Crows’ “poor” opportunity to disprove football as a fickle star couple is questioned
Before their match against Geelong tonight, the Adelaide Crows are under intense scrutiny, even though they have only played one game for premiership points in 2024.
On paper, their six-point loss to a rapidly improving Gold Coast won’t make anyone wonder what went wrong at People opening Stadium, but a closer look at their opening three quarters raises some questions.
The Suns outperformed the youthful Adelaide team in a match that featured pouring rain, featuring notable performances from their midfielders.
From the first bounce of the game, Gold Coast’s Noah Anderson (35 disposals, 1 goal), Matt Rowell (29 disposals, 1 goal), Touk Miller (29 disposals, 10 clearances), and Sam Flanders (35 disposals, 6 inside 50s) dominated, while Matt Crouch, Rory Laird, and Jordan Dawson from the Crows’ engine room held their own.
Actually, stoppages kept the Crows scoreless at the three-quarter mark, making them only the sixth team in the preceding four years. Adelaide’s low attack conversion numbers and the difficult conditions are to blame for this.
At 7:45 of the final quarter, trailing by six goals, the Crows pulled off an incredible comeback to cut the deficit to one goal just before the final siren went out.
Five of the Crows’ final seven goals were kicked by Josh Rachele and Izak Rankine in less than a quarter and a half; Rachele’s three goals came in less than a quarter.
David King, a dual North Melbourne premiership player, expressed mixed feelings about the Adelaide pair’s efforts, calling them “too little, too late” on Fox Footy’s “Give Me Something.”
“Rankine and Rachele ought to participate in the game at an earlier stage… “He [Rachele] was excellent when he was fully committed during his half-game last week,” King remarked.
“I want these two to make the difference this week against the Cats.”
Adelaide was the top team in the competition for both “Points For” and “Score per Inside 50%” in 2023. They took great satisfaction in their offensive and ability to score from inside the fifty last year.
Even though it was evident that star Taylor Walker was missing, his inclusion in Round 2 will greatly increase the Crows’ offensive output.
“Having him on the team will be very beneficial for them,” Brereton told foxfooty.com.au.
“I’m eager to watch Darcy Fogarty’s further development… He participated in the battle [against Gold Coast], but it was evident that he wasn’t yet ready to lead and control that attacking line.
Fogarty (9 disposals, 3 score involvements) made an effort to remain engaged despite the circumstances, but he was unable to score a goal for himself.
Brereton is also optimistic that Adelaide’s substitute from last week, Jake Soligo (eight disposals, 275 meters gained), will play the entire game tonight after showing promise when activated.
He stated, “It would be beneficial for them to acquire his nippiness and his capacity to propel the ball rapidly.”
With the exception of their 2018 preliminary final victory over the Cats, the Crows have won four of their previous six home games against Geelong. This could be their most significant game at Adelaide Oval since moving there.
Regarding the Crows’ matchup with Geelong, King was forthright and honest, calling it “a game they just absolutely have to win.”
On Fox Footy’s Give Me Something, King stated, “They have to win games at home the Crows, because we know they’ve been poor on the road.”
