After the Crows leapt into fourth spot on Saturday with a win over the third-placed Western Bulldogs, midfielder Scott Thompson said the club's thoughts had already turned to the Cats, even though St Kilda could push them out of the double chance with a huge win on Sunday evening.
“Obviously, Geelong has been the form side all year and it’s going to be a big challenge to head over to Melbourne and play them on their home deck," Thompson said.
"But anything can happen come finals time.
“We don’t find any sides intimidating.
"We’ll only worry about what we can control and we’ll attack them next week.”
Just six weeks ago, Adelaide’s bid for a fourth-consecutive finals campaign was in serious jeopardy.
The Crows were smarting after five-straight losses and their forward line, without leading goalkickers Brett Burton and Jason Porplyzia, in tatters.
Now, on the eve of September, Adelaide has all but secured its third top-four finish in coach Neil Craig’s four-year reign
On Saturday afternoon, after watching fellow top-four contenders Collingwood and North Melbourne fall by the wayside, the sixth-placed Crows leapfrogged into the double chance with a gutsy nine-point win over the Western Bulldogs.
A loss on Saturday would’ve thrown Adelaide into an away elimination final next week and Thompson said the players were well aware of the enormity of the game.
“We obviously knew about Collingwood losing last night and we found out before the game today that Port Adelaide had got up and done us a favour,” Thompson said.
“We knew the ball was in our hands, so it was nice to get over the line and, somehow, we’ve got ourselves a double chance now. I guess a few things fell our way.”
Adelaide’s place in the four will not be confirmed until after the St Kilda v Essendon game on Sunday afternoon. The Saints are currently a win and percentage behind the Crows and would need close to a 100-point victory over the Bombers to steal fourth spot on the ladder.
The winner of next weekend’s qualifying final clash will progress straight through to the preliminary final, while the loser will host a home semi-final.
The Crows, who finished eighth last season, have already improved on their 2007 performance and Thompson said the players really believed they could do some damage in this year’s finals series.
“At the start of the season, I think everyone predicted us to finish down the bottom of the ladder and we’ve proven them wrong. Throughout the year, we maintained our belief within the group and it’s paid off so far,” Thompson said.
“Finals is a different ball game and next week is just exciting.”
