COLLINGWOOD 3.3.21 6.6.42 7.8.50 7.13.55
ADELAIDE 1.4.10 5.6.36 9.10.64 10.16.76
SCORERS - Collingwood: Blair (1.2), Beams (1.1), Cloke (1.1), Swan (1.1), Lumumba (1.0), Pendlebury (1.0), White (1.0), Sidebottom (0.3), Elliott (0.1), Young (0.1)
BEST - Collingwood: Pendlebury, Langdon, Beams, Sidebottom, Lumumba
INJURIES - Collingwood: Nil
SUBSTITUTES - Collingwood: Jarrod Witts replaced by Sam Dwyer during the third quarter
REPORTS: Nil
OFFICIAL CROWD: 50,051 at the Adelaide Oval
| - Thursday night football received a big thumbs up from the South Australian sporting public. 50,051 fans strode through the turnstiles to watch the match under lights and by three quarter time were making enough noise to confuse both the umpires and the commentators. The crowd was the biggest for an Adelaide v Collingwood match in South Australia, comfortably edging past the 48,522 who watched the Crows knock the Magpies out of the 1993 finals series in the final round of the season at Football Park. What’s more, it was only 346 people short of what Adelaide and Port Adelaide attracted for the Showdown earlier this year, making it the seventh largest crowd at an AFL match in South Australia. - Adelaide’s win was its first over the Pies since the opening round of 2009, some 1874 days between drinks for the Pride of South Australia. The match was Nick Maxwell’s first as Collingwood captain, and only six of the 22 (Nick Maxwell, Tyson Goldsack, Heritier Lumumba, Scott Pendlebury, Alan Toovey and Dane Swan) featured in Thursday night’s loss. And so ends Collingwood’s six-game winning streak against the Crows. |
- Collingwood’s 7.13 (55) was its fifth lowest score against Adelaide and the fourth time it has scored less than 60 points against the Crows in the past nine years. Meanwhile, Adelaide’s 10.16 (76) was its third lowest winning score against the Black and White since the two clubs first met in 1991. - On Twitter, supporter @sirswampthing noted Collingwood’s one-goal second half was the first time the side had post such a figure since round three, 2010, when it kicked just four goals in a loss to St Kilda. It’s the first time the Magpies have been restricted to just one goal in the second half by Adelaide in 36 meetings. - The match was the second time Collingwood has not had a multiple goal scorer in eight games this season, following on from its five individual goal kickers against Fremantle in round one. Prior to 2014, the last time the Magpies went through a game without a multiple goal scorer was the aforementioned loss to the Saints in 2010. For the record, the goal scorers that night were Dayne Beams, Travis Cloke, Alan Didak and Steele Sidebottom. |
| 1. Adelaide back on track? With its season on the brink at 3-4, a win was absolutely crucial for the Crows on Thursday night. Certainly there would be no bigger stage this season than a Thursday night game in front of a national audience against the League's biggest club, with their superstar full forward returning from a knee reconstruction. And the home side stepped up. Adelaide played the momentum of the game wonderfully, breaking the Magpies in the third quarter before holding them in the last. 2. Welcome back Walker Sanderson warned Crows fans not to expect the world of Taylor Walker in his first game at AFL level since undergoing a knee reconstruction last year. He said there was no 'pass mark' for the star forward, he just wanted to see 'Tex' compete. Compete he did; the 24-year-old wasn't able to cash in on the scoreboard, booting four behinds, but he worked hard all game to provide important contests in the forward line and higher up the ground. His return of 16 possessions, seven marks and three tackles was enough to suggest he'll again prove a force in the Crows' attack. 3. Crows choke? Crows defender Daniel Talia talked Travis Cloke up as one of the best forwards of the past decade last week, but the Magpie superstar's performances against Adelaide haven't reflected his brilliance. In the 13 games he had played against the Crows before Thursday night he'd managed just 13 goals, his worst return on average against any side. Talia held Cloke to just one goal on Thursday night, ensuring his one-a-game average against the Crows continues. |
4. Controversial goal The 21-point final margin will say it wouldn't have mattered whether Josh Jenkins' late third-term goal was ruled too late or not. The Crows already led by eight points and Eddie Betts kicked another major early in the final term to give his side a game-high 23-point advantage. But Jenkins' goal, his fourth, was hugely important. It confirmed the swing in momentum and, on the back of some brilliance from newcomer Charlie Cameron, brought the crowd into the game. Television replays clearly showed the clock had reached zero before Jenkins slammed the ball through for the goal. 5. Cameron can play The focus might have been well and truly focused on Walker in the lead up to the game, but 19-year-old Charlie Cameron's debut was promising. At just 72kg there's not a lot of the teenager they call 'Jets', but he packs a punch. Cameron is pure energy and a tackling dynamo. As well as the five tackles in his first game, Cameron's overall defensive pressure was outstanding – as was his courage to take the game on. He booted a crucial goal in the third term to extend his side's lead and was involved in another that helped seal the side's victory. "(Crows defender) Talia held Cloke to just one goal on Thursday night, ensuring his (Cloke's) one-a-game average against the Crows continues." |
