South Adelaide battled extreme heat and a red-hot Norwood in its opening game of the U18 season at Norwood Oval on Saturday morning.

The game, initially scheduled for Saturday afternoon at The Summit Oval, was moved to a 9:30am start at Norwood due to the hot conditions.

Despite a tense opening few minutes, it was the home side that scored the first two goals of the contest, putting South on the back foot early.

Kody Shortridge showcased his composure at the 12th-minute mark of the quarter, converting a set shot from 25 metres out on a 45-degree angle to kick South’s first of the game.

Both sides continued to link up by hand between the arcs, resulting in dangerous forward-50 entries that left defenders scrambling for answers.

Although South’s defence, including strong efforts from Cameron Woods, battled valiantly, the pressure proved too much, with Norwood kicking two goals within as many minutes.

With the three-goal margin threatening to increase, Hudson Voight provided some much-needed relief to stem the bleeding.

A late goal to Norwood saw them take a 19-point lead into the first break, leaving South with plenty to do in the second term.

Scoring was hard to come by at the start of the second quarter, but it was Shortridge who provided an individual highlight, slotting a goal on the run from a tight angle to reduce the margin to 14.

Momentum started to shift in South’s favour, with Thomas Simpson nearly kicking a long-range goal that would have made it two goals in a minute.

Skipper Jesse Nye and Archie Van Dyk led the way around the contest, finding the ball at will.

Needing reward for effort, Simpson made up for his earlier miss by kicking his first goal of the game.

After bringing the margin back to seven points, Norwood was able to restore its three-goal cushion with two goals in as many minutes.

Despite the frustration, it didn’t deflate South’s spirits. Mitchell Clifton and Simpson converted two late-quarter goals to reduce the margin to just six points at the half.

Looking to continue its momentum into the third quarter, South nearly levelled the scores within the first minute of play, with Cain Florance’s shot on goal going wide.

Voight’s second goal of the game reduced Norwood’s lead to the smallest of margins. However, the one-point deficit quickly turned into a five-point lead after Nye’s clinical finish 50 seconds later.

Momentum began to shift after South hit the lead, with Norwood kicking the next three goals of the game to restore its buffer to 12 points at the final break.

With it all to play for in the final quarter, South was desperate for the first goal to place some doubt in the home side’s mind. 

However, two goals in the first five minutes saw the Redlegs surge to a 25-point lead, providing South with a mountain to climb.

Things didn’t get any easier after Benjamin Dittmar’s second behind for the day, with Norwood piling on two more goals to stretch their advantage to six goals.

Max Savage continued to battle manfully in the ruck, giving the midfielders first use of the ball.

Two late goals from Callan Hart and Shortridge (joint game-high three goals) reduced the margin back to four goals, but Norwood proved to be more clinical when the game was on the line.

Despite the 25-point loss, Kodah Edwards never gave up. He recorded a game-high nine clearances, nearly double the amount of the next best for either side.

Nye (28 disposals, one goal, four clearances, six marks, and three tackles) and Van Dyk (27 disposals, three tackles, and four clearances) were standouts in the midfield.

Jake Wigzall and Harry Wadewitz provided strong rebound from defensive-50, with both players registering five rebound-50s for the match.

South Adelaide will aim to secure its first win of the season at Magain Stadium on Saturday in a Round 2 showdown with North Adelaide.