Australian Football

Match Report

We begin our 2022 journey with a stop at football headquarters, the Adelaide Oval. Kicking off the season under lights in a twilight setting on Friday is the mini-Showdown between the Crows and the Magpies, the precursor to Showdown 51. These sides shared the points from their two encounters in 2021, with the Magpies winning the Round 6 game by 14 points, followed by the Crows taking out the Round 16 contest by 13 points. On both occasions, the eventual loser made mini comebacks at some stage of the game only to have the chocolates snatched away. The latter match was one of the nails in Port's coffin for last season, finishing seventh with the Crows right beneath them. 

Both sides peppered their goals to begin the afternoon's proceedings, only Adelaide had the better accuracy. The Magpies wasted a trio of opportunities in as many minutes at the other end, at quarter-time the scoreboard would have the Crows in front by 11 points after scoring 3.4 to 1.5. Adelaide began to put some distance between themselves and the 'Pies in the second quarter and would go into the rooms with a four-goal advantage at the long break after adding 5.3 to Port's 3.2. There would have been a raft of players looking to please their senior masters in both camps and while the Crows' crop was excelling, Port's demoted players were perhaps justifying their drop to the seconds. When play resumed, it took around eight minutes for a goal to come and it was Port with the first couple to bring the gap back to something more do-able. But Adelaide were back on the right foot not long after and by three quarter-time, the deficit was out to 37 points after the Crows scored 4.3 to the Magpies' 2.2. Adelaide had saved the best for last though, punishing their rivals with a 6.5 to 2.4 final term to post a record 62-point hammering. 

Leading from the front was Matt Wright who took best afield honours for Adelaide with his five goals, while Jase Burgoyne was best for Port with 22 disposals and six marks.