After going scoreless in first quarters this season, coach Matthew Clarke turns heat up on his slow-starting Adelaide Crows
Having fallen out of the blocks in the past two games, Crows AFLW coach Matthew Clarke says his side must begin well against Geelong on Sunday or risk putting its season in jeopardy.
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Crows AFLW coach Matthew Clarke has called on his team to hit the ground running against Geelong at Kardinia Park on Sunday, warning another slow start could severely dent its premiership chances.
The reigning premier has walked out of the gates in its first two matches against Brisbane and St Kilda, being outscored by a total of 20 points in the first half before producing strong second halves.
Adelaide (1-1) has yet to score in the opening term and while it stormed home in the final quarter to beat the Saints, Clarke knows if it keeps giving its rivals a start it will not win a third flag.
“For two weeks in a row we’ve been a bit slow out of the blocks,’’ Clarke said.
“Both of our first halves have been below the standard we want to play at.
“Both second halves have been pretty solid and while in the first week we weren’t able to bridge that gap (against the Lions), last week we were able to (against the Saints).
“The message is ‘let’s not put ourselves in that circumstance’, although the pleasing aspect has been that in both games there has been a willingness to continue to work to try to get an outcome even if things haven’t started as well as we would have liked.’’
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Clarke said the slow starts had been caused by “our defensive pressure not being quite where we’ve needed it to be’’.
“Once we bring that, other good things start to happen,’’ he said.
“So that’s probably the main message, to make sure that our intensity is at the level.
“Obviously, your opposition is a significant contributor to it and in both cases the opposition played pretty well and we have to acknowledge that, but we’d like to play a little bit better.’’
Adelaide is living on the edge without superstar Erin Phillips as she continues her rehabilitation from a knee reconstruction, and got out of jail to beat St Kilda with late goals last week.
However, it will be boosted by the return from injury of star defender Courtney Cramey.
The Cats are winless, but Clarke is wary of their attacking game style and playing at a venue the Crows have yet to test.
“They have some exciting young talent,” Clarke said.
“I like the style of game they play and it’s going to be a good challenge, particularly on their home deck, which is not insignificant.
“We haven’t been there but having been a part of the men’s program for a long time, it is a little bit different in terms of the narrowness of the ground, it's a long, narrow ground, and I’m sure they’ll have really good support, which can help a little bit.’’