The crowd of 45,518 in the wet at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night was the highest-ever for a match between the Crows and Dockers. It topped the previous best attendance of 45,436 at Football Park in Round One, 2003.
Patrick Dangerfield had a season-high 38 possessions against Fremantle, including an equal-AFL record 29 contested possessions. He also won an equal-team high nine clearances, laid eight tackles, generated six inside 50ms and kicked a goal in an enthralling battle with Nat Fyfe.
Scott Thompson applied a game-high 14 tackles on Saturday night. Tough utility Rory Laird laid a career-best eight.
The first four Crows goals were kicked by Indigenous players. Eddie Betts slotted Adelaide’s first goal followed by livewire Charlie Cameron and midfielder Cam Ellis-Yolmen. Betts added another in the second term. Betts (two) was his team’s leading goalkicker.
Forwards Josh Jenkins and Taylor Walker took an equal-game high six marks in slippery conditions at Adelaide Oval.
The Crows won more contested possessions (188) than any team in the League in Round Nine.
Adelaide laid 88 tackles against the Dockers – the Club’s highest tackle count since the Round Three win over Melbourne, which was also played in wet weather.
The only teenager on the ground, Crow Jake Lever collected an equal-career best 17 possessions against the unbeaten Dockers.
Aided by the conditions, the Crows held Fremantle to its lowest score of the season, 10.8 (68). Up against the best defensive team in the competition, it was also the Adelaide’s lowest score, 7.15 (57), this year.
Freo’s defensive set-up forces opposition teams into tough shots, but the Crows didn’t help themselves on Saturday night. The Crows ranked seventh for inside 50ms in Round Nine, but were wasteful once inside the attacking arc, kicking a goal from only 12.7 per cent of their forward 50m entries – ranked 18th. The Dockers only ranked 15th in goals per inside 50m (17.9 per cent), but it was enough to get the job in the low-scoring stoush.
Adelaide was the most inaccurate team in front of goals on the weekend, with an efficiency of only 35 per cent. Only West Coast kicked more behinds (20). In contrast, Freo kicked at 66.7 per cent.
It was the Club’s first loss in a specially-designed Indigenous Round jumper, having won the past two Indigenous Round clashes against North Melbourne and Gold Coast.
Adelaide is now seventh on the AFL ladder as one of four teams with a record of five wins and four losses.
Match statistics
Disposals
Adelaide – 366
Fremantle – 341
Kicks
Adelaide – 238
Fremantle – 204
Handballs
Adelaide – 128
Fremantle – 137
Free Kicks
Adelaide – 20
Fremantle – 13
Clearances
Adelaide – 48
Fremantle – 52
Inside 50ms
Adelaide – 55
Fremantle – 56
Contested Possessions
Adelaide – 188
Fremantle – 151
Tackles
Adelaide – 88
Fremantle – 72
Hit-outs
Adelaide – 27
Fremantle – 86