| THE MEDIA | |
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Long-limbed Adelaide forward Josh Jenkins kicked four goals in a 21-point upset win over Collingwood in Thursday night's clash at Adelaide Oval. The Crows squared their win-loss record at four-all with a 10.16 (76) to 7.13 (55) victory in front of a sell-out 50,051-strong crowd at Adelaide Oval. However, the result was soured somewhat by a controversial goal awarded to Crow Josh Jenkins after the three-quarter time siren. The siren wasn’t heard over the boisterous crowd initially and the goal was allowed. However, TV replays showed the clock counting down to zero while Jenkins was walking into goal. Jenkins' talents proved the difference in the end, slotting three of his goals in a purple patch in the second term, while his teammate Richard Douglas booted two goals. Onballer Patrick Dangerfield (32 disposals, including 20 contested possessions) was outstanding for Adelaide and defender Brodie Smith (25 touches), first-gamer Charlie Cameron and rugged midfielder Scott Thompson (31 possessions) were influential. Collingwood, now with five wins and three losses this season, was brilliantly led by captain Scott Pendlebury (33 disposals) and his midfield colleague Dayne Beams (30 possessions). But the Magpies struggled for attacking threats - they couldn't find a multiple goalkicker and kicked just one goal in the last half. Collingwood, driven by Pendlebury and Beams, opened strongly to create a 3.3 to 1.4 lead at quarter-time. Skipper Pendlebury shrugged his tagger Sam Kerridge to collect 11 disposals in the opening term and the creative Beams gathered 10 touches in ominous signs for the Crows. Beams doubled his possession tally in the second quarter but Adelaide hit back as its tall forward Jenkins slotted three goals. Jenkins stole the spotlight from his attacking partner Taylor Walker, playing his first game in more than a year after having a knee reconstruction. Walker roamed up the ground but appeared rusty, scoring four points - three in the final term. Collingwood led 6.6 to 5.6 at half-time before a defining rally from the Crows produced the initial three goals of the third quarter. Impressive debutant Cameron scored one of the goals and Jenkins potted his fourth to help Crows to a 9.10 to 7.8 three-quarter time advantage. Adelaide extended its lead seven minutes into the last term when Eddie Betts kicked a goal - the only major in a gruelling final quarter as the Magpies missed a series of shots to cruel their winning chances Long-limbed Adelaide forward Josh Jenkins kicked four goals in a 21-point upset win over Collingwood in Thursday night's clash at Adelaide Oval. The Crows squared their win-loss record at four-all with a 10.16 (76) to 7.13 (55) victory in front of a sell-out 50,051-strong crowd at Adelaide Oval. However, the result was soured somewhat by a controversial goal awarded to Crow Josh Jenkins after the three-quarter time siren. The siren wasn’t heard over the boisterous crowd initially and the goal was allowed. However, TV replays showed the clock counting down to zero while Jenkins was walking into goal. Vote now for your top three players from Thursday night's loss in the Magpie Army Player of the Year Award. Jenkins' talents proved the difference in the end, slotting three of his goals in a purple patch in the second term, while his teammate Richard Douglas booted two goals. Onballer Patrick Dangerfield (32 disposals, including 20 contested possessions) was outstanding for Adelaide and defender Brodie Smith (25 touches), first-gamer Charlie Cameron and rugged midfielder Scott Thompson (31 possessions) were influential. Collingwood, now with five wins and three losses this season, was brilliantly led by captain Scott Pendlebury (33 disposals) and his midfield colleague Dayne Beams (30 possessions). But the Magpies struggled for attacking threats - they couldn't find a multiple goalkicker and kicked just one goal in the last half. Collingwood, driven by Pendlebury and Beams, opened strongly to create a 3.3 to 1.4 lead at quarter-time. Skipper Pendlebury shrugged his tagger Sam Kerridge to collect 11 disposals in the opening term and the creative Beams gathered 10 touches in ominous signs for the Crows. Beams doubled his possession tally in the second quarter but Adelaide hit back as its tall forward Jenkins slotted three goals. Jenkins stole the spotlight from his attacking partner Taylor Walker, playing his first game in more than a year after having a knee