On Saturday night, the Crows came from 26 points down in the third quarter to hand West Coast only its third defeat in the club’s last 23 games at Domain Stadium.

We take a look at the key passages of play in the second half, which contributed to the remarkable 54-point turnaround, and saw Adelaide run out five-goal winners in the West.

Q3, 10:40 minutes remaining – Damaging Eagle Elliot Yeo runs into an open goal following a mix-up across Adelaide’s half-back line. It’s against the run of play, but pushes the margin out to 26 points. West Coast lead 74 – 48.

Q3, 8:45 minutes remaining – Crows defender Kyle Cheney blocks to allow teammate Paul Seedsman to gather the loose ball near the boundary line 70 metres out from Adelaide’s goal.

Weaving out and then back into trouble, Seedsman puts the ball in the direction of Luke Brown. Brown knocks the ball to another backman in Rory Laird, who jacks the ball inside forward 50m.

Eddie Betts is in the mood to add a Mark of the Year contender to his list of achievements this season, and takes a nice hanger. He goes back and slots the goal from 30m out on an angle. West Coast lead 74 – 54.

Q3, 6:13 minutes remaining – West Coast capitalise on an Adelaide turnover and star forward Jack Darling marks 20 metres out from goal on a slight angle. Relief. Darling’s kick hits the post. West Coast lead 75 – 55.

Q3, 2:55 minutes remaining – Something good generally happens when a ‘Rory’, or in this case two, are involved. The original Rory (Sloane) marks in front of Eagles ruckman Scott Lycett on the wing. Sloane hits a risky but perfectly-timed pass inside to Rory Laird, who pops the ball up inside 50m.

Not to be outdone by mentor Betts, Charlie ‘Jets’ Cameron launches and takes a spectacular mark. Despite crash landing, Cameron gets up and converts the set shot from about 40 metres out on an angle.

Finally, the stubborn three-goal barrier is broken. West Coast lead 75 – 62.

Q3, 2:53 minutes remaining – Disaster? Lead ruckman Sam Jacobs pulls up lame after a centre bounce contest with Nic Naitanui. He limps from the ground and Crows fans hold their collective breath.

Q3, 2:27 minutes remaining – Luke Brown – that is all.

Browny chases down and tackles Yeo in West Coast’s attacking 50m, preventing a certain goal. His pressure forces Yeo’s kick wide and out of bounds without registering a score. West Coast lead 75 – 62.

Three quarter time – West Coast 11.10 (76) lead Adelaide 9.10 (64)

At the final change, Fox Footy show a statistic highlighting West Coast’s scoring differential in fourth quarters at home this season. The Eagles have outscored their opponents by 137 points in last terms at Domain Stadium in 2016. Hang on tight …

Q4, 20:00 minutes remaining – Exhale. Big ‘Sauce’ is back out on the ground for the centre bounce.

Q4, 18:53 minutes remaining – Young midfielder Matt Crouch lunges and manages to get a finger on Matt Priddis as the Brownlow Medallist receives a handball on the back of the centre square. Our McGovern, Mitch, runs head-on at Priddis and puts the lid on the Crow sandwich. Priddis is pinged for holding the ball. West Coast lead 76 – 64.

“It came down to pressure around the contest, winning the ball, getting our fair share and going forward. We knew if we played the game in our forward half, like we did in the third quarter, we’d give ourselves a good crack at winning that game,” Josh Jenkins says after the final siren.

Q4, 17:45 minutes remaining – The original Rory has one of his 11 last-quarter possessions, getting a quick kick forward out of a stoppage on the wing about 70 metres out from Adelaide’s goal.

Tom Lynch takes the ball cleanly and dishes off to Eddie Betts, who slips as he kicks – a common phenomenon for players on both sides.

The ball dribbles forward and Josh Jenkins has his legs taken out in the contest by late inclusion Xavier Ellis. Jenkins fractured his ankle in a similar position on this ground against Fremantle in 2013, but fortunately isn’t haunted by the memory and converts the free kick from 20 metres out on a slight angle. 

Things just got interesting. West Coast lead 76 – 70.

Q4, 16:25 minutes remaining – With maturity beyond his years, Jake Lever shows a clean pair of hands to get the ball out of congestion and into the arms of Jacobs. Jacobs jams the ball on his boot and Mitch McGovern marks strongly in the presence of two Eagles.

