Australian Football

Match Report

Adelaide has maintained its place in the top eight with a big win over Gold Coast at Carrara on Saturday afternoon. The injury-decimated Suns were not expected to trouble the Crows and that proved to be the case as Adelaide won all four quarters to record a more-than-comfortable 75-point victory, its fifth of the year and one which keeps it ahead on percentage of ninth-placed Melbourne. 

The match got off to a slow start with neither side scoring a major until beyond the 10-minute mark. A Tom Lynch goal after 11 minutes kicked off a run of three for the Crows, with Mitch McGovern and Richard Douglas getting in on the act to give Adelaide a three-goal break after 19 minutes. Gold Coast's Tom Lynch then kicked the Suns' first but a major from Crow Taylor Walker had Adelaide ahead by 21 at quarter time. 

Charlie Cameron and Brodie Smith extended the lead to 34 points with goals within the first four minutes of the second term before Ryan Davis managed to register the Suns' second major four minutes later. The game was more or less blown apart over the next few minutes, with Walker, Josh Jenkins, Daniel Talia and Lynch all adding goals to give Adelaide a 52-point lead midway through the term. The Suns improved slightly after that, each side kicking two further goals and it was the Crows by 53 at the long break. 

Peter Wright started the second half off nicely for the Suns with a goal after just one minute but the Crows got back on top after that, adding six goals to two (two of those going to captain Walker) and the lead at the final change of ends was a commanding 74 points. 

With the last quarter little more than a formality, the honours were split between the Suns and the Crows in the final 30 minutes of the match. The Suns kicked three of the first five goals of the term to close the gap to 63 but Wayne Milera and Walker closed out the match with majors to help Adelaide to coast to a 75-point win. 

For Adelaide, Lynch (22 possessions and two goals) and Richard Douglas (21 touches and a goal) were among the best, while the Suns were well served by Wright (nine marks, three goals) and Jesse Lonergan (27 possessions, five tackles). 

In eighth place with a 5-4 record, the Crows will face a much sterner test this week, taking on the rampant Giants at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday night. The Suns have now lost six in a row, and that's likely to extend to seven when they visit Subiaco on Sunday to take on the West Coast Eagles. 

GOALS
Gold Coast: Wright 3; Lynch, Grant, Matera 2; Currie, Davis
Adelaide: Walker 5; Milera, McGovern 3; Lynch 2; Talia, Smith, Seedsman, Lyons, Jenkins, Douglas, Cameron, Brown, Atkins

BEST - BRISBANETIMES.COM.AU
Gold Coast: Wright Lonergan Prestia Rischitelli Day Martin
Adelaide: Lynch Walker Douglas Talia Jacobs Milera

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Gold Coast: Lonergan, Wright, Prestia, Day, Martin, Harbrow
Adelaide: Douglas, Jacobs, Lynch, Talia, Thompson, Seedsman, Walker

INJURIES
Gold Coast: MacPherson (knee), Ah Chee (concussion)
Adelaide: Brown (ankle)

UMPIRES: Bannister, Edwards, Pannell

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Fox Footy

COMMENTATORS: Dwayne Russell, Dermott Brereton, Alastair Lynch