Adelaide's narrow loss to League leaders Woodville-West Torrens illustrates just how far the SANFL Crows have come this season, according to first-year player Harrison Wigg.
It was first hosting seventh on the SANFL ladder at Woodville Oval on Sunday, yet pundits expected a near-even money game between the high-flying Eagles and the resurgent Crows.
No one could've predicted as such after Adelaide failed to register a win through the side's first seven games of the season, while Woodville-West Torrens made top spot its own off the back off an 11-game winning streak.
The match ebbed and flowed with both sides taking turns in the lead throughout the afternoon. But the Eagles were able to hold on for a four-point victory in a nail-biting finish to claim their first minor premiership in nine seasons and end any hope of finals for the SANFL Crows.
Wigg said Adelaide's performance against the competition's benchmark reflected the improvement across the side.
"You can definitely see the progression," he said.
"We started the year struggling to get a win, and today we were looking to win five in a row. We’ve been pretty good in the last month and a bit with how we've been playing and our results reflect that.
"But that’s also why today was so disappointing. We had a goal to try and make an opportunity out of it and we weren’t good enough to knock them over today.
"Those last few minutes were full on, there was pressure everywhere. We scrapped hard to try and win the game but just couldn’t get over the line.
"We’ll move on from it."
SANFL Match Report: Crows v Eagles
Playing his first year of League footy, Wigg's improvement has shadowed that of the SANFL Crows.
The 18-year-old took time to adjust to the rigours of senior football, but has produced his best performances for the Club in recent rounds. Since Round 11, Wigg has averaged 16 possessions, four marks and three rebounds a game at 75 per cent disposal efficiency.
The laser left-footer was again among Adelaide's best on Sunday against the Eagles, pushing up the ground to collect 20 disposals and five marks as the team's link-up player between defence and offence.
"It’s been tough after playing reserves footy last year and then coming straight into League this season," he said.
"It was pretty difficult at first, but I feel like I’ve been able to settle into it well now and I’m starting to play some good footy.
"The first couple of games I was a bit nervous because I had never played League footy. But I just had to keep telling myself to be composed and not to worry about all the pressure."
Wigg said playing alongside experienced defenders such as Andy Otten, Kyle Cheney and Sam Shaw had been invaluable to his development as a player in his first season at West Lakes.
"Those guys are very good with their leadership and really help us younger guys out on the field with structures and setups," he said.
"You feel pretty confident when you’ve got those blokes back there because you know that they’re going to get the job done.
"The coaching staff and especially Darren Milburn and Jarrod Cotton have also worked hard with me and even a few other teammates in Jaenschy, Lairdy and Browny have helped me along the way."
Adelaide will be playing for pride in its last two games of the SANFL season, but with a number of players pressing for senior selection, Wigg said the team will be aiming to finish the year on a high.
"We want to win these last two games and get the job done," he said.
"We've worked hard all year so it'd be a shame to let ourselves down with a few poor results at the end.
"We'll learn from this and bounce back against Sturt next week."
