The performance of Collingwood midfielders Adam Treloar and Scott Pendlebury again raises the question about Adelaide’s midfield accountability
Adam Treloar enjoyed the lack of attention from the Adelaide midfield on Saturday, taking the game away from the Crows in an outstanding 12-disposal third term. So where was the accountability?
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After a slow start, Collingwood star Adam Treloar’s blistering third-quarter took the game right away from the Crows on Saturday.
The competition’s leading ball-winner, who was averaging 34 per game prior to Round 22, recorded just four disposals in the opening term.
The midfield battle was tight early and midway through the second-quarter, when Treloar had only tallied three more touches of the footy, it appeared Crow Bryce Gibbs was putting some heat on the 26-year-old at stoppages.
But it was just Gibbs’ turn, as part of Adelaide’s midfield rotation, to man him up.
Besides a push-and-shove involving Richard Douglas in the third term, it was something not many other Crows did enough of for the rest of the afternoon.
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The explosive Treloar had 13 disposals by half-time and his eight contested possessions and three clearances were game highs.
With Adelaide winning the clearance count and Collingwood winning just one more contested possessions, the Crows were still in touch in the midfield and on the scoreboard — trailing by just 17 — at the major break.
But the Magpies, lead by Treloar, took the game away from the Crows with an electric opening six minutes of the second-half.
Collingwood dominated out of the centre square, recording the first five clearances and inside 50s of the quarter to boot three early goals to push its lead beyond five goals.
By the 10-minute mark, Treloar had tallied six disposals, three score involvements and two inside 50s.
And he didn’t stop there, winning the ball at the contest and hurting the Crows away from it.
The tough right-footer finished with 12 disposals, five contested possessions and four inside 50s for the quarter as his side blew the game wide open, taking a 48-point lead into the final change.
On the other side, Adelaide co-captain Rory Sloane had two third-quarter disposals and Brad Crouch four.
It’s no surprise the Magpies were +12 in contested possession and +7 in clearances for the quarter as they booted 6.3 — to Adelaide’s 1.2 — from 12 more forward-50 entries.
Treloar failed to cash in during the final-quarter onslaught, as the Magpies piled on another six goals, finishing with 27 disposals, 13 contested possessions, eight score involvements, six inside-50s and 116 Champion Data ranking points.
Importantly, Treloar didn’t record a single turnover.
But is that a sign of his significant improvement by foot or the lack of consistent midfield pressure from Adelaide?
Skipper Scott Pendlebury enjoyed the final term, however, capping off another terrific performance through the middle with 12 disposals of his own, to finish with 34 for the match.
Pendlebury tallied 24 uncontested possessions, 14 handball-receives and 10 marks as he was given far too much space and, given his quality, made the Crows pay, recording 10 score involvements and two goal assists, as his side ran out 66-point winners.
Don Pyke has refused to play a direct tag for most of the second-half of the year and the opposition’s key men have had a major influence, just as Treloar and Pendlebury did on Saturday.
Zach Merrett finished with 30 disposals and five scoring shots as he led a dominant second-half performance by the Bombers in Round 18.
A week later, Carlton’s Patrick Cripps tallied 39 disposals, 24 contested possessions and 19 clearances as the Blues beat the Crows at the MCG.
And, while the Crows were gallant in Perth, midfielders Luke Shuey and Andrew Gaff, who both finished with 29 disposals, had an influence.
There’s enough evidence now to suggest Adelaide’s midfield group must become more accountable.