You Crom Not Be Serious

You Crom Not Be Serious

GuyWhoLikesSport GuyWhoLikesSport

The Crows have played in the two most exhilarating games of the season over the last two weeks

A fortnight ago they lost a heartbreaker to Gold Coast.

Last week they lost to the Cats in a firefight where each side defended like Arturo Gatti – they ate two to land one.

That’s been their season. The Crows lead footy in scoring but have given up the fifth most points in the season.

There have been five games this season where each side has scored more than 90 points. Adelaide played in three of them.

Adelaide plays bangers. They’re not serious.

Not yet.

Let’s start with what’s working.

Adelaide’s forward setup is the envy of the league.

The main event is their three key forwards: Thilthorpe, Fogarty and Walker all rated among the six best key forwards in football this year.

They all get around the ground and, when they’re inside 50, are generally excellent at staying out of each other’s way and stretching defences.

You add in their hard running high-half-forwards Keays and Neal-Bullen who create chaos both ways, the craft of Isaac Cumming, and the emerging Draper and Curtin and you have a forward line comprised of equal parts brain and brawn.

Their midfield is also good. Soligo and Crouch provide cleanness inside while Peatling brings balance and a willingness to do anything.

Then they have game breakers in Rankine and Dawson.

Even their defence – when not defending – is good.

Hinge, his howlers against Geelong notwithstanding, is a generally brilliant ball user.

So are Milera and Laird.

That group is responsible for Adelaide’s identity – hitting the release kick that is the engine of Adelaide’s ball movement game.

They just lack actual defenders.

Had Adelaide added Tom Barrass last offseason, this would be the best team in the AFL.

Granted, if my grandmother had wheels, she’d be a bike – but the point stands.

The game against Geelong underscored it.

Josh Worrell – a decent player – was getting out-everythinged by Patty Dangerfield who barely seemed to acknowledge he had an opponent.

Even when it became clear that Dangerfield was going to win the game on his own, Adelaide stuck with Worrell because they had no levers to pull.

It was the same story with Keene on Jeremy Cameron.

There’s no shame in getting beaten by legends, but this group also allowed Jed Walter’s best game.

The lack of defenders compounds the larger issue – they can’t defend chaos.

Adelaide set up the ground well and leads the league in scores from turnover.

The issue is where they generate turnover.

They have a bit of the 2024 Saints about them. Their turnover numbers are good, but they want to get them on the wing so they can kick start their ball movement.

As a result, they don’t start defending until the ball is further up the ground.

The numbers bear it out. Adelaide has the third most total turnovers, but generate just 30% of their turnovers in mid-fwd or inside 50 and are 16th for inside 50 tackles.

Unsurprisingly, they also lead the league in back half scoring.

However, they’re playing with fire. Given Adelaide’s lack of defenders, the desire to get the ball on defensive wing and counter leaves them vulnerable because territory sides will take metres chaotically and go inside 50 to expose Adelaide’s defenders,

After half time, Geelong pivoted to kicking the ball wide and long out of defence after half-time to make it a chaos game, betting they would get to more ground balls.

Scott was right and Geelong advanced the ball haphazardly inside 50 and kept the ball in their half once it got there.

Adelaide struggles in chaos because of their height. They give up the third most ground balls per game, and the sixth most forward 50 ground balls.

While the talls give more than they take, they need more speed around the ground. I would call Richmond for Maurice Rioli.

The other issue for Adelaide, which compounds their chaos problem, is that they’ve struggled when their kick-mark game breaks down.

As I mentioned, when Geelong cranked the pressure on Adelaide coming out of defence, the Crows’ kicking game couldn’t stand the heat. The same was true against Gold Coast.

Again, both sides made hay from repeat dirty entries and the ball hitting the deck.

Against two of footy’s best pressure sides over the last two weeks, the Crows gave up 36 forward half scores. For the season, they give up the fifth most forward half points.

This has been a negative piece but I’m high on the Crows going forward.

They have problems, but they won’t be terminal in years to come.

This is their Coen Brothers Big Lebowski season.

They have a distinct voice and style that will only become stronger as they grow into it.

Ultimately, for now, they’re fun but compared to what’s coming they’re unsubstantial.

One key defender and some speed would tie the room together.

 

 

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