A gallant Adelaide has been overrun by ladder leaders North Adelaide at Prospect Oval on Saturday afternoon.
The Crows trailed by a solitary goal at three-quarter time, but with no fit players on the bench succumbed to a 22-point defeat.
Talls Reilly O’Brien (shoulder), Paul Hunter (ankle) and Elliott Himmelberg (head knock) were all injured and didn’t return to the field.
Rookie Patrick Wilson starred for the Crows, racking up 32 disposals, 14 contested, eight tackles, seven clearances and a goal.
Forward Lachlan Murphy was impressive with 21 disposals, seven tackles and seven clearances while Jackson Edwards also had 21 touches and eight marks.
State League coach Ryan O’Keefe was equally pleased with fellow rookie Ben Jarman’s role in defence in what was Adelaide’s strongest performance of the season so far.
“’Jars’ after half time was fantastic, I think he brought great pressure and energy. Patty (Wilson) was really good, after quarter time he started playing really well,” O’Keefe said.
Development squad members Damon Hill and Corey Davey, who was especially good in the first term, held up the defence.
“Some of our better players were Hill, Davey and Joey Brown (two goals). They are coming in and playing a role which is really important,” O’Keefe said.
“For them to come in and execute their role, that is all we are after.”
The Roosters kicked the first three goals of the game, which let the Crows down in the end.
“The first 10 minutes, if we could erase that from the game we’d be happy, we would have won the game,” O’Keefe said.
“But that’s footy, you’ve got to play the full time. The effort and what we brought was really good, in the end we just ran out of troops, we had no one on the bench.
“We were almost two down for a half and in the end, I think a bit of fatigue set in.“
Himmelberg was taken to hospital after the game for precautionary reasons, but is okay after a big knock.
The SANFL Crows have a week off next week due to the SANFL State game, and will return against Glenelg on May 19.
ADELAIDE 2.1 6.3 9.5 9.6 (60)
NORTH ADELAIDE 4.2 8.4 10.5 12.10 (82)
GOALS:
Adelaide: Davis 2, Dear 2, Brown 2, Hunter, O’Brien, Wilson
North Adelaide: Hender 4, Harvey 3, McInerney 2, Rozee 2, Barns
BESTS: Hill, Davey, Jarman, Wilson, Brown, Dear
