Adelaide coach Don Pyke has labelled his side’s performance against Collingwood as “disappointing” following the team’s valiant efforts against West Coast in Perth last weekend.
The Crows suffered a 66-point loss to the Magpies on Saturday afternoon, their worst defeat of the season, to leave them with slender hopes for September football.
Speaking on Triple M’s The Rush Hour on Monday, Pyke conceded Collingwood deserved full credit for their efforts.
“One area we struggled with was our intensity to defend,” Pyke said.
“When the ball turned over, we weren’t as aggressive as we could have been… 130 uncontested marks is way too many in a game.
“Coming off the week before, it was a disappointing result.
“Credit to Collingwood, their pressure didn’t allow us to get any flow.”
BY THE NUMBERS: Key figures from the Round 22 loss to Collingwood
Since the bye, Adelaide has won just two games out of eight to slide from fourth on the ladder to 10th.
Another second-half fadeaway put Collingwood in the driving seat for the match and ultimately resulted in the Crows losing their 11th game of the season.
“That’s the frustration, we had so much to play for,” Pyke said.
“It’s not down to this one game, at the bye, destiny was in our hands.
“But we haven’t been good enough against the best teams.
“The weekend was disappointing, but it’s the body of work since the bye.”
Pyke said he understood the fans anguish following the result.
“I feel for the fans and feel their disappointment and frustration,” he said.
“It felt magnified in these four walls… there is no one more disappointed than myself or our players around not getting the results we want.”
RUN HOME: Where will Adelaide finish?
The Crows now turn their attention to Western Bulldogs in Ballarat, the final home and away game of the season.
Adelaide needs to win the match and have results elsewhere go their way to make finals (Port to lose or win by a lesser margin against Fremantle, and Hawthorn to lose to West Coast).
“It’s probably a bit early to tell for selection,” Pyke said, when asked if he would again select two ruckmen.
“Ballarat in August won’t be 25 and sunny, but it’s the same for the Bulldogs.
“We’ll plan accordingly, for us it's about getting in a space where we’re ready to play.
“All we can do is try and get four points on Sunday.
Adelaide will face the Western Bulldogs at Mars Stadium in Ballarat on Sunday at 1.10pm AEST.
