leaving the contest still in the balance.

The first goal of the last term was crucial - and it went South’s way, with Harry Wadewitz finishing calmly on the run from a tight angle.

Edwards then stepped up once more, drilling a set shot from the 50-metre arc for his fifth.

South continued to put the foot down. White’s agility at a stoppage saw him evade Norwood’s on-ballers before sending the ball forward, where Hart cleverly nudged his opponent under the ball, marked, and played on to nail a running goal that all but sealed the result.

A sixth goal for Edwards seemed certain, but his close-range effort struck the post.

It mattered little, as Cameron Woods, Wadewitz, and Van Dyk all found the scoreboard to round out a dominant six-goal final term - while keeping Norwood scoreless.

As the siren sounded, South Adelaide’s strong finish saw them run out 51-point winners at home.

Next up, the Panthers face a challenge against second-placed Woodville-West Torrens at Maughan Thiem Kia Oval on Saturday, 16 August at 1:20pm.

A complete team performance from South Adelaide saw the Panthers lead at every change to record an emphatic 43-point win over Norwood at Magain Stadium.

South Adelaide made a blistering start, with Max Gregor diving low to mark just above the turf. The ruck-forward made no mistake from 30 metres directly in front, opening the scoring within two minutes.

Caleb Hyland and Hudson Boal continued their strong seasons around the contest, with both midfielders prolific in tackles and clearances.

The Panthers doubled their advantage when Dale Shearer gathered a bouncing ball and quickly found Darcy Campbell-Kearney by hand, who snapped truly from a tight angle.

South’s hot start continued when Boal produced a brilliant individual effort, bursting from the centre stoppage, taking a one-two handball, and finishing on the run from 20 metres.

After 16 scoreless minutes, Norwood finally broke its drought with a much-needed goal to relieve some pressure.

But the celebrations were short-lived, as Jayden Jameson responded almost immediately, marking a Hewston Fitzgerald snap just metres from goal.

The sides traded goals late in the term, with Shearer converting a set shot to cancel out Harry Chung’s earlier effort. At quarter-time, South Adelaide held a healthy 18-point lead.

South created the first real chance of the second quarter when Shearer’s clever 15-metre volleyball-style tap found Gregor, whose right-foot snap just missed.

Norwood made the most of the reprieve, with Joseph Nak snapping truly from a tight angle. From there, the match turned into an arm-wrestle, with neither side troubling the scoreboard for 11 minutes.

Hudson Croser’s ruck dominance provided quality service to onballers Boal and Oliver South. The latter broke the deadlock, pouncing on a poor defensive kick at centre-half back, playing a one-two, and finishing on the run from distance.

Norwood again found a reply, with Chung’s second narrowing the margin to 14 points.

Strong forward pressure from Jameson was rewarded by the umpire. Although the mark wasn’t taken, Marshall Field found Kody Burke in space, and he snapped truly on his left.

Burke’s goal was the final score of the half, giving the Panthers a 20-point buffer at the main break.

The third term was always going to be decisive, with Norwood needing to halt South’s momentum.

After a first half built on tackling pressure, Meaney showed his scoring prowess, nailing a running effort to stretch the margin.

Norwood hit back almost immediately, but the goal-for-goal trend continued with Nathan Flesfadar finishing calmly, only for Thomas Gribbens to respond at the other end.

Jayce Potter was proactive across half-back, sparking attacks with his precise foot skills, while Sam Walsh remained strong in defence.

Campbell-Kearney then produced a highlight, sidestepping a desperate defender and finishing from close range to make it 28 points.

Boal’s second major— a composed set shot from 45 metres— pushed the lead to 36 at the final change.

Any hope of a Norwood comeback was quickly snuffed out in the last quarter, with Meaney and Jameson both adding their second goals inside five minutes.

Norwood peppered the goals with three consecutive behinds before Fitzgerald went close at the other end, his snap narrowly missing.

Two late majors to Gribbens capped off a strong individual performance from the SA U16 representative, who also finished with 29 disposals and seven marks.

Gregor became the fifth multiple goal kicker for the Panthers, sealing a dominant team performance and a well-deserved 43-point victory.

South Adelaide will continue its push for a top-four spot when it faces bottom-placed Woodville-West Torrens at Maughan Thiem Kia Oval on Saturday, 16 August at 11:00am.