Adelaide’s recent form: LWWWW
Recent results against Collingwood
Round 19, 2009, Collingwood 13.11 (89) d Adelaide 9.14 (68), AAMI
Round one, 2009, Adelaide 13.12 (90) d Collingwood 13.8 (86), MCG
Elimination final, 2008, Collingwood 19.11 (125) d Adelaide 14.10 (94), AAMI
Round 15, 2008, Collingwood 15.16 (106) d Adelaide 11.8 (74), MCG
Round 22, 2007, Adelaide 14.10 (94) d Collingwood 11.9 (75), Docklands
Medical room
Adelaide
Nathan Bock (heel) – test
Jonathon Griffin (calf) – test
Nathan van Berlo (back) – assess
Aaron Kite (hamstring) - 1-2 weeks
Brad Moran (knee) – indefinite
Shaun McKernan (broken arm) – season
Brodie Martin (knee) – season
Will Young (hip) – season
Collingwood
Anthony Rocca (ankle) – test
Scott Pendlebury (leg) – 1-3 weeks
Tristan Francis (groin) – indefinite
Summary
Adelaide shook the finals monkey off its back in emphatic fashion last Friday night.
The Crows, through the combined efforts of Ivan Maric, Bernie Vince and Andrew McLeod, smashed the no-ruckman Bombers at the stoppages and delivered the ball inside 50, 59 times to set-up the record-breaking 96-point win.
Now another finals clash with Collingwood awaits.
The Pies ended Adelaide’s September campaign with an upset win in the elimination final at AAMI Stadium last year and the in-form Crows will be out for revenge.
These sides have met three times in the past 12 months with Collingwood holding a 2-1 advantage, but this current Crows’ line-up is the most formidable in recent memory.
Adelaide will start favourites ahead of Saturday night’s semi-final at the MCG.
However Collingwood has not dropped three consecutive games since rounds 16-18 last season and will be smarting after last weekend’s lacklustre performance against St Kilda.
Key match-up
Graham Johncock v Paul Medhurst
Johncock has been in sensational touch since the halfway-mark of the season. The rebounding defender has amassed 20-plus possessions on 13 occasions this year and offered plenty of drive from half-back. Medhurst enjoyed a career-best 2008, kicking 50 goals from 24 games. The West Australian’s goalkicking his dried up over the past two months but he remains the most dangerous permanent forward inside the Pies’ attacking 50.
Kick it to me
Bernie Vince shrugged off some close attention from Bombers Mark McVeigh and Nathan Lovett-Murray in the elimination final to finish with 28 possessions and 11 clearances in another dominant display. McVeigh and Lovett-Murray were both reported and suspended for separate attacks on Vince, but the tactics left the prolific ball winner unfazed. Vince has averaged 33 touches in his past two games against Collingwood and his raking right foot makes him an important link in Adelaide’s ball movement patterns.
Somebody stop me
The Crows opted to tag Pies’ playmaker Dane Swan when the two sides met in round 19, but allowed Alan Didak to go head-to-head with Simon Goodwin for the duration of the game. Goodwin racked up more possessions (34), but Didak’s two goals, four scoring assists and 31 disposals saw him earn best on ground honours.
Last weekend St Kilda held the dangerous Didak and Leon Davis to just 28 touches and one goal between them and was able to establish complete dominance in the midfield. Coach Neil Craig rarely employs more than one tagging role in a single game, but the Saints have delivered the blueprint on how to stop the Pies.
At the selection table
Nathan van Berlo (back) has been ruled out, but Nathan Bock (heel) and Rob Shirley (hamstring) both staked their claim on a place in the side with a strong performance at training on Wednesday. Shirley is likely to be recalled to stand Swan, but it remains to be seen where Bock will play after five weeks on the sidelines.
It’s not generally known that...
Adelaide has scored in excess of 100 points in each of its past three games. The club’s record of consecutive games over 100 points is five, which was achieved between rounds 12-16, 2006, and also between rounds one to five in 1996.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.
