Midfielder Brad Crouch believes a lack of composure was behind Adelaide’s disastrous final-quarter collapse against South Adelaide.
The Crows were in full control of Sunday’s top-of-the-table SANFL duel at Hickinbotham Oval on Sunday. The visitors opened up a match-high 41-point lead after kicking the first three goals of the third term and maintained a 35-point buffer at the final change.
A South Adelaide surge then followed in the fourth quarter. The Panthers dominated the inside 50m count 16-7, took 31 marks to Adelaide’s 13 and scored six unanswered goals for the term to claim a remarkable one-point victory with only seconds to spare. It was Adelaide’s first SANFL loss of the 2016 season.
The Crows also burnt several chances to ice the game. Misses to Cam Ellis-Yolmen, Mitch Grigg and Wayne Milera proved costly, while a late shot to Keenan Ramsey also slewed out of bounds.
Crouch said the Crows had to show more poise under pressure at critical moments.
“We went into our shells a little bit in that last quarter and didn’t play our way,” he said.
“To their credit, they got on top of us and just kept building momentum and we couldn’t stop it.
“It’s disappointing. We played pretty well for the first three quarters and then obviously it hurts to get pipped at the end like that.”
While the result was gut-wrenching, Crouch’s return was a pleasing sight for Crows fans.
The talented onballer was sidelined for three weeks with a hamstring issue but didn’t miss a beat in his comeback match. He was in the thick of the action all afternoon, collecting a match-high 36 possessions, 10 clearances and 10 tackles.
“It was good to just get through the game,” Crouch said.
“I had a little hiccup with my hammy a few weeks ago, which was a bit frustrating. But now I’m just looking forward to the next couple of weeks building myself back up.
“At the moment, the body feels really good.”
Wayne Milera also impressed in his own return from a quad injury. The livewire Crow had 22 possessions and kicked three goals switching through half-forward and the midfield.
“It was good to have Wayne back as well,” Crouch said.
“There’s a lot of boys showing some solid form and pushing up towards playing AFL which is a really good sign for the Club.”
Missing the likes of Andy Otten, Jake Kelly and Sam Shaw, Adelaide chose to introduce two new players from its SANFL development squad in Sunday’s clash.
Port District playmaker Trent Heffernan made his first appearance in Crows colours while former Glenelg midfielder Scott Spriggs played alongside close friend Crouch for the first time. Both players were solid contributors and were not overawed by their return to SANFL ranks.
“It was good to see ‘Sprigga’ play his first game,” Crouch said of Spriggs, whom he grew up with and played alongside back in his hometown of Ballarat in country Victoria.
“I know Sprigga personally and we’ve been mates since we were young. I used to play with him, so it was good to get out there with one of my good mates again.
“I encouraged him to sign up (as a development player) and I said it’d be awesome if he did it. There’s a bit of a connection there. It’s good to see him have a bit of a run around.”
Adelaide’s next SANFL match is against sixth-placed North Adelaide at Prospect Oval on Sunday, May 8.
