Australian Football

Match Report

Adelaide has recorded a remarkable come-from-behind win over Geelong to knock the Cats out of the top two and keep alive the Crows' slim chances of making this year's finals. After trailing Geelong at every break, the Crows produced a stirring last-quarter performance in wet conditions at Football Park to kick five goals to two and eke out a thrilling two-point win.

Having been as much as five goals in arrears early in the third quarter, the Crows began the last term trailing by 14 points. Before a minute had elapsed Bernie Vince marked and goaled to reduce that margin to just eight points but the Cats' Tom Hawkins ran into an open goal to restore the 14-point buffer at the five-minute mark.

A one-handed mark in the goal-square to Andy Otten saw that margin cut to seven points eight minutes in and three minutes later it was just a point the difference when Brad Crouch dribbled one through from the goal square. Mark Blicavs took the lead back out to eight points with a goal at the 15-minute mark but it was back to two points when Nathan Van Berlo snapped a captain's goal around his body.

A minute later Matthew Wright gave Adelaide the lead when he received a pass from Jason Porplyzia and converted from 30 metres out. The Cats had two chances in the finals minutes via a free kick to Jimmy Bartel and a mark to Harry Taylor. But both Cats missed their set shots and the Crows hung on to win in a blockbusting finish.

The Crows' win was their seventh for the season and with six rounds of the home and away season remaining, they remain within two games of the top eight. For Geelong, the loss was its third of the season, with all of them having been by margins of a goal or less. And in each of those cases, the Cats have given up a lead of more than two goals. The Cats lost to Collingwood by six points after being 13 points ahead at the 10-minute mark of the last quarter. And in round 13, Geelong was 52 points ahead of Brisbane in time on of the third quarter before ultimately succumbing by five points after a post-siren shot by the Lions' Ash McGrath.

Geelong has now slipped out of the top two but they can reclaim that place immediately if top team Hawthorn beats Essendon this Friday night and the Cats can overcome St Kilda at Kardinia Park on Saturday night. Adelaide can keep its slim top eight hopes alive if it can conquer Ross Lyon's Dockers at Subiaco on Saturday evening.

GOALS
Adelaide: Wright 4; Lynch 3; Vince, Otten 2; Jenkins, Crouch, Van Berlo
Geelong: Selwood, Caddy 3; Motlop, Kelly, Hawkins 2; Lonergan, Blicavs

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Adelaide: Henderson, Douglas, Wright, Sloane, Lynch, Vince
Geelong: Selwood, Simpson, Enright, Bartel, Corey, Caddy

BEST - SPORTAL.COM.AU
Adelaide: Douglas, Henderson, Crouch, Wright, Vince, Sloane, Lynch, van Berlo
Geelong: Corey, Selwood, Caddy, Bartel, Simpson, Duncan

INJURIES
Adelaide: Nil
Geelong: Taylor Hunt (foot) replaced in the starting line-up by Jesse Stringer

SUBSTITUTES
Adelaide: Mitchell Grigg replaced Scott Thompson in the third quarter
Geelong: Jordan Murdoch replaced Travis Varcoe in the fourth quarter

UMPIRES: Farmer, Dalgleish, Nicholls

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Seven Network

COMMENTATORS: Bruce McAvaney, Dennis Cometti, Tim Watson and Cameron Ling