reconstruction. Walker roamed up the ground but appeared rusty, scoring four points - three in the final term. Collingwood led 6.6 to 5.6 at half-time before a defining rally from the Crows produced the initial three goals of the third quarter. Impressive debutant Cameron scored one of the goals and Jenkins potted his fourth to help Crows to a 9.10 to 7.8 three-quarter time advantage. Adelaide extended its lead seven minutes into the last term when Eddie Betts kicked a goal - the only major in a gruelling final quarter as the Magpies missed a series of shots to cruel their winning chances. The goal kicked by Adelaide's Josh Jenkins seemingly after the third term had ended didn't affect the final result, says Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley. Jenkins received an over-the-top handball from teammate Sam Kerridge in the dying seconds of the third quarter and kicked the ball after the time clock had reached zero, but before the umpires heard the siren. The goal stood, offering the Crows a crucial 14-point lead at the final change. Neither Crows coach Brenton Sanderson or Buckley heard the siren, the second time this year a siren at Adelaide Oval has been so quiet it has confused those directly involved in the game. Against Geelong in round six, Port Adelaide's Robbie Gray decided to pass the ball having not heard the half-time siren, rather than have a shot at goal from 50m. But Buckley was adamant that any momentum the Crows might have garnered from the controversial goal was eclipsed by the confidence they would have received from Collingwood's one-goal second half. "It wasn't the difference in the game...we only kicked one goal in the second half, I think that gave them more of a kick along," Buckley said. "Josh Jenkins is running into an open goal, so from a balance of fairness, Adelaide had built the attack and had a player running into an open goal – now if the siren had gone, so what? "It didn't affect the flow of the game, it didn't affect the momentum of the game." Buckley said he hoped the soft siren on Thursday night meant the situation would be quickly fixed. "I thought we had buzzers in umpires’ pockets and all of that stuff, but this is how things evolve, circumstances occur and you go, ‘gee we could do better than that' and then you do something about it," he said. Ultimately, Buckley said the final 21-point margin came down to the Crows outplaying his side across key areas. The underdogs out-worked and out-pressured their more fancied opponents. "It was sub-par for us but Adelaide were very strong in areas we've been strong in," he said. "They out-pressured us, they used the ball better, they ran harder – you're going to win most games of footy when you control those elements of the game." |
COLLINGWOOD missed a golden opportunity to consolidate its position in the top four last night, losing to Adelaide by 21 points at Adelaide Oval. The Magpies had reasonable control of the game in the first half but kicked just one goal after the long break as several major weaknesses were exposed. Adelaide bounced back from its humiliating loss to Melbourne to inflict Collingwood’s third defeat of the season. “It was a really good tonight. The boys were absolutely fantastic. We were really embarrassed with how we played last week (against the Demons), so we were rapt to come back tonight and win,’’ Crows coach Brenton Sanderson said. “Our forwards were fantastic and applied tremendous defensive pressure. Our defence gave great rebound and our mids put in a real four-quarter effort. “The crowd was awesome tonight. The 19th man really turned up tonight and they (fans) can certainly go home with a big smile on their face.’’ Patrick Dangerfield again led the way for the Crows with 32 disposals and eight tackles despite close attention from in-form tagger Brent Macaffer. “To win tonight was pretty special,’’ Dangerfield said. “It was a hard 10-day break because we were disappointed with how we played (against Melbourne). We spoke about an even contribution from everyone. “We applied relentless pressure tonight. We started well and maintained that pressure for the majority of the game. “The crowd was amazing tonight. When Tex (Taylor Walker) came out on the ground to that noise, I couldn’t help but smile and even cheer myself a little.” An inability to win the clearances, which has been a problem for the Magpies, was perhaps the decisive factor. It left a backline that has performed admirably for the past month overwhelmed and a forward line that had few winners starved of the ball. Scott Pendlebury, Dayne Beams and Tom Langdon won plenty of possessions and Heritier Lumumba got his side out of jail on several occasions. But there were too many other players down on form for the Magpies to triumph. Defender Lachlan Keeffe had his colours lowered by key forward Josh Jenkins, raising the possibility of a recall for Nathan Brown ahead of next week’s clash against West Coast at the MCG. Jenkins kicked four goals in the first three quarters, forcing Buckley to