COLLINGWOOD 1.6.12 5.7.37 8.7.55 10.9.69
GOALS - Collingwood: Greenwood 2, Crisp 2, Cloke 2, Varcoe, Moore, Adams, Aish
BEST - Collingwood: Grundy, Pendlebury, Treloar, Sinclair, Crisp
INJURIES - Collingwood: Nil
REPORTS - Collingwood: Nil
OFFICIAL CROWD - 50,012 at Adelaide Oval
| 1. Crows move into position With Hawthorn's thrilling win over the Sydney Swans on Friday night, the Crows entered Saturday's contest knowing that victory against the Magpie would ensure they finished round 17 with second spot tied up. Win they did, although it wasn't without its scares - the Magpies provided serious competition all night and delivered Adelaide a wake-up call in the club's home stretch before the finals. But with an eighth consecutive victory Adelaide claimed second position and is in the prime position to finish the premiership seasons strongly and earn a few home finals. 2. Thommo's 300th Saturday night built as a special one for Crows champion Scott Thompson - his 300th senior AFL appearance. Thompson has forged a career as one of the League's elite inside ball winners since arriving at West Lakes after four seasons with Melbourne and it was no different against Collingwood. The 33-year-old was cheered when he gathered his first touch of the night and finished with 22. In what was a tight game Thompson wasn't as prolific as we've come to expect, but his tackling was as ferocious as ever (nine) and with four clearances at stoppages he helped his side to another important win. The Magpies might not have managed to claw themselves over the line on Saturday but it was another impressive performance nonetheless. |
3. Magpie threat The Magpies might not have managed to claw themselves over the line on Saturday but it was another impressive performance nonetheless. It was also a display that further proved the club's ability to shake up the top eight. A finals berth is now all but impossible, but in facing four top-eight sides in their last six games (North Melbourne, West Coast, Western Bulldogs, Hawthorn) the Magpies can remain a danger to the clubs in the top half of the ladder. 4. Fast finishers The Crows had the fate of Saturday night's game in their palm at three-quarter time and although they never managed to blow Collingwood away, they still outscored the Magpies late. It was Adelaide's 10th final-term win of the season, lifting the club into elite company. Geelong has been the competition's best-performing side in fourth quarters this season with 14 wins, followed by Hawthorn (11) and then the Sydney Swans and Crows. Good sides run games out and Adelaide is certainly that in 2016. 5. Damn Brodie, back at it again Brodie Grundy's form continued its rocket-launch trend on Saturday night. The big Magpie was a standout for his side in ruck duels and in general play; he took 10 marks to go with his 32 hit-outs and 23 disposals. With his combination of aerial skill and ability to find possession around the ground, the 22-year-old has taken a serious step forward in 2016. |
| THE MEDIA | |
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ADELAIDE has extended its winning run to eight matches and moved to second on the ladder with a strong 28-point win over Collingwood at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night. The Crows stamped their authority on the contest with the opening five goals but were engaged in an arm wrestle over the next 90 minutes before running out comfortable winners 14.13 (97) to 10.9 (69) The Pies kicked five of the next seven goals and temporarily put a halt on the Crows' slick ball movement with manic tackling pressure. They were in the contest until early in the final term and made the Crows look as rushed as they have in several weeks, at times. The Crows kicked 5.2 from their first 10 inside-50 entries and were clinical in the way they moved the ball and isolated Collingwood's defenders. Eddie Betts opened the scoring with a goal after marking a ball which had taken less than 10 seconds to rebound from the Crows defensive 50 via Tom Lynch and Charlie Cameron. Tom Lynch and Ricky Henderson also got on the end of fast-break goals, Sam Jacobs punished a Collingwood turnover and Jarryd Lyons kicked a good stoppage goal. The Crows had five majors on the board before Taylor Adams broke clear and goaled after being well played into space by Jordan De Goey. Collingwood made a strong move in the second term. Treloar racked up 12 disposals for the term and, along with Adams and Pendlebury, more than held their own around clearance. The Pies laid 50 tackles to 36 in the opening half and closed to within eight points during the second term. Adelaide would gain back the momentum late in the first half with goals to Eddie Betts and Josh Jenkins but then wasted its early ascendancy during the third term. The Crows had the first five scoring shots of the quarter but kicked 1.4 to leave the door ajar. For a time, Collingwood looked good enough to walk through it, as James Aish, Travis Cloke and then Levi Greenwood kicked unanswered goals. But Mitch McGovern took a brilliant contested mark in the pocket and converted in a moment which again turned the match. Betts then marked and kicked his third goal after the three-quarter time siren as the Crows kicked clear. Collingwood's pressure was elite and their defence stoic for much of the night, with Ben Sinclair, Jonathan Marsh and Ben Reid all doing good jobs. But Adelaide had a 14-5 centre clearance advantage to three-quarter time, with 300-gamer Scott Thompson, Jarryd Lyons, Rory Atkins and Brad Crouch strong in close.Adelaide's forward line was always going to be too talented to shut down all night with that weight of ball coming forward and they narrowly failed to kick 100 points for an eighth-straight match. Crows coach Don Pyke would also have been happy with the efforts of his back six led by the composed Jake Lever and Daniel Talia. Adelaide travels to Geelong this week with a strong chance to take a