Australian Football

Match Report

A stunning eight-goal-to-nil first term has set up a crushing win over second-placed West Coast for the Adelaide Crows on Sunday. Already guaranteed of a place in the finals after Geelong's unexpected loss to Collingwood on Friday night, the Crows showed no signs of taking it easy as the dismantled the Eagles to the tune of 57 points. The win means that it is still possible that Adelaide could host a final if it defeats Geelong at Kardinia Park next week and other results fall in its favour. 

The Crow onslaught began almost as soon as the game started with Charlie Cameron grabbing a loose ball and snapping a goal after just 38 seconds. That started a burst that saw Tom Lynch, Josh Jenkins and Jenkins again all goal before the game had gone seven minutes. The goals began to come at a slightly slower rate after that but they were still all going the way of Adelaide as Tom Lynch kicked his second and Taylor Walker and Eddie Betts got in the act, before Jenkins made it an amazing eight for the term with his third at the 31-minute mark. At the first break, the Crows incredibly led 51 to 1.

Four minutes into the second term Jenkins kicked his fourth to make it nine in a row for the Crows but then a sudden and dramatic transformation came over the match. A goal to Mark Hutchings at the seven-minute mark, the Eagles' first, seemed to spark West Coast, and within the next nine minutes Patrick McGinnity, Jamie Cripps (twice) and Dom Sheed added majors to make it five in a row and the margin was suddenly just 25 points. The two sides traded behinds for the remainder of the term and the Crows led by 26 at the half. 

The third quarter began as the first had, with Adelaide goaling - this time through Rory Atkins - in the first minute. The Crows then added further majors through Jenkins, Cameron, Walker and Rory Sloane to take the margin out to 57 points and effectively kill the contest. Mark Le Cras scored a late goal for the Eagles but the margin was still 50 at the last break, as it had been at the first.

With the match as good as decided, the game opened right up in the final term with goals flowing both ways. West Coast scored four of the first five to close the gap to 35 points at the 18-minute mark but the Crows finished off with four in time on to run out winners by almost 10 goals and kill off any chance of the Eagles finishing the season as minor premiers.

The Crows had many fine players, among them Patrick Dangerfield (28 touches and a goal) and Scott Thompson (29 disposals, seven tackles), while the Eagles' best included Sheed (27 possessions and a goal) and Luke Shuey (25 touches, five tackles).

Adelaide will play Geelong at Kardinia Park next Saturday as it prepares for the finals while the Eagles will host St Kilda at Subiaco on the same day. West Coast should win but would risk losing a top-two place and a home Qualifying Final to Hawthorn if it were to go down to the Saints.

GOALS
Adelaide: Jenkins 6; Walker 3; Betts, Lynch, Cameron 2; Atkins, Sloane, Knight, Dangerfield
West Coast: Cripps, Le Cras 2; Hutchings, McGinnity, Sheed, Kennedy, Sinclair, Shuey

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Adelaide: Dangerfield, Thompson, Smith, Jenkins, Talia, Laird, Betts
West Coast: Sheed, Cripps, Gaff, Priddis

BEST - THE SUNDAY AGE
Adelaide: Dangerfield, Jenkins, Talia, Smith, Jacobs, Laird, Sloane
West Coast: Sheed, Shuey, Gaff, Rosa, Priddis, Sheppard.

INJURIES
Adelaide: Nil
West Coast: McGovern (shoulder)

SUBSTITUTES
Adelaide: Jarryd Lyons replaced Matt Crouch in the final quarter.
West Coast: Murray Newman replaced Jeremy McGovern in the final quarter.

UMPIRES: Stevic, Chamberlain, Meredith

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Fox Footy

COMMENTATORS: Anthony Hudson, Gerard Healy, Mark Ricciuto, Ben Dixon