AFL round 8: All the news and analysis from Adelaide v Geelong
The Crows came up just short against a genuine premiership contender once again, showing that while they have considerably improved this season, there is still a long way to go.
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Being plucky for a second consecutive week against one of the AFL’s best sides shows how much Adelaide has improved this year.
At Adelaide Oval last week, Collingwood had two crucial, three-goal bursts – in the second term, when it cut a 22-point quarter-time margin to six by the main break and then at the end as the Magpies fought back from the same deficit at the last change to snatch a win.
Geelong also had a pair of three-goal runs against the Crows at home on Saturday.
The first came when Sam Simpson levelled the scores late in the opening term, then Isaac Smith and Simpson booted majors within 140 seconds of the second quarter.
Izak Rankine got one back for Adelaide before three goals – to Jeremy Cameron, Gryan Miers and Tom Hawkins – in seven minutes pushed the Cats out to a 26-point lead that term.
It was always going to be difficult to come back from that margin on Geelong’s home deck, where the Crows were without a victory for 20 years.
Adelaide fought valiantly, cutting the lead to two goals, and could have been even closer if Izak Rankine finished a late chance or a holding free kick was paid to Ben Keays, 10m out.
The visitors were left to rue that period in the second term.
“We probably lost the game in that first half,” Crows ruckman Reilly O’Brien told The Sunday Mail.
“There were patches, especially in the first half, where we weren’t quite at the level.
“We came hard late, but it’s hard to make up that sort of gap late in a game because they’ve got some serious quality.
“We took it up to them, but were not quite good enough in the end.”
Second quarters have been an issue for Adelaide in three of its four losses this year.
Although they won the term against GWS in round 1, the Crows were outscored 7.2 to 2.3 against Richmond, 3.2 to 0.4 by the Magpies and 6.2 to 4.0 versus Geelong.
It has not been a trend across all matches, having won the second quarters in three of the other four games.
Errant goalkicking, which proved costly against Collingwood with 7.16, was a problem for the Crows again early on Saturday.
They were unable to capitalise on a promising start, slotting 2.4 in the first term, albeit the Cats were also inaccurate (2.6 in the opening quarter, 14.14 for the match).
In all, Adelaide looks a much improved side this year.
The growth on-field is coinciding with the team’s increased belief for such matches as these, despite Geelong’s imposing home record and the Crows starting as underdogs.
“We’re going into these games without intimidation or thinking ‘we’ll give it a crack’, we’re thinking ‘we’re going to win’,” O’Brien said.
“That’s where we’re at.
“We were right with them at the end and certainly know we can win these games against the best teams.”
Being able to beat them is the difference between ending the season as a gritty team on the rise and knocking on the door of the finals.
After playing two premiership contenders this past fortnight, Adelaide’s tricky run of games continues over the next month.
St Kilda (home), the Western Bulldogs (Ballarat) and Brisbane (home) await, before a match in Darwin against the improving Gold Coast.
Even coming off two losses, it is understandable why Adelaide will go into those games with confidence.
The Crows lost inside 50s (43-36), clearances (43-37), contested possessions (145-129) and contested marks (17-11) against the Cats yet still found a way to stay in the hunt until late.
Former captain Rory Sloane addressed his teammates on field after the final siren, telling them he was proud that they kept fighting and they should walk off with their heads held high.
Adelaide has taken a big step in its development this year, but to take some scalps, it can ill-afford to concede run ons of goals, as it has these past two weeks.
MATCH REPORT
Just when the Dangerfield Express had seemingly reached terminal velocity, a hamstring-induced derailment has put the Cats skipper’s health back on to season 2023 news lists.
Patrick Dangerfield, 33, heavily praised in recent weeks as having fully regained the damaging speed and power of his early career, suffered a left hamstring injury late in the second quarter of the Cats’ 26-point win over Adelaide at GMHBA Stadium.
Dangerfield, replaced by sub Oliver Dempsey to start the third quarter, had again been the most influential player in the opening half as the Cats booted six second-term goals to establish the match-winning break they didn’t relinquish.
The 2016 Brownlow Medal winner had been widely regarded as being on track to earn what would be a record nine All Australian blazers and was again top of the Cats’ stats list with 16 gilt-edged disposals by half time, including nine in a dominant second term.
Dangerfield has a history of soft-tissue injuries in his legs, including in 2022 when the Cats successfully managed his workload after an early calf injury, but he missed more than a month mid-season and wasn’t “let loose” until the finals.
The Crows also suffered an injury blow when backman Nick Murray was subbed at halftime with a suspected concussion.
The visitors shuffled admirably as Jeremy Cameron threatened to take advantage of the resultant mismatch left when Mitch Hinge was given the defensive task.
A gallant Adelaide was within three goals for long periods of the final term after Izak Rankine’s second major and enjoyed the lions’ share of possession.
A string of poor choices and execution in transition butchered their chances.
Taylor Walker’s third goal cut the margin to two straight kicks and Rankine had one final chance to ratchet up the pressure when he burned off Mitch Duncan in a members’ wing foot race, but centred when perhaps he could have run on and kicked at goal himself.
But it was fitting that Cameron effectively ended the match with a sensational soaring mark that ultimately gave Tanner Bruhn the final goal.
ESAVING GRACE
He’s taken an odd path to the title, but Esava Ratugolea is rapidly becoming a fan favourite for the Geelong faithful.
The powerfully built defender has played all eight games for the Cats this year after just four in 2022, bringing him to 67 in total after his debut back in 2018.
Coach Chris Scott was at pains last year to say the former Murray Bushranger wasn’t out of his thoughts during the premiership campaign, even though he played just one game after Round 3.
