Crows SANFL co-captain Hugh Greenwood has praised his teammates’ composure following his side’s clutch two-point win over Sturt.
Adelaide hung on for the narrow victory despite leading by 40 points at three-quarter time at Peter Motley Oval on Sunday.
A strong breeze favouring the northern end of the ground meant the advantage was only just enough for the visitors after Sturt stormed home with six unanswered goals.
Greenwood knew the Double Blues wouldn’t give up despite Adelaide’s big advantage at the final break.
“That’s what good sides too,” Greenwood said.
“They’re the reigning premiers and they were always going to come back with that breeze. But credit to our boys. We held on, kept our composure and I’m just really proud of the way we finished.
“I think we gave ‘ROK’ (Crows SANFL coach Ryan O’Keefe) a bit of a heart attack in his first proper game as coach, but we got the job done.”
SANFL Match report: Crows v Sturt
There were several key moments in the tense final term where the result could’ve slipped through Adelaide’s fingers.
Teenager Lachlan Murphy claimed a goal-saving mark on the last line of defence and first-year draftee Jordan Gallucci applied a full-body smother to stop a swarming Sturt in just two examples of Adelaide’s last-quarter heroics.
Gallucci also soaked up valuable time after marking on the 50m arc in another display of great game awareness.
Adelaide introduced nine new players in Sunday’s SANFL clash and fielded seven development players on loan from local clubs.
Hugh Greenwood celebrates with first-year Crow Jordan Gallucci
Greenwood said it was a glowing reflection on the Club and its development program to score the win with such an inexperienced side.
“We were quite young out there today,” he said.
“But we still have such high expectations of each other.
“Credit to our top up boys and our first-year players, a lot of them were playing senior footy for the first time, but you would never have known it. They showed maturity beyond their years.
“They were awesome from the get-go.”
Sunday’s match was Greenwood’s first game in his new role as Crows SANFL co-captain.
It marked another amazing milestone for the former professional basketballer, who only returned to football last year following an eight-year hiatus away from the sport.
Greenwood led from the front in the clash with the Double Blues, as a good captain should. He finished with a career-best 27 possessions and kicked two crucial goals in the third term to inspire his teammates.
One came after a courageous pack mark where Greenwood floated back with the flight of the footy. The other followed a crushing tackle inside forward 50m which earned a holding-the-ball free kick.
Greenwood said he was already relishing the added responsibility as skipper.
“It’s different, but I’m really enjoying it,” Greenwood said.
“This time 12 months ago I was playing my first game of footy in eight years so I was just worried about what I was doing and what I needed to do. Another 12 months on and I’m worried about what everyone else is doing and if they’re in the right spots.
“I’m looking forward to having Keathy (injured co-captain Alex Keath) out there with me to help me in the role.
“It’s a challenge, but it’s a good type of responsibility and one I look forward to for the rest of the season.”
