Adelaide’s hopes of securing a double chance have taken a huge hit following a 20-point SANFL loss to Woodville-West Torrens on Saturday afternoon.

The Crows trailed by three goals at the final break in a low-scoring contest at Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval, but looked like storming back to upset the second-placed Eagles after booting the opening two goals of the final term.

Mitch Grigg nailed a booming set shot goal to give the Crows some hope before in-form forward Harry Dear slotted his third major of the match, bringing Adelaide to within five points of the lead midway through the last quarter.

But the Eagles quickly steadied with three goals in three minutes to seal the 8.5 (53) to 10.13 (73) result and hand the SANFL Crows their second straight defeat.

Adelaide remains in fourth place on the SANFL ladder but is now two wins behind third-placed South Adelaide with five rounds remaining.

SANFL Stats: Round 17 v Woodville-West Torrens

The Crows and Eagles fought out a competitive opening half where the lead swapped sides five times in a high-pressure duel. The margin between the two teams never extended into double figures throughout the first two terms.

The Eagles assumed control in the third term and peppered the scoreboard with eight scoring shots to just one for the visitors, yet only managed three majors and left the door ajar for Adelaide’s final-quarter fightback.

But despite the late scare, Woodville-West Torrens was the better side on the day, winning the contested ball (144-114) and inside 50m counts (52-30) convincingly as the Eagles marched to their 11th win of the season.

After a promising first half, Crows SANFL coach Heath Younie was disappointed his players couldn’t maintain their endeavour.

“I thought the first half was a really positive start, I thought we played really well… we just couldn’t get reward for effort,” Younie said.

“Sometimes that can deflate you as a group. The third quarter was disappointing the way we went away.

“They (the Eagles) didn’t take their chances in the third quarter, but the numbers were trending south. We couldn’t get our hands on the ball, not only inside, but it started to bubble outside of the contest.”

Although Adelaide boasted 16 AFL-listed players, the Club fielded seven players aged 20 or under against the battle-hardened Eagles outfit.

Younie said his young team would learn from the loss.

“We’ve got some young guys who are still learning their craft and still trying to understand league footy and what it’s about,” he said.

“We’ve come up against a really good outfit who’ve played a lot of footy together.”

Dear was the leading goalkicker on the ground with three goals in a perfect response to a quiet outing in last week’s loss to Glenelg. The 19-year-old also took six marks and laid three tackles in another promising performance.

Tough nut Harrison Wigg worked hard inside and outside the contest, collecting 25 possessions and 10 marks along with six tackles, while fellow left-footer Grigg displayed great leadership around the ground and finished with 24 disposals, five marks and a goal.

Emerging ruckman Reilly O’Brien continued his outstanding SANFL form with two goals, 14 hit-outs and six marks, including several strong contested grabs.

Paul Seedsman (23 disposals, 10 marks) and Cam Ellis-Yolmen (30 possessions, seven clearances) also battled hard against the tide.

Defensive duo Tom Doedee and Alex Keath were once again standouts in Adelaide’s undermanned defence, combining for 10 rebound 50ms and 14 marks between them.

The SANFL Crows confront Port Adelaide at Alberton Oval next Sunday afternoon.


ADELAIDE                                     3.1   4.4   5.4   8.5 (53)
WOODVILLE-WEST TORRENS   3.4   4.5   7.10   10.13 (73)

GOALS
Adelaide: Dear 3, O’Brien 2, Schoenmakers 2, Grigg
Woodville-West Torrens: Wundke 2, O’Brien 2, Allmond, Rowland, Gaffney, Hayes, Goldsworthy, Hall

BEST
Adelaide: Wigg, Keath, Doedee, Castree, Dear
Woodville-West Torrens: Petrenko, O’Brien, Redden, Boyd, Goldsworthy, Thompson

INJURIES
Adelaide: Nil
Woodville-West Torrens: Nil