1. Big last quarter gives Crows the points
For most of the night Adelaide fumbled and bumbled to trail by 24 points at the last change. But in the final term, the Crows flicked the switch to kick six unanswered goals and leave the Gabba with what had seemed at times an unlikely four premiership points – four points they probably didn't deserve. After a quiet night Eddie Betts kicked two goals, Taylor Walker found his kicking boots just in time (he kicked 2.5 for the night) to bang one home from 55m, while best player Scott Thompson also drilled one from 50m to silence the home crowd.
2. Sloane injury sours the win
Rory Sloane left the field midway through the third quarter holding his face after a collision with Mitch Robinson. The classy Crows midfielder was playing his third match back after missing a month with a fractured cheekbone, sparking fears of a recurrence. He sat on the bench and underwent little attention. Once Sloane left, his midfield mates lifted, with a previously quiet Patrick Dangerfield lifting in the final quarter to set up goals for Betts and Walker. Thompson was a four-quarter marvel, finishing with 28 disposals and 10 clearances.
3. Leaders lift Lions
Just one week after being called out by their coach for a lack of leadership, the senior Lions led from the front. Dayne Zorko had his best game for the season, consistently bursting through the corridor like he does at his best to finish with 27 disposals and a beautifully sharked goal. Fellow vice-captain Daniel Rich bounced back from his horrors against the Western Bulldogs to set up play from the back-half and help going forward with 23 touches, while out-of-sorts ruckman Matthew Leuenberger not only competed strongly at stoppages, but kicked two goals and looked as dangerous as he has all year in the forward 50.
4. Skills again a concern for Crows
They got out of jail this time, but Adelaide will need to improve its skills against the better teams – starting next week against Geelong. Coach Phil Walsh has been pushing his team to improve this area in recent weeks, and it almost cost them victory against the Lions. The third quarter was particularly poor, with 2.7 the end result of some poor entries into the forward line and even poorer shots at goal.
5. Lions tactics work wonders
Lions coach Justin Leppitsch rolled the dice with his tactics and was 10 good minutes away from coming up trumps. With a forward line that had misfired for most of the season, he threw young defender Jordon Bourke down there with immediate success via a two-goal first quarter. Leuenberger played much more as the primary ruck with Stefan Martin often as an onballer, while former skipper Jed Adcock played as a defensive half-forward but set up two goals in the first half. As the Lions ran out of legs, the game slipped away, but not through lack of innovation on their coach's part.
