Australian Football

Match Report

Bouncing back from a loss to Geelong a week earlier, Adelaide has reclaimed top place on the ladder with a convincing win over St Kilda at the Adelaide Oval on Friday night. The Crows broke away from the Saints in the latter half of the first term and never really looked back from there, winning all four quarters to run out victors by 57 points. The win reinforced Adelaide's flag favouritism, while the Saints - having now lost three matches in a row - have slipped back to 12th place, a game plus percentage away from the top eight. 

Eddie Betts got the home side off to a perfect start when he goals after being awarded a free kick for a hold by Saints' skipper Jarryn Geary. St Kilda with Josh Bruce goaling via a kick off the ground in the goal square but Adelaide goaled again through Rory Sloane at the eight-minute mark, courtesy of another free kick for a hold. A nice snap from Andy Otten extended the Crows'  lead to 14 points midway through the term and further goals to Tom Lynch and Josh Jenkins saw Adelaide jump to a 29-point lead at quarter time, setting up the match.

It took only a minute for the Crows to extend their lead in the second quarter, with Wayne Milera marking and kicking truly, and when Brodie Smith did the same at the eight-minute mark, the margin was 40 points and a three-figure thrashing looked a possibility. Josh Bruce stopped the rot temporarily with his and his team's second goal but Adelaide dominated much of the rest of the quarter and but for poor kicking for goal, could have been more than the 41 points it was ahead by at the long break. 

A second goal to Josh Jenkins extended the margin out to 47 with the first goal of the second half, after which the Saints had a couple of chances to make inroads, but Blake Acres and Paddy McCartin both missed shots. From there Lynch and Taylor Walker added further goals for the Crows, taking the home side's lead out to 57 points. The Saints then had a rare period of control, but couldn't make it count on the scoreboard, with Bruce's third major being accompanied by minor scores to Jack Billings and Maverick Weller twice. At the last change of ends, Adelaide was 49 points to the good.

St Kilda provided something for its fans in the early stages of the final quarter, with majors to Koby Stevens and Billings, cutting the margin to 38 points but the Crows reasserted their authority after that, kicking five of the remaining seven goals of the match as the game opened up, eventually finishing 57 points clear to record a more than solid win.

Along with Lynch (three goals, eight marks), Sam Jacobs (37 hitouts, 25 disposals) played a great game for the victors, while Seb Ross (39 possessions, four marks) continued his great form for the Saints.

The Crows will have a week off in round 1r before hosting Hawthorn on Thursday week, while St Kilda will try to put a halt to its run of losses when it takes on North Melbourne at Docklands on Friday night.

GOALS
Adelaide: Lynch, Jenkins, Walker 3; Betts 2; Sloane, Otten, Milera, Smith, Beech
St. Kilda: Bruce 4; Stevens, Billings, McCartin

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Adelaide: Lynch, Jacobs, Atkins, Douglas, Laird, Lever, Smith
St. Kilda: Ross, Stevens, Newnes, Geary, Bruce

BEST - THE SATURDAY AGE
Adelaide: Jacobs, Laird, M. Crouch, Douglas, Smith, Lynch
St. Kilda: Ross, Bruce, Geary, Roberton, Newnes, Webster

INJURIES
Adelaide: Nil
St. Kilda: Weller (ankle), Carlisle (thigh), Brown (hamstring)

UMPIRES: Rosebury, Hosking, Schmitt, Mollison

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Seven Network

COMMENTATORS: Bruce McAvaney, Brian Taylor, Cameron Ling, Mark Soderstrom