Inconsistent Crows midfield holds key to result of Showdown 46
There is massive gulf between what the Crows midfield has dished up in its three losses compared to its four wins in 2019 and Showdown 46 will be decided in the middle, says Kane Cornes.
Kane Cornes
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Saturday’s Showdown is shaping up as a midfield war.
After the first four rounds of the season, Adelaide had recorded only one win.
It seemed that the rest of the competition had worked them out, in particular, the way the opposition could shut down Adelaide’s ball movement, which had many questioning Don Pyke’s negative game style.
Adelaide lost early season fixtures to Hawthorn and Geelong with Pyke unable to navigate the opposition’s spare numbers behind the play.
The midfield looked confused on where to kick the ball and the once dynamic forward line looked lost.
In the round four defeat to North Melbourne, Adelaide was kept to only 36 inside 50s as the backline to forward transition looked completely broken. Star forward Josh Jenkins was the scapegoat for that performance and he continues to languish in the SANFL.
During this lean patch, it was the forward line and the midfield connection that copped most of the criticism.
In Adelaide’s three losses this year the midfield has been smashed. Against the opposition, Adelaide is minus 10 in contested possession and minus seven in ground ball differential. They concede 87.5 points when they lose.
The stats would say it was the midfield who were mostly to blame for the losses but should equally be praised for the turnaround achieved over the last three weeks.
In its four wins, they are a massive plus 14 in contested possession differential against the opposition and plus eight in ground ball gets. In all four wins, they have only conceded only 63 points on average.
Clearly, Saturday’s Showdown will be won and lost in the engine room.
Port Adelaide’s midfield has performed strongly all year and sits fourth in the competition for both contested possession and ground ball gets differential.
The Power, under new midfield coach Jarrod Schofield is first in the competition at centre-bounce clearances. With Paddy Ryder and Scott Lycett going up against seven-game Adelaide ruckman Riley O’Brien Port Adelaide should be able to gain ascendancy from the middle again.
Which Adelaide midfield will turn up tomorrow? If it’s the one that fronted up in the first five weeks of the season they will lose badly but should the midfield of the last three weeks deliver they will win.
INCONSISTENT ADELAIDE IN 2019
Contested possession diff: Wins +14.3; losses -10.7
Groundball diff: Wins +8.0; losses -7.0
Inside 50 diff: Wins +5.5; losses -4.7
Time in forward half diff: Wins +3:36; losses -1:15
Points for: Wins 88.8; losses 63.0
Points against: Wins 52.5; losses 85.7
Points from turnovers: Wins 54.5; losses 32.3
Accuracy: Wins 47%; losses 37%
WINNERS
1. Broady’s back
Matthew Broadbent got hit in the head with a football and rolled his ankle in the final moments of a training session when he tried to playfully smother a ball. It’s led to 647 days in between AFL games. Well done to Port Adelaide and Ken Hinkley for sharing the amazing moment Broadbent and the team found out he was back in.
2. Media feuds
I love a good media feud (particularly when it doesn’t involve me) the stoush that erupted between Collingwood president Eddie McGuire and Fox Footy’s Mark Robinson on Wednesday was savage. It started when Robinson criticised McGuire for commenting on the Carlton coaching position while he is president of a rival club. Eddie fired back and accused Robinson of jealously before Robbo hit back in the Herald Sun. Stay tuned for round four.
3. Leave it to me Oll´
Port Adelaide’s Tom Rockliff averages 40 disposals and eight clearances when Ollie Wines hasn’t been in the team this year. With Wines out injured expect Rockliff to dominate through the midfield again in tomorrow’s Showdown.
4. Cameron’s courage
My favourite act in football is a player fearlessly running back with the flight of the ball to take a mark. Giants spearhead Jeremy Cameron’s grab against St. Kilda in round seven was everything that we love about the game of AFL.
5. Selfless cat
Tom Hawkins could be the most selfless player in the competition. His role has changed in 2019 and he now spends the majority of his game time playing up the ground to allow the dangerous Gary Rohan to play out of the goal square. There’s so much to like about the Cats in 2019
LOSERS
1. Cop that!
There’s no more vulnerable position to be in as a player than when you are on the end of a venomous tirade from the senior coach. Power boss Ken Hinkley went straight to captain Ollie Wines and ruckman Scott Lycett at quarter time on Friday night and let both have it. Hinkley’s words can be cutting and with the national television cameras locked on, all you can do as a player is cop it sweet.
2. May causing mayhem
Melbourne gave up its prized number six pick in last year’s super draft for Gold Coast captain Steven May. May was publicly criticised by coach Simon Goodwin for turning up to his new club out of shape and this week was forced to apologise for breaking team rules by drinking while injured. He has only played one game in 2019 and Melbourne must be regretting recruiting him.
3. Split personality
Which Essendon, Fremantle, Western Bulldogs and Melbourne teams are going to turn up each week is a complete mystery. All four are capable of beating the best teams in the competition yet have also looked extremely mediocre for large parts of this year.
4. Two steps back
There had been some horrific losses for Brendan Bolton during his four year helm at Carlton but last Sunday’s defeat to seller dwellers North Melbourne was his worst. Post-game the club players inexcusably said they weren’t ready mentally. With only four wins from his last 39 games Bolton’s coaching career is running out of oxygen and the Blues will most likely have a new coach in season 2020.
5. Wingard’s woes
Three weeks ago Hawthorn’s Chad Wingard called Adelaide a fish bowl and declared that the South Australian media make up stories. Ironically the Victorian press have put the blowtorch on Wingard this week as his early season form is at a career low with some even questioning his character. Chad, the grass is never greener.
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