major step towards a top-two finish. "I thought it was a really tough, hard-fought contest overall for the night," Pyke said post-match. "Collingwood came, as we knew they would, with their pressure, and they forced a number of errors and made it a really strong contest over the night. "I thought to our guys credit, they really dug in and the weight of numbers fell our way." Crows coach Don Pyke would also have been happy with the efforts of his back six led by the composed Jake Lever and Daniel Talia. Adelaide travels to Geelong this week with a strong chance to take a major step towards a top-two finish. Collingwood is fielding its strongest side of the season, with a hard-nosed midfield group led on Saturday by Adam Treloar, Taylor Adams, Jordan De Goey and Scott Pendulbury. The Pies' pressure made the Crows look sloppy at times and Nathan Buckley will take plenty from the contest. With North Melbourne stumbling, the battle for eighth spot has been thrown open Pies have an opportunity to enter the race next Friday night. Buckley was left to lament a second consecutive poor opening term against the Crows. His side was able to run down GWS last week, but never quite recovered after falling behind Adelaide. "There was a lot to like in it other than giving that head to start away, which was too much to come back from," Buckley said. "We gave up 3.1 from our forward 50. In the first 15 minutes, there was just a lack of discipline with the way we knew had to defend. We had four shots from outside 50 from guys who were outside their range. "We've been handling those situations a lot better but for whatever reason, we went away from what we've coached and what we've done." ADELAIDE is on its longest winning streak in a decade and that tells the story better than anything else: here's a side that just finds a way to win. The Crows racked up their eighth win in succession as they beat a fierce Collingwood at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night and — like Hawthorn — displayed football's rare quality of getting the job done without playing at their best. It was a night of hard yakka rather than star gazing because nobody had enough space to play a breakout game. It wasn't until Eddie Betts contested mark and ensuing goal after the three-quarter siren that Adelaide had some breathing space and locked down its spot in the race for a top-two finals spot. A cursory glance at the scoreboard halfway through the first quarter could not have been more deceptive. It read the Crows five goals, the Pies yet to bag one and as it turned out it proved to be a crucial buffer. But it was close in every category: shots for goals, disposals, inside 50s, hit-outs and clearances. And the pressure was on. Collingwood applies a measure of pressure that belies its standing on the ladder and forced the Crows to rely on handballing rather than kicking, and often to relieve pressure rather than to create. The difference was in composure, because the Crows managed to find targets where Collingwood turned it over and found some time and space when it mattered. They shocked the Magpies by getting the first two goals out the back, easy ones banged through by Betts and Ricky Henderson, and a bit later a perfectly weighed pass from captain Taylor Walker from the middle of the ground allowed Tom Lynch to cash in on a passage started by Mitch McGovern. Yet the simmering intensity of Collingwood threatened to bring some rewards. Star recruit Adam Treloar found a bit of room by drifting wide of the pressure chamber, where ruckmen Brodie Grundy and Sam Jacobs staged a contest that was worth the admission price on its own. At the same time, Magpie captain Scott Pendlebury was a treat to watch and helped set up players such as South Australian James Aish, who is quickly establishing himself as a first-choice player for his new club. The Pies tended to kick short and the trouble was that when they slowed down their ball movement the Crows had enough time to pick them off. In the centre, the antagonistic Levi Greenwood did his best to get under Rory Sloane's skin and gave him little room to move. Sloane countered by drifting forward and still had a big impact as he continued the rich vein of form that has him leading the AFL Coaches Award and figuring prominently in the Brownlow Medal betting. Scott Thompson competed manfully in the middle without standing out in his 300th game but he's the type of player who can be crucial as his work in the background sets up teammates such as Brad Crouch, who fired out handballs to get the Crows on the move. Walker was more influential in the middle of the ground, playing a high role, and it was Josh Jenkins who took one of the hangers of the day and finished with the goal after landing and spinning around in the goal square. Collingwood kept coming, desperately and ruthlessly. But Adelaide just found a way to win. |
Magpies coach Nathan Buckley says Collingwood is continuing to move in the right direction despite having its colours lowered by premiership contender Adelaide at on Saturday night. The Pies went down by 28 points, ending a three-match winning streak and, while disappointed with his side's start, the coach said there was plenty to like. The Pies conceded the first five goals of the match and ended up losing by about that margin. They challenged Adelaide during the second and third terms but weight of numbers eventually go the better of the Pies, as the Crows took their eighth-straight scalp. This was despite Collingwood laying close to 100 tackles and forcing Adelaide into more skills errors than it has made in recent weeks. "It was difficult to question the effort tonight," Buckley said. "I thought that we gave most of what we had. "I thought Brodie Grundy was good again in the ruck. James Aish probably played his best game for us. "Our mids battled OK … (Brayden) Maynard and (Jonathon) Marsh down back showed signs and had their moments against heavy