Crows too steady for West Coast
The Adelaide Crows posted their third win of the season with a hard-fought 33-point victory over the West Coast Eagles at AAMI Stadium on Sunday afternoon. In a
The Adelaide Crows posted their third win of the season with a hard-fought 33-point victory over the West Coast Eagles at AAMI Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
In a highly entertaining display of end-to-end football the Crows were pushed all the way by a determined Eagles outfit but were able to see off the challenge - 15.16 (106) to 10.13 (73).
Adelaide captain Mark Ricciuto and Andrew McLeod were the standouts for the home side, combining for 58 possessions and five goals between them, while David Wirrpunda was the best of the Eagles with 26 possessions.
The much-anticipated match-up between Wayne Carey and Glen Jakovich didn’t materialise as the veteran Eagles’ defender went to centre half-forward as the game got underway. Jakovich was prominent at the key forward post – leading strongly and bringing the ball to ground for his crumbers.
However, Adelaide had the better of the early play with McLeod and Ricciuto combining well in the midfield and Carey bagging two first-quarter goals to help the Crows to a nine-point lead at the first break.
Adelaide had ample opportunity to build on that lead early in the second quarter but was wasteful in front of goal – scoring six consecutive points after Chris Ladhams kicked the Crows’ only goal for the term in the first minute.
Led by Wirrpunda with 19 first-half possessions, the Eagles soaked up the pressure and hit back hard in the latter stages of the quarter to lead by a point at half time.
Neither side was able to establish a break as the third term progressed until McLeod split the game wide open with a breathtaking display of individual brilliance. The classy midfielder lifted took his game to another level to bag three goals in five minutes and give Adelaide a four goal lead at three-quarter time.
Adelaide finished full of running and extended that lead to 33 points despite the efforts of Phil Matera who followed up his seven-goal haul last week with another five in Adelaide.
ADELAIDE: 4.3, 5.9, 10.14, 15.16 (106)
WEST COAST: 3.0, 6.4, 7.8, 10.13 (73)
Goals: Adelaide: McLeod 3, Carey 3, Stevens 3, Ricciuto 2, Ladhams 2, Bickley, Goodwin.
West Coast: Matera 5, Haynes 2, Sampi, Cousins, Jakovich.
Best: Adelaide: McLeod, Ricciuto, Bode, Bickley, Hart, Smart, Ladhams. West Coast: Wirrpunda, Judd, Cousins, Matera, Kerr.
Injuries: Adelaide: Nil
West Coast: Wirrpunda (leg cramps)
Reports: Nil.
Crowd: 43,525 at AAMI Stadium