AFL Round 4 power rankings: Early warning signs for the Adelaide Crows

THE Adelaide Crows’ start to the season has been a rollercoaster and the early signs aren’t great. Reece Homfray dissects five warning signs in this week’s power rankings.

The Crows need more goals out of Eddie Betts, but a hamstring injury might put those plans on hold for the time being.

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THE season is only four games in and Adelaide has broken even with a 2-2 record but the Crows are riding a rollercoaster and there are some early warning signs that this may be a different team to last year.

Their average score is down from 107 to 91 and they were held to just 58 by a harder, hungrier and more composed Collingwood on Friday night.

Personnel has clearly changed and injuries aren’t helping but every team has injuries.

As the Crows prepare for Sydney on Friday night, here are five warning signs that need addressing.

Eddie Betts tries to tackle Collingwood’s Brayden Maynard before leaving the field with a hamstring injury on Friday night. Picture: James Elsby/AFL Media/Getty Images

1. Tackling. Or lack of. Adelaide’s combined tackle tally is 244-268 so not a huge disparity, but it has only won the tackle count once.

Having 10 less tackles than Collingwood who whipped them by eight goals on Friday night is a worry.

2. Contested ball. On the surface things don’t seem too bad for the Crows which have broken even 631-633. But like the tackle count, they’ve only won contested ball against Richmond.

Rory Sloane was brutally honest after Friday’s loss to Collingwood saying if they don’t play every game like it’s their last then this will happen.

3. Sore boys. Adelaide has not had an injury list like this for a long time, certainly not in Don Pyke’s time, and it’s not the number of injuries but the quality of players who are missing. Both Crouch boys are out, Riley Knight and Sam Gibson are yet to play, Eddie Betts has hurt his hamstring and Sloane is clearly sore.

4. Misfiring stars. Sloane is struggling and Betts has been held goalless in three games. While he’s been lauded for his pressure acts and unselfish footy, the Crows need goals and the one constant in Adelaide’s rise up the ladder in the past four years has been Betts’ impact on the scoreboard with 55, 75, 63 and 51 goals in each of the past four seasons.

5. Ruck woes. Hit-outs aren’t a reflection of a ruckman’s true influence on a game because if you’re the only one going for the ball then of course your hit-out tally is going to be high. Where Sam Jacobs has made his mark in recent seasons is contested marking and goals but that’s just not happening for him. He is yet to kick a goal and has taken six contested marks in total when there were times last year when he would clunk six in a game.

Jack Gunston and Luke Breust celebrate a goal for the streaking Hawks yesterday.

ROUND 4 POWER RANKINGS

1. HAWTHORN (3-1)

Number one team in the competition right now and kicked seven unanswered goals against the Dees. That’s also the first time Jaeger O’Meara has played four games in a row since 2014.

2. SYDNEY (3-1)

Had an unexpected fight on their hands to beat the Western Bulldogs but did what they had to when it mattered in the final quarter. Top disposal winner was Jake Lloyd and Dane Rampe both with 23 which shows the even spread.

3. PORT ADELAIDE (3-1)

Loved seeing more of Robbie Gray in the middle and clearly he did too with 39 touches and 10 clearances but the Power looked slow, reactive and have slipped to third spot on the rankings.

4. WEST COAST (3-1)

The Eagles are the big mover this week. They put the competition on notice with a spirited win over Geelong last week and backed it up with an 80-point thumping of the Suns.

5. RICHMOND (3-1)

No premiership hangover at Richmond. Dustin Martin kicked six goals on Saturday which was one every three possessions.

6. GWS (3-1)

Solid enough win for the Giants without their gun midfielder Josh Kelly.

7. ADELAIDE (2-2)

Drop down the rankings after such a disappointing showing. Riley Knight (25 touches, 7 tackles) and Curtly Hampton (14 and 10) will come under strong consideration to play Sydney.

8. COLLINGWOOD (2-2)

Couldn’t have been more impressive against Adelaide and their two losses have been against Hawthorn and GWS.

9. GEELONG (2-2)

Good response to last week’s fadeout against West Coast in Perth. Started strongly against the Saints and were never in danger, now a big trip to Adelaide to play the Power.

10. ESSENDON (2-2)

Devon Smith has been huge and his chase down tackle on Darcy Byrne-Jones and then Brad Ebert early in the third quarter highlights his pressure. The Bombers are going to be very hard to beat at Etihad.

11. N. MELBOURNE (2-2)

Did I underestimate North Melbourne or over-estimate Carlton? A bit of both but that’s a 2-2 start for the Kangaroos who aren’t without a chance against the Hawks this weekend.

12. MELBOURNE (2-2)

Total horror show against the Hawks at the MCG. Gave up seven unanswered goals and Tomas Bugg’s 4.1 to 0.4 highlights their inconsistency.

13. GOLD COAST (2-2)

The wheels haven’t fallen off but the last two weeks have been a bit of a reality check for the Suns going into the Q-clash.

14. FREMANTLE (2-2)

Smashed in contested ball and tackles which made for an ugly day against the Giants but 2-2 after a reasonably tough start isn’t a disaster by any means.

15. W. BULLDOGS (1-2)

Didn’t get the four points against Sydney but made a statement that they’re up for the fight. Aaron Naughton’s collision with Buddy Franklin in the final term showed that.

16. ST KILDA (1-3)

Still looking for that spark this season and it didn’t come against the Cats yesterday.

17. BRISBANE (0-4)

Two steps forward, one step back for the Lions but this was a huge step back.

18. CARLTON (0-4)

Without being too dramatic it’s just about groundhog day at Carlton. North Melbourne isn’t exactly a powerhouse.

Magpies ruckman Brodie Grundy celebrates a goal against the Crows. Picture: James Elsby/AFL Media/Getty Images

GOOD WEEKEND FOR ...

Brodie Grundy. He was the No.18 pick in the 2012 draft and apart from Ollie Wines and Joe Daniher I reckon he’d go No.1 if that draft was held again now. A ruckman having 33 disposals in the wet is elite.

ONE TO FORGET FOR ...

Brendon Bolton. That’s a 0-4 start and the Blues have only won one of their past 14 games in a horror run.

BURNING QUESTION

With the Crouch brothers out the Crows desperately need Sloane but with five months to finals is it best to rest his sore foot now in a case of short term pain for long term gain?