Adelaide has recorded its first-ever SANFL victory after downing Central District by 52 points at Elizabeth Oval.
Adelaide extended its lead at every change and slammed on seven goals to two in a blistering second term to set up the 16.17 (113) to 9.7 (61) win. Midfielders Mitch Grigg (28 possessions, seven inside 50ms), Jarryd Lyons (26 possessions, 14 clearances), and Cameron Ellis-Yolmen (23 possessions, six clearances) were influential for the visitors while Andy Otten (24 possessions, 11 marks) was a standout across half-back in his return from a knee injury.
Tall forwards Lewis Johnston (four goals, six marks) and Shaun McKernan (one goal, eight marks) were too powerful for their Bulldog opponents and were well supported by Riley Knight (20 possessions, two goals) and Tyson Davis-Neale (six marks, two goals) up forward.
Ruckman Angus Graham was pivotal for the Crows with 25 hit-outs, six marks and 17 disposals in the 27-year-old’s best performance of the season.
Former Crows rookie Tim McIntyre (three goals) was the Bulldogs’ only multiple goalkicker while 20-year-old Josh Glenn fought hard for the home side to finish with a game-high 29 possessions.
Sharpshooter Lewis Johnston booted the first two goals of the game as Adelaide skipped away to an early 14-point lead. Andy Otten showed no signs of ring rust, as he settled in superbly at centre half-back and collected 12 touches in the first quarter alone.
Central hit back through McIntyre and Luke Habel late in the quarter to cut the margin to four points at the first change against the flow of play.
The floodgates opened after quarter time as the young Crows showed great dare and pace on the wide expanses of Elizabeth Oval to devastating effect. A string of eight unanswered goals during the second and third terms saw the visitors take charge, with a goal to Tyson Davis-Neale midway through the third bringing up a mammoth 56-point lead for Adelaide to kill off the resistance.
The Crows proceeded to lock the game away in the final quarter to record the team's first victory of 2014 in emphatic style.
Adelaide State League coach Heath Younie said the result was a just reward for the players.
“I’m just so rapt for the boys, they were all terrific today,” Younie said.
“You can only control so much from the coaches' box. It’s about effort and about playing together and I thought they displayed that wonderfully today.”
Adelaide won all the key match indicators, finishing with a +132 disposal differential, and almost doubled the Bulldogs in clearances, hit-outs and inside 50m entries for the match. The Crows also dominated the contested ball battle and were first to the footy for most of the afternoon.
Younie said he was proud of the way his young side stepped up against the battle-hardened Bulldogs.
“We’ve come out to Elizabeth, which is one of the hardest trips in the SANFL, against the best team of the past 10 years and topped them in contested ball.
“That was the most impressive thing for me. We just played as a team and ran really hard.
“It’s not rocket science – it was those simple things today that won us the game.”
The SANFL Crows' next assignment will be at Glenelg in an ANZAC Day blockbuster against the Tigers next Friday night.
ADELAIDE 2.5 9.8 14.13 16.17 (113)
CENTRAL DISTRICT 2.1 4.3 7.4 9.7 (61)
GOALS
Adelaide: Johnston 4, Knight 2, Lyons 2, Davis-Neale 2, McKernan, Porplyzia, Cameron, Battersby, Callinan, Grigg
Central District: McIntyre 3, Habel, Barmby, Retzlaff, Nason, Milne, Williams
BEST
Adelaide: Knight, Graham, Lyons, Otten, Atkins, Grigg, Davis-Neale
Central District: Glenn, McIntyre, Hoskin, Schiller
INJURIES
Adelaide: Nil
Central District: Nil