McGovern gives the ball to Sloane, who goes the old one-two with David Mackay, and then somehow finds the energy and composure to hit Betts on the lead inside 50m.

The ‘EDDDDIIIIEEEE’ chant goes up around Domain Stadium and gains momentum as he slots his fifth goal from 45 metres on a tight angle. Scores are level 76 – 76.

At this point of the quarter, the ball has been inside Adelaide’s forward half 86 per cent of the time.

Q4, 14:55 minutes remaining – Cheney effects a 20-metre spoil over the boundary line. With great poise, Rory Atkins sharks the clearance from the throw-in in Adelaide’s defensive half and handballs to the best man in this situation, Paul Seedsman.

Seed does as he’s supposed to and sends the ball looooong inside attacking 50m. Josh Jenkins and Charlie Cameron create a contest and a rushed West Coast sky-ball out of defence ends up in the arms of Taylor Walker.

With the ball not travelling the distance required (at least horizontally), Walker gives a bullet handpass to Tom Lynch, who snaps a right-foot goal off a couple of steps and celebrates with his trademark double first pump. 

Adelaide in front for the first time since the opening quarter. Adelaide leads 82 – 76.

 

 

Adelaide’s resurgence has been on the back of its work at the contest. The Crows have won 21 contested possessions to West Coast’s eight to this point.

Q4, 7:52 minutes remaining – After peppering three consecutive behinds, Adelaide breaks through. David Mackay dispossesses Josh Hill in the middle of the ground and Jarryd Lyons follows up with a big tackle on Will Schofield. Lyons is rewarded with a free kick.

The skipper takes the advantage and plays on, sending a long kick forward. Charlie Cameron marks strongly on the 50m arc running back with the flight and gives the ball over the top to Josh Jenkins, who has run from the centre square to find himself in space. ‘JJ’ runs into an open goal and tells a finger-pointing gentleman in blue and yellow all about it. Adelaide leads 91 – 76.

Q4, 6:25 minutes remaining – Not one to worry about weight divisions, Rory Sloane takes on a ruckman for the second time in a half. This time, Sloaney goes back and plonks himself in front of the 201cm, 105kg, highest-leaping big man in the game, Nic Naitanui. He stops Naitanui taking the mark.

The original Rory gets knocked down, but he gets up again - again.. Adelaide leads 91 – 76.

“Nic Nat’s not the one to stand in the way of! I’ll be right. The win makes it all good,” – a sore but very happy Rory Sloane after the game.

Q4, 5:55 minutes remaining – Lever takes another intercept mark (one of his 10 intercept possessions for the game). He kicks to a contest on the wing where Sam Jacobs marks over the top of an undersized Andrew Gaff. Jacobs hands the ball to Sloane, who’s back on his feet, and he gives the ball to another Rory – Atkins.

The Rat’s eyes light up and he sets sail for goal with his trusty left boot from the paint. The ball clears the line and the charismatic Crow adds to the Adelaide digital team’s GIF collection with a trademark whole-hearted celebration. Adelaide with all the momentum.  Adelaide leads 97 – 76.

 

 

Fox Footy flashes up a table showing wins by top eight teams against fellow top eight teams interstate this season. The Crows are on track for only the third win by an away team against a top-eight side interstate this season. That’s how big this is.

Q4, 1:35 minute remaining – That pesky Cheney spoils a Shannon Hurn kick-in. Eagle Chris Masten takes the ball but he’s tackled by Crows warrior Scott Thompson, who has laid 12 tackles for the game.

Richard Douglas gets a timely hand to the loose ball and knocks it forward to Charlie Cameron. Cameron gives an underground handball back to Douglas, who has kept running and cleverly toe-pokes the ball to Walker.

Tex baulks one way and then wheels around onto his right foot and snaps a goal across his body. “The Crows are destined for victory”, say the TV commentators. Adelaide leads 104 – 76.

As the clock winds down, stats expert Joshua Kay tells us on Twitter that it’s the first time in 1,232 quarters at Subiaco the Eagles have gone scoreless. Good stat, that. Siren. Good win.

Full time – Adelaide 15. 15 (107) defeated West Coast 11.10 (76)