The Suns recorded their historic first win at AAMI Stadium against Port Adelaide in round five, and threatened to cause another upset on South Australian soil in the opening quarter of their clash with the Crows.
Gold Coast kicked the first four goals of the game, including three to skipper Gary Ablett, who amassed 41 possessions and four goals in a masterful display, to take a 25-point lead midway through the opening term.
But in contrast to their uninspiring effort against Melbourne last weekend the Crows responded, outscoring the Suns 18 goals-to-five after the first change to runaway with a 20.10 (130) to 9.19 (73) win.
The Suns, who posted their second-ever win against the Brisbane Lions last Saturday night, experienced a let-down of historic proportions following their first victory over the Power, conceding the highest first-quarter score (15.4 [94]) in AFL/VFL history against Essendon the next week.
Coach Guy McKenna tried to guard his players against similar complacency on Saturday afternoon, demanding they got off to a fast start.
Led by Ablett, the Suns did as asked, dominating the clearances 15-4 for the term.
Ablett was unstoppable, gathering 15 disposals and three clearances to go with three goals for the quarter.
Adelaide coach Neil Craig gave tagger Brent Reilly the task of minding the Brownlow medallist at the opening bounce, and after the game said he was in awe of Ablett's performance.
"Ablett was outstanding…he took charge of the game in the first quarter," Craig said.
The move of Richard Douglas onto Ablett helped Adelaide to steady late in the term and goals to Ricky Henderson and Kurt Tippett cut the margin to 14 points at the first change.
The Crows lifted their intensity in the second quarter, taking only nine minutes to add another three goals and snatch the lead for the first time.
The onslaught continued, with the home side piling on another four goals and holding the Suns goalless in a quarter for just the second time this season to increase the margin to 31 points at half-time.
Adelaide was relentless in the second half, with young tyro Patrick Dangerfield the chief destroyer.
Dangerfield, who was concussed in the much publicised tackled from Demons midfielder Jack Trengove last week, kicked a personal-best six goals, including four in the second half to ensure the home side went on with the performance.
Influential players
Ablett's performance on Saturday afternoon attracted comparisons with his stunning display against Collingwood in the preliminary final last season. On that night, Ablett had 40 touches in a team that was beaten by 41 points.
The clash between Adelaide and Gold Coast was a long way off a final, but the midfielder was superb regardless. Ablett had managed only 1.6 in five games prior to round seven, but rectified his inaccuracy against Adelaide, booting 4.1.
Promoted rookie Matt Wright wasn't the leading possession-getter for the Crows - that honour went to skipper Nathan van Berlo (39 possessions), but he made an impact in the second half. Wright picked up 16 touches after half time, including 13 in the third quarter and set the tone for contested possession amassing a team-high 16. The mature-age recruit also finished with two goals and laid two goals in a classic small-forward performance.
What it means
Craig admitted the win against the AFL's newest team didn't say much about the Crows, but they were challenged to respond after the 96-point loss to the Demons and they did. The real test will come next week against a Collingwood team smarting from its first loss since round 22 last season.
The Suns showed again how dangerous they can be. McKenna's men couldn't sustain a four-quarter effort, but young players Zac Smith, Sam Day, Tom Lynch and Trent McKenzie all had moments of brilliance and there's little doubt the fledgling team will claim another scalp, or two before the end of the season.
Toyota AFL Dream Team highlight
Adelaide: In just his fourth AFL game, Matthew Wright is a bargain-buy for DT coaches after a 116-point game against the Suns. His $116,000 price tag is certain to rise, but the 21-year-old looks to have cemented a spot in the Adelaide line-up.
Gold Coast: Ablett flew out of the blocks for Gold Coast, amassing 15 disposals and three goals to boast a staggering 62 DT points by quarter-time. Celebrating his 27th birthday in style, Ablett went on to register a game-high 156 points for the match.
The next four
Adelaide: Collingwood (Etihad Stadium), Brisbane Lions (AAMI Stadium), North Melbourne (Etihad Stadium), West Coast (AAMI Stadium)
Gold Coast: Bye, Geelong (Metricon Stadium), West Coast (Patersons Stadium), North Melbourne (Metricon Stadium)
What the coaches said
Neil Craig (Adelaide): "I don't think it [the win] has proven too much…too much that we don't know about. It was important for that group of players to respond from last week. That was a big change in behaviour from what we saw last week- they were chalk and cheese those games. It was a good game of footy today."
Guy McKenna (Gold Coast): "Today was always going to be a physical test against Adelaide, we know Neil Craig and his conditioning department push their boys fairly hard. In short bursts I reckon we tend to look good, but they're not conditioned yet as three or four year AFL players. You're not going to do that in one pre-season. We know we are a bit behind their [fitness], and over the course of a game it's our [main] issue. We don't have a normal senior side - a lot of our kids are asked to play like men. that's why we have our peaks and troughs."
Key match-ups
Former teammates Kurt Tippett and Nathan Bock enjoyed a classic one-on-one duel. Bock was used as an attacking defender in his latter years at Adelaide, averaging 22 possessions a game in his All-Australian season of 2008. However, the inexperience of the Gold Coast team has seen him recast as a shutdown defender. Bock finished the game with a mere eight touches, but importantly held Tippett to eight possessions and a goal.
Magic moment
Dangerfield is ranked equal-eighth in the competition for running bounces, but the oval-shaped ball can catch even the best off-guard. In scenes reminiscent of his brilliant goal against Fremantle in round three, Dangerfield brushed aside Gold Coast defender Steven May and took off running towards the goal at the southern end. He took a bounce at full speed, but instead of rebounding back into his hands the ball tested his concussion, jumping up sharply and hitting him flush in the face. Not deterred by the erratic bounce, Dangerfield gathered and got off a mongrel kick, which sailed through for a goal. It was just his day.
Adelaide 2.2 9.7 14.10 20.10 (130)
Gold Coast 4.4 4.6 6.13 9.19 (73)
GOALS
Adelaide: Dangerfield 6, Knights 2, Wright 2, Henderson 2, McKernan 2, Douglas, Reilly, Tippett, S. Thompson, Gunston, L. Thompson
Gold Coast: Ablett 4, Smith 2, Lynch 2, McKenzie
BEST
Adelaide: Dangerfield, S. Thompson, van Berlo, Wright, Johncock, Jaensch
Gold Coast: Ablett, Stanley, Harbrow, Shaw, Smith, Lynch
INJURIES
Adelaide: None
Gold Coast: None
SUBSTITUTES
Adelaide: Chris Schmidt replaced by Brodie Smith at three-quarter time
Gold Coast: Liam Patrick replaced by Joseph Daye at half-time
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Margetts, Rosebury, Hay
Official crowd: 36,056 at AAMI Stadium
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of the AFL or its clubs
