Adelaide’s 88-point win over St Kilda on Sunday was the Club’s biggest of the 2016 season.
Matt Crouch made the most of his recall to Adelaide’s AFL team this week. Crouch, 21, amassed a career and game-high 36 possessions, including 17 in a dominant first-quarter display. Of his 36 disposals, 16 were contested.
Crouch also won nine clearances (twice as many as the next-best player on the ground) and nine hard-ball gets – ranked fifth in the AFL for the round.
A couple of Crows defenders also recorded new personal bests. Jake Lever racked up 30 possessions at 90 per cent efficiency, surpassing his previous best of 24 against Gold Coast in Round 17, 2015.
Lever, 20, also hauled in a career-high 13 marks. Only fellow backman Daniel Talia, who took a personal best and Round 11-high 17 marks, took more grabs than Lever at Adelaide Oval on Sunday.
Talia also had a career-high 26 touches at an elite 92.3 per cent efficiency.
Unsung small defender Luke Brown also used the ball well in the back half, gathering 24 possessions at 95.8 per cent efficiency. He also won seven loose-ball gets – ranked fifth in the League for the round.
Adelaide’s backline also defended strongly, limiting the Saints to only six goals for the game.
Overall, the Crows had the biggest possession differential of any team in Round 11. Adelaide collected 176 more touches than its opponent on the weekend.
The Crows also took 98 more marks than the Saints. Adelaide’s 168 marks was the seventh most by any team of all time, and the most in an AFL game in the last five years.
The Crows took a remarkable 28 marks inside forward 50m to St Kilda’s eight.
Key forward Josh Jenkins took nine of those marks in Adelaide’s attacking 50m.
Jenkins, who got on the end of some good team play and also set up goals, finished with a career-high 24 possessions and 13 marks. He booted seven goals against an undermanned St Kilda defence to improve his season tally to 34 – ranked fourth in the AFL. In doing so, Jenkins notched up his 150th Crows goal and now has a career total of 155.
Adelaide had 10 individual goalkickers in its emphatic win. Jenkins (seven), Taylor Walker (3.3) and Charlie Cameron (two) each booted multiple goals. Mitch McGovern (1.3) and Eddie Betts (1.2) also could’ve had days out if not for inaccuracy in front of the big sticks.
McGovern took five contested marks – more than any other player in the competition in Round 11.
First-year Crow Wayne Milera Junior had a game and round-high three goal assists.
Ruckman Sam Jacobs and wingman Paul Seedsman generated an equal-game high seven inside 50ms. The Crows had the highest inside 50m differential (+39) of any team in Round 11.
Jacobs won his battle with emerging Saint Tom Hickey. The agile Crow won 27 hit-outs, including 13 to advantage, to go with 24 possessions, six marks and a goal.
Rory Sloane racked up a season-high 32 possessions (15 contested), eight tackles, seven marks and a goal against the team he grew up supporting. He also had a game-high 28 pressure acts.
The Crows had an average player age of 24 years and seven months in Round 11. Only expansion clubs Gold Coast (24y 4m) and Greater Western Sydney (24yr 5m), Melbourne (23yr 7m), the Brisbane Lions (24y 4m) and Western Bulldogs (24y 4m) fielded younger sides on the weekend.
Despite the emphatic victory, Adelaide remains in eighth spot on the AFL ladder. This week’s clash with the seventh-placed West Coast shapes as a big one.
Match statistics
Disposals
Adelaide – 474
St Kilda – 298
Disposal efficiency
Adelaide – 79%
St Kilda – 73%
Kicks
Adelaide – 281
St Kilda – 156
Handballs
Adelaide – 193
St Kilda – 142
Clearances
Adelaide – 33
St Kilda – 22
Inside 50ms
Adelaide – 69
St Kilda – 30
Contested possessions
Adelaide – 146
St Kilda – 108
Uncontested possessions
Adelaide – 326
St Kilda – 184
Tackles
Adelaide – 36
St Kilda – 45
Hit-outs
Adelaide – 30
St Kilda – 26
