Australian Football

Match Report

The fourth Saturday arvo match takes us up north to the Playford Alive Oval in Elizabeth where the Bulldogs faced the Crows. It was the Bulldogs that the Crows tasted their first SANFL victory against, but the two matches that followed would see the Dogs take their revenge, their last meeting in Round 8 saw the Crows go down by 20 points. This match was Adelaide's return to the field after the tragic loss of senior team coach Phil Walsh, with some expecting the Crows to be lacking in intensity and passion. They would only be half-right, the Dogs' recent form suggesting that they are a team on the climb and the improve.

The Bulldogs had the better of the contest early on, starting off with a 3.2 to one goal opening quarter to lead by 14 points. The Crows lifted in the second quarter, but the Dogs still stretched their advantage a little by the long break after they scored four goals to the Crows' 3.1. At half-time the Bulldogs held a 19-point lead. The Crows could have brought the gap back more than they did by the final change had they been more accurate, but they only chipped a couple of points off Centrals' lead come three quarter-time, Adelaide's 2.2 to the Dogs' two goals bringing the deficit back to 17 points. In the end the Crows just had no more to give in the face of a Bulldogs outfit that has been building confidence over the last couple of weeks. The Dogs kept the visitors to just two behinds whilst kicking 3.2 for themselves to take a 35-point victory.

Luke Habel scored a beauty in the second quarter and was named best on ground for Centrals, while the Crows named Matthew Spencely as their best.