Adelaide must fix leaky boat to make serious flag push | Andrew Capel
The Crows are flying offensively but their inability to stop their opponents from scoring is a real concern and must be fixed if they are to make a deep September run, writes Andrew Capel.
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Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera could probably hear the cash register ticking over.
As Adelaide blew a 30-point lead against Geelong in AFL Gather Round amid a host of horror defensive turnovers, the out-of-contract St Kilda star’s price tag would have skyrocketed.
As good as the Crows are offensively - their average score of 120 a game is the second-best in the competition behind red-hot Gold Coast - their inability to stop the opposition hitting the scoreboard threatens to derail their flag hopes.
Adelaide is a good football team which possesses one of the most potent forward lines in the competition, with standout talls Riley Thilthorpe, Darcy Fogarty and veteran Taylor Walker complemented by brilliant smalls Izak Rankine and Josh Rachele and the hardworking and highly effective Ben Keays.
But there are big question marks hanging over the Crows defence after they coughed up 119 points to the Cats, including 32 points (of a total 33) from turnovers alone in the final term when they let an eight-point three-quarter time lead quickly slip through their fingers.
Geelong’s five goals to one last quarter continued a worrying trend for Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks’ outfit.
His seventh-placed, high-octane team leads the league in total scoring with 600 points - 97 more than the next-placed Cats - but is conceding a concerning average of 92 points a game.
Its total of 460 against ranks as the seventh-worst in the competition and easily the worst of the top eight teams.
And it is far from a premiership profile statistic.
Of the past 10 premiers, none has conceded an average of more than 76 points a game during the minor round.
That’s a very telling stat and should set alarm bells ringing at West Lakes.
In the opening five rounds this season, Adelaide has conceded scores of 72 (against St Kilda), 100 (Essendon), 78 (North Melbourne), 91 (Gold Coast) and 119 (Geelong).
That’s not going to result in a deep September run.
“They leak goals, conceding 92 points a game after a month of footy, that’s a lot,’’ Port Adelaide premiership ruckman Dean Brogan told ABC Grandstand.
“I love their attacking style of footy but they are not the best defensively and if they need to tidy up any part of their game, it’s to cut two or three goals away (from the opposition).
“The good teams punish you on turnover, particularly if you turn it over in your back half, and if they are going to be serious contenders you can’t let teams keep kicking scores over 100 points, so that’s the next phase of their development, to tidy up that weakness.’’
While the media spotlight has focused on whether the Crows are paying a price for playing too many talls up forward - 197cm swingman Dan Curtin has also been stationed primarily inside 50 - which has allowed the opposition to run the ball out of their back half too easily, the other key issue is the club’s lack of backline playmakers.
In the final quarter against Geelong, Adelaide continually turned the ball over in defence, with Mitch Hinge making a couple of shocking mistakes and even veteran star Rory Laird kicking into the man on the mark (Patrick Dangerfield), resulting in a crucial Cats goal.
With captain Jordan Dawson, who is renowned for his elite kicking skills, playing as a midfielder/forward, the Crows lack good ball users in their back half.
Against Geelong, their back six included Hinge, Laird, Mark Keane, Josh Worrell, Max Michalanney and Wayne Milera.
Milera appears to be their main defensive playmaker, along with Hinge, but he also has been guilty of coughing the ball up.
Nicks believes the Crows’ defensive woes stem from a “combination of things, unfortunately’’.
“At the moment, it’s not really keeping the ball in our front half, so we’re spending a bit of time under pressure,’’ he said.
“Then there’s an execution piece to that as well. We turned the ball over (against Geelong) in some spots where it’s just undefendable.
“But 100-plus points (against), that’s a real work-on for us.’’
Damningly, Adelaide ranks 14th for defensive half turnovers (23 a game) and 17th for points conceded from them (36).
Milera and Worrell have conceded 25 points each from their defensive half turnovers this season - the sixth-most of any players in the competition.
The numbers are red flags for the Crows, who would love the superb Wanganeen-Milera’s exquisite delivery and run and carry out of their backline.
What a difference the South Australian, who has strong interest from Adelaide and Port Adelaide and is in line for a contract worth more than $1.2 million a season, would make for this team.
Connor Rozee highlighted just how important classy backline distributors are when he starred at half-back, rather than his customary midfield position, in the Power’s stunning upset win against Hawthorn at Adelaide Oval on Sunday night.
Until then, Port had struggled to fill the void left by the loss of defensive playmaker Dan Houston to Collingwood.
The Crows, who haven’t made the finals since their grand final appearance in 2017, are on track to break the drought this year, starting their campaign well to post a 3-2 win-loss record.
But they have lost their past two games and face big tests against Greatern Western Sydney (at home) and Fremantle (away) in the next two weeks.
They have some work to do defensively.
NUMBERS GAME
30
Points the Crows led Geelong by in the second quarter before losing by 19.
10
Consecutive wins by Collingwood at Adelaide Oval
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
“I know I definitely used it (as motivation). I think rivalries are so good to have and I think the one that we’re building here, it’s such a good rivalry. I know some of the boys used it and ‘Kenny’ (coach Ken Hinkley) was a bit fired up.’’ - Port Adelaide’s Jason Horne-Francis after the upset win against Hawthorn.
“You get written off really quickly in this competition, it’s really quite ferocious when you have a couple of below-par performances. But we’re capable of that type of powerful performance and have always maintained belief internally that we can play against the best.’’ - Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley on his side’s win against the Hawks.
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