Same spot, same occasion, and another potential Goal of the Year for the mercurial Eddie Betts.
It was against Fremantle in Indigenous Round last season that Betts skidded home a left-foot torpedo from the boundary line on the 50m arc to claim the title for a second time.
On Saturday night, he laid claims for a third Goal of the Year crown.
With Adelaide leading by 21 points late in the third quarter – as everyone around him slowed up – Betts pounced on a loose ball that appeared destined for a throw-in.
He trapped the Sherrin with one hand, and delicately dangled it in play as he tight-roped the boundary line.
Mitch McGovern blocked one Greater Western Sydney opponent, and Betts brushed off another before jamming the ball on his right foot from 40 metres out, being bumped as he kicked.
The ball sailed through and cleared the goal line. Rapturous applause from the 46,737 fans at Adelaide Oval was followed by the trademark chant of ‘EDDDDIIIIEEEE’.
Proving they can still be surprised by Eddie’s goalkicking antics, the wide-eyed Crows forwards came from everywhere to celebrate, while the man himself turned to the crowd and tapped his chest, which was adorned by the Indigenous jumper designed by his Auntie Susie.
And just to reaffirm that he’s on another level to nearly every other player in the game, Betts says he didn’t even look at the goals before he launched the kick.
“I thought the ball was going out of bounds. I just jumped on it and I slid. No one came at me, so I thought I’ll try and weave my way through,” Betts said after the game.
“I almost got tackled and then just put it on the boot – I didn’t even look at the goals – I just put it on the boot and, yeah, it went through.
“I was happy it went through but if it didn’t, it didn’t.”
Betts, who finished with five goals, was always going to light it up this weekend.
In the lead-up to the game, the 239-gamer spoke about the importance of Indigenous Round. For him, being part of the round is second only to what he imagines playing in a Grand Final would be like.
“I said to the boys on Friday when I got up and spoke, ‘If you don’t know anything about Indigenous culture, tune in this week because you can learn a lot’,” he said.
“It’s a fantastic week, the celebration of Indigenous culture. And for my Auntie, who designed the jersey – it’s a fantastic jersey.”
Betts wanted to play well against GWS, but he wanted a win more.
After watching a 46-point three-quarter time lead dwindle to just three goals late in the third quarter, he was a very relieved man when the final siren sounded with Adelaide 22 points up.
“I was getting a bit nervous!” he said.
“They came at us and I’m just glad we got the win in the end … I’m proud to get the win.”
Betts and Crows captain Taylor Walker both booted five against the Giants.
Walker has now kicked 10 goals in a fortnight after returning to form with a bag of five against a depleted Gold Coast last weekend. The key forward also gathered 18 possessions and hauled in 10 marks in an influential performance.
“The big Texan’s back,” Betts said.
“It’s fantastic. It’s good to see him firing. When he’s up and going, we all follow Tex. His presence is unbelievable … hopefully, he can do it again next week.”
The Adelaide defenders performed strongly at the opposite end of the ground.
Kyle Cheney held in-form Giant Steve Johnson goalless, while talls Jeremy Cameron, Rory Lobb and swingman Jon Patton combined for only two goals.
“The defenders were fantastic tonight,” Betts said.
“They’re a very underrated backline.
“They just get the job done week-in and week-out and they’re playing against superstars.”
Adelaide will have an eight-day break before taking on St Kilda in another home game on Sunday afternoon.
Betts described the win over GWS as an “important” one in the context of the season.
“We’ve got two more games now until the bye. We’ve got St Kilda and then we travel to Perth to play West Coast, so they will be big games as well.
“Hopefully, we can get the two wins coming up over the next two weeks.”