reshuffle his backline and move Tyson Goldsack to defence. Despite a midweek education session with umpires’ boss Hayden Kennedy, the Pies finished on the wrong side of the free kick ledger, 15-9. The Magpies don’t travel outside of Melbourne again until Round 16 and only have six games against sides inside the top eight. With the Eagles, St Kilda, Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs to come in the next month, a record that currently sits at 5-3 could jump to 9-3. It’s a reasonable outlook for a team that was widely discounted after a horror opening round loss to Fremantle. But given their record away from home against the Crows — which now stands at 9-7 — this was a game they would have banked on winning. Adelaide may have salvaged its season with a gripping upset win over Collingwood before 50,051 fans at Adelaide Oval on Thursday night, but as much as most of the town is celebrating, don't read too much into the result just yet. It was a win filled with resolve and character by a team desperate to get its season back on track, and no one could question the incredible commitment by both sides. But it was also a game of poor disposals and wasted opportunities. Ultimately, it got down to a basic will to win, and Adelaide was hell-bent on atoning for a dismal loss to Melbourne in the previous round, and ending a club-record six-straight losses against the Magpies. There was controversy when Josh Jenkins was on the receiving end of some brilliant teamwork and kicked a goal to give Adelaide a 14-point lead right on the three-quarter time siren, but such was the noise that many believed he kicked it after the siren. He kicked the ball when there was zero seconds on the time clock, but it was still deemed a goal. It was just impossible to hear the siren. When Eddie Betts kicked a goal from a set shot from the toughest of angles to give Adelaide a 23-point lead six minutes into the last quarter, everyone expected Collingwood to keep battling; the silent concern was whether the Crows' fitness would be suffice. It was, and disappearing was the belief this was the reason for earlier defeats this season. Amazing what the sniff of a desperately needed win can do to players. We would love to deliver a fairytale story of Taylor "Tex" Walker riding into the sunset with a bag of match-winning goals, but he was merely a genuine competitor who raised a cheer with every touch in his comeback game from injury. The real star to emerge was Swan Districts recruit Charlie Cameron in his AFL debut. Nothing sensational, he just epitomised Adelaide's performance with his amazing tackling and willingness to take the game on. When he ran into his first AFL goal midway through the third quarter to give the Crows a 13-point lead, the crowd rose as one. For the first time this season the club didn't need to flash a sign on the scoreboard for them to cheer. And while coach Brenton Sanderson talked up his three-pronged big attack with James Podsiadly, Jenkins and a reminder there is no show without Tex, it was Jenkins who really came to the fore with three goals in the second quarter to keep Adelaide in the hunt. As Adelaide surged to an unlikely win, confidence grew, and for a rare time this season the Betts-Podsiadly combination - recruited to inject sorely needed passion into Adelaide's forward structure - seemed to work. Both kicked goals on the tightest of angles, further raising belief this was the Crows' night. The battle of defences was absorbing, with Brodie Smith producing yet another brilliant effort, and Daniel Talia holding down Travis Cloke for most of the game. There was certainly nothing wrong with Collingwood's drivers, particularly Scott Pendlebury, Dayne Beams and Dane Swan. Sanderson had difficulty pinning down Pendlebury and his regular opponent Sam Kerridge, was not always the answer. Brodie Grundy, in just his 15th game, was superb in the ruck. His contest with Sam Jacobs was absorbing, and both were valuable contributors. There was a lot to like about Collingwood rookie defender Tom Langdon, who not only thwarted attacks and generally starved some of Adelaide's smaller forwards, but played the team game moving the ball into attack. It was far from Collingwood's best effort this season, yet its tenacity had to be admired - but it was definitely Adelaide's best given the pressure everyone has been under. Adelaide is now 4-4, and reaches its halfway mark of the home-and-away season playing Carlton at the MCG, Gold Coast (Adelaide) and Fremantle (Patersons). Collingwood plays West Coast (MCG), St Kilda (Etihad) and Melbourne (MCG). At 5-3, don't dismiss the Magpies' top-four chances just yet. As much as the Adelaide fans finally came alive this season, the fact the Crows have not been able to produce this form until now is obviously mystifying. Collingwood fans were left to ponder "what if" Jarryd Blair and Beams had not missed set shots with four minutes to go. But this was never about being a fairytale. |
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