But now with a couple of big Cats sidelined, Ratugolea has seized his chance and improved to the point that he’s likely to have won a defensive post even when others return.
He was the standout best afield in the opening term against Adelaide, winning loud applause from the home crowd for his imposing spoils and impressive intercept marking and even topping the disposal charts as the Cats staved off the early Crow pressure.
It’s hard to imagine Sam De Koning not filling a key defensive post if and when Geelong has its full list available at the pointy end of the season, so the fight for selection will no doubt become a key topic again.
JEZZA DID WHAT??
There’s already talk of Jeremy Cameron being the toughest match-up in the league, but he may well have added even another string to his bow.
The athletic Geelong forward, whose pace, work rate and marking ability were thought to be his key goalkicking weapons, stunned even a couple of his teammates with his new addition in the dying seconds of the first half.
Cameron won a hard ball deep in the left forward pocket, used muscle then a deceptive weave to find just enough space to snap the bluest of blue-collar snap goals on his non-preferred right boot.
Good luck stopping that.
HOO ROO YIPS
All bar one of the few Crows fans in Kardinia Park seemed pretty impressed in the second term when Josh Rachele’s clever pass from a crowd in the left forward pocket found Reilly O’Brien on his own 40m out, directly in front.
Unfortunately for members of the O’Brien family, that person was Mark Ricciuto.
On the Triple M Adelaide microphone, Crows legend “Roo” drew a few giggles from his peers when he jokingly said of O’Brien’s mark was that “the only problem is he can’t kick”.
So they all had a good laugh when the big ruckman went back and slotted it through with the precision of Tony Lockett in his prime.
SCOREBOARD
GEELONG
2.6 (18) 8.8 (56) 10.11 (71) 14.14 (98)
ADELAIDE
2.4 (16) 6.4 (40) 8.5 (53) 11.6 (72)
VOTES
3: T.Stewart (GEE)
2: E.Ratugolea (GEE)
1: J.Dawson (ADE)
BEST:
Geelong: Stewart, Ratugolea, Smith, Z.Guthrie, Holmes.
Adelaide: Dawson, Murphy, Butts, Rankine, Smith.
GOALS:
Geelong: Cameron (3), Simpson (2), Hawkins, Holmes, Miers, O.Henry, Atkins, Smith, Knevitt, Blicavs, Bruhn.
Adelaide: Walker (3), Rankine (2), Pedlar (2), O’Brien, Hinge, Sloane, Sholl.
INJURIES:
Geelong: Dangerfield (hamstring).
Adelaide: Murray (concussion).
CROWD: 21,415 at GMHBA Stadium.
CATS COACH’S PRAISE FOR IMPROVING CROWS
Mark Hayes
Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks wouldn’t hear a bad word of his charges’ effort against Geelong at GMHBA Stadium, but admits the need for a win will soon become pressing.
The emerging Crows, as they had been against another premiership contender Collingwood six days earlier, were gallant in a 26-point loss to the champs in a result that flattered the hosts with Adelaide having been within two kicks in time-on in the final term.
But as proud as Nicks was, he knows the need to validate effort and form with a win is approaching rapidly, especially in the middle of a nasty stretch of the fixture with key games against fellow finals aspirants St Kilda, Western Bulldogs and Brisbane in the next three weeks.
“We’re confident we’re playing much better, stronger and more consistent footy,” Nicks said of his club that has now lost 13 straight games on the road to Geelong dating back to 2003.
“And the run we’re on at the moment … if you were a realist you’d say they were tough games to win.
“But you do need wins (to seal the improvement). There’ll be a point when you’ve got to get the wins (to take that next step).
“But we’re in a pretty tough stretch at the moment … we won’t go away from here with any negative thoughts, just lick our wounds and get on with it.
“Although we’re disappointed, our guys showed some great resilience today. It’s such a tough road trip, I thought (the Cats were) outstanding – their pressure was up, tackling was at another level and their defence was really strong, so they had the game on their terms for a fair bit.
“But we didn’t give up, I was really proud of the resilience our boys showed – in games like that when Geelong get a run-on, the momentum can get away from your and I thought our guys hung in all day and in the last quarter we were really taking it to them in the last 10 minutes of the game, but things didn’t fall our way.
“The effort just did not drop off, so I’m pleased that we brought it today – just not quite at the level you need to beat Geelong at Geelong.”
Nicks said there had been no residual damage mentally from the agonising one-point loss at home to the Magpies last Sunday.
“No, probably the opposite to be honest. We had a really strong week on the track, took good learnings out of it and positive attitudes.
“It’s a sign that we’re on the right path.”
Another pleasing aspect for the Crows was the form of its backline, in particular the key defenders.
Jordon Butts held Tom Hawkins to a solitary goal, while a combination of Nick Murray – subbed out at halftime with concussion – and Mitch Hinge held Jeremy Cameron to only good, not the great he has recently been.
“Jordy is rock solid. He loves a challenge and there’s no bigger challenge (than Hawkins),” Ncks said.
“Nick on Cameron until he was taken out was really strong (and) then the job Hingey was able to do post that (was good), too.
“I know Jeremy can run all day and he tested him out, but Hingey stood up as and I thought our backs did well under pressure.”
Cats coach Chris Scott, while content with his forwards’ output, was impressed by the Adelaide backline.
“At halftime, with Hinge having to go to Cameron, on paper looked like a challenge for them, but they did a good job,” said Scott, who’s rarely drawn to comment on specific opponents in post-game interviews.
“If your contention is that some slightly unheralded Adelaide backs did a good job, I’d agree with that.
“But their defence, if you don’t know them well, you will soon.”
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