Adelaide forward Eloise Jones says a slight mindset shift at half time helped propel the Crows to their highest ever score in Saturday’s 69-point win over Greater Western Sydney.
The Crows were locked in a tough battle with the plucky Giants throughout the early stages, with the teams going goal-for-goal for much of the first half.
However after the main break, the class of Adelaide shone through, as it booted nine consecutive majors to pass the 100-point mark for the first time.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Jones revealed the area Senior Coach Matthew Clarke focused on in his half time address.
“They are a team that has come out hot all season, and the game on Saturday was no different, so at half time Doc really emphasised on ramping up our pressure and forcing them into mistakes,” Jones said.
“I think the team really responded well to that message and in the second half we really built our game off bringing the heat, and the scoring opportunities came as a result of that.
“There wasn’t really a moment where we thought “we were on” (for our biggest score), we were mainly just focusing on breaking away from them in that second half and fortunately got on a bit of a roll in that last quarter.
“To end up kicking six goals (in the last term) and crack 100, it is something we’re very proud of.”
Jones was a standout performer in the victory, booting a career-high four goals, gathering 16 disposals and recording seven score involvements.
She said her ability to have an impact on the scoreboard came from the good work of her teammates up the field.
“It was a very good day and I’m very happy to have kicked the four (goals),” Jones said.
“But that doesn’t come without the hard work of others, and I think Jess Waterhouse was a key pillar in that for us, she had that team-first mentality and was crucial in setting up a lot of our scores.
“The workrate of our defenders and midfielders was incredible as well, and I think I was just a beneficiary of all that good work up the field.”
The win was Adelaide’s fourth in a row to begin the 2023 season.
Sitting in second spot on the ladder, Jones said the team had taken great confidence from the first month and was excited to test itself against the likes of Gold Coast, Melbourne and North Melbourne in the coming weeks.
“It’s really important in the AFLW to get wins on the board early, especially with it being a shorter season,” Jones said.
“We do have a tough run of games coming up in the second half of the season, so that will give us a really good indication of where we sit in the scheme of things.
“But to have four wins from four starts, it is a nice platform for us to build on.”