After four rounds, Adelaide is one of eight teams with a 2 – 2 record.
For the first time since 1997, no team has started the season 4 – 0. The Brisbane Lions kicked off the year with three wins and a draw in 2003.
Adelaide’s disappointing 48-point defeat on Friday night was the Club’s biggest loss to Collingwood since Round 21, 1996, and first loss to the Magpies in five years.
It was the Crows’ heftiest loss at Adelaide Oval since going down to Melbourne by 41 points in Round Eight last season. It was just the fourth time the Crows have been beaten by 40 or more points since moving to Adelaide Oval for the 2014 season.
Adelaide’s score of 9.4 (58) was the Club’s lowest since Round 18, 2016, when the Club lost to the Cats in Geelong and lowest at Adelaide Oval.
Collingwood’s win came on the back of hard contested football, winning the contested possession differential by 36 and the clearance battle by 23.
Adelaide was also out-tackled by the Pies despite having 60 fewer disposals in the game.
Only one Crow collected 30 or more disposals on Friday night compared to five Magpies.
Rory Laird led the way with 37 disposals, 17 contested possessions, six rebound 50ms, four rebound 50ms and five marks.
Laird also had a Round Four-high 12 loose-ball gets, and leads the League in this statistic so far this season (28).
Paul Seedsman (29 disposals, seven inside 50ms, two goal assists and one goal), Rory Atkins (28 disposals, eight marks, a game-high seven rebound 50ms, five inside 50ms and a goal) and Bryce Gibbs (27 disposals, eight inside 50ms, an equal-team high six clearances and two goals) found plenty of the footy, but the Pies were largely able to stifle Adelaide’s usually damaging ball movement.
This was reflected in the handball receive count, which Collingwood won 162 – 116.
Only Richmond captain Trent Cotchin (nine) had more inside 50ms than Gibbs on the weekend. Gibbs ranks second in the League overall for forward 50m entries this season (26) behind Hawthorn’s Tom Mitchell (28).
Match statistics
Disposals
Adelaide – 372
Collingwood – 432
Disposal efficiency
Adelaide – 69%
Collingwood – 68%
Kicks
Adelaide – 211
Collingwood – 215
Handballs
Adelaide – 161
Collingwood – 217
Clearances
Adelaide – 34
Collingwood – 57
Inside 50ms
Adelaide – 49
Collingwood – 58
Contested possessions
Adelaide – 163
Collingwood – 199
Uncontested possessions
Adelaide – 202
Collingwood – 227
Tackles
Adelaide – 67
Collingwood – 77
Hit-outs
Adelaide – 37
Collingwood – 50
