Australian Football

Match Report

All five of this past weekend's matches would take place on the Saturday afternoon, the first taking place at the Prospect Oval where the Roosters hosted the Crows. The Crows took out both the minor round outings against the Roosters last season, starting with a 38-point win at Prospect in Round 2, then a 27-point win at Whyalla in Round 15. The first game was all Adelaide, aside from a lapse in intensity in the second term. The second game was more interesting, the Roosters unfortunately letting this one slip through their fingers after coming back from a six-kick deficit at half-time. They couldn't find the big sticks in the final term. The Roosters did, however, put the Crows on the road to finals ruin in the 2nd Semi-Final, winning by 10 points. Adelaide got back on course last week inflicting 14-goal hiding against the Panthers at Adelaide Oval, while the Roosters outpointed the Eagles by 16 at Menzies Crescent. North started promisingly to begin proceedings, but some wasted chances on goal saw a nine-point lead at quarter-time instead of perhaps a four-kick advantage with the board reading 2.3 to Adelaide's single major. The Crows would turn all that around in the second term, taking advantage of some key Roosters absentees. Adelaide would keep the Roosters to just one behind and boot a near-unanswered 5.6 for themselves to lead by 26 points at the half-time break. Some of that AFL scoring flair went missing in the third quarter as the Roosters tried like mad to reel the gap back to something more manageable. They were all over the Crows for a good 20 minutes, but only managed 2.5 to bring the visitors' lead to nine points. But in time-on, the Crows kicked a pair of majors to be back up to a 21-point lead at the final change. The last quarter was all Adelaide's, putting the blowtorch to the home side's comeback attempt to keep them down to just 1.2 whilst bagging 5.4 for themselves to run away to a 47-point victory. Adelaide would name Andrew McPherson as their best afield with 29 disposals and 12 marks, while North would vote in Alex Spina as their best with 26 disposals, nine tackles and six clearances.