supply. "There was a lot to like in it other than giving away that head start which was too much for us." The Crows scored three early coast-to-coast goals. Buckley said the Pies had laid plans to stop Adelaide's fast ball movement but didn't execute them early. Adelaide's other area of decisive advantage was in centre clearances and that proved a telling factor all night. "(Centre Clearance) is one of the last untouched man-on-man contests," Buckley said. "You've got three midfielders and a ruckman. It comes down to gritting your teeth and getting it done … The three Adelaide mids were able to be a little bit cleaner." Buckley would not be drawn on whether the club still rated itself as a finals chance but said the Pies form is on a "steep" upward curve. Collingwood can reduce the break between it and eighth-placed North Melbourne to two wins if it beats the Roos at the Etihad Stadium on Friday night. "One thing we haven't given up on is providing our best footy as often as we can," he said. "I thought our effort was good tonight but we just lacked polish. We need to start well against North. We'll get to Etihad, both off the six-day break. "Their season is on the line, and we still consider that our season is on the line." Good sides find a way to win scrappy games and that was what Adelaide did against Collingwood at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night. Both teams put in enormous effort, their structures were sound and the pressure was tremendous, but when it came to some basic skills for most part they were found wanting. This was Adelaide's 12th win for the season and eighth straight – their best run since 2006 and two wins short of a club record 10 – to propel them to second spot, but they made hard work of it because Collingwood refused to relent. The ultimate blow the Crows delivered came when they kicked the first five goals of the match to lead by 28 points just 17 minutes into the game, but it took another 45 minutes to kick their next. During this drought the Magpies dominated most of the play – they racked up clearances and uncontested possessions and gave themselves every chance to also take control on the scoreboard. But so many times they turned the ball over with poor decision making or skill errors under pressure, and had Adelaide been at their sharpest they would have made them pay dearly. However, the Crows also found it difficult to gather clean possessions early. The difference was, they recovered at crucial stages when it mattered, reflected by the fact at half-time Collingwood led with most statistics at half-time but trailed by 18 points. Adelaide had been playing terrific team football for some weeks, but tonight had a lot struggling to grab the ball cleanly – as did the Magpies. Yet again, there was so much focus on Collingwood forward Travis Cloke against a likely All-Australian defender in Daniel Talia, and while Cloke's stats didn't appear flattering his competitiveness was terrific. He took two strong marks in the first term when the Pies were desperate for inspiration, but on both occasions he was well out from goal and with no teammates forward. Both sides found it difficult to break each other's forward defensive patterns, but when Collingwood did clear, often the difference was Adelaide's ability to rush at least 16 players into the Pies' inside-50 zone and choke the play – and of course, Cloke and Darcy Moore didn't have it easy. Regular Adelaide ball-winner, the courageous Rory Sloane, had it tough against an annoying Levi Greenwood, yet still had a big impact. While much talk focuses on Adelaide's need to retain Josh Jenkins at the club, they should be working just as hard to keep Brad Crouch. He was brilliant. His clever play in the tight packs, his creativeness and general hard work was outstanding. His bother Matt was good too, and they are developing into one of the best brother combinations. Collingwood have every right to feel they were not rewarded for their effort, but in these scraps you make your own luck. A key piece fell Adelaide's way seconds before the three-quarter time siren when Eddie Betts took a terrific mark and goaled after the siren. It made the margin 23 points, and in a game where possessions didn't come easy it was always going to be difficult for the Pies to make up four goals. For all of the misgivings with skills under pressure, Collingwood also had some very good players, especially Adam Treloar midfield, and Scott Pendlebury who rotated from half-forward. The battle in ruck between Sam Jacobs and Brodie Grundy was a highlight with both winning their share of effective taps and good, solid play around the ground. Ricky Henderson came into the side for one of Adelaide's best players this season, Rory Laird, and once again he made the most of his limited opportunities. Scott Thompson played yet another quality game – his 300th. It summed up the game really; just plugging away and plucking goals from sheer hard work under pressure. Nothing pretty, but a willing and overall entertaining battle. The loss virtually ends Collingwood's finals hopes, as faint as they have been for some time, but the effort and the tenacity by some of its younger brigade, especially Taylor Adams and Jack Crisp, was a positive indication that the Pies will be rewarded for their hard work in due course. NOTES NEXT UP Collingwood has the chance to put further heat on struggling North Melbourne, in a Friday night clash which could throw the race for eighth spot wide open. NEXT FIVE North Melbourne, West Coast Eagles, Richmond, Western Bulldogs, Gold Coast "One thing we haven't given up on is providing our best footy as often as we can. I thought our effort was good tonight but we just lacked polish. We need to start well against North. We'll get to Etihad, both off the six-day break. Their season is on the line, and we still consider that our season is on the line." |
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