West Adelaide lose by 33 points to Central District

WEST Adelaide coach Mark Mickan was left to lament an inexplicable drop in workrate after his side’s 33-point loss to Central District at Elizabeth Oval on Saturday.

WEST Adelaide coach Mark Mickan was left to lament an inexplicable drop in workrate after his side’s 33-point loss to Central District at Elizabeth Oval on Saturday.

The Bloods were impressive in the opening quarter, stifling Central’s run with fierce defensive pressure to ensure the footy was trapped in their attacking half for long periods and that they led by two points at the first break.

Yet the Bulldogs simply ran, tackled and worked harder for the next three quarters to record a win that keeps their finals hopes alive.

In a sign of the gulf of workrate, Central finished with a 57-31 advantage in the tackle count despite having 39 more possessions.

And while West had only a few shining lights — namely Travis Tuck (26 disposals, 12 clearances) and Shannon Green (21 disposals, six rebound 50s) — the Bulldogs had barely any passengers.

Both clubs now sit two wins outside the top five, with 5-8 records, going into the split round.

“We had a promising start and I thought we were really positive early with ball use and pressure,” Mickan said.

West Adelaide coach Mark Mickan. Picture Stephen Laffer

“Then there was a very difficult to explain drop-off in the second and third quarters ... there was a lack of pressure on the ball and poor ball use which gave opportunities for Centrals to score.

“All year we’ve had a real battle away from home and that’s also hard to explain because it’s not like you have to travel three hours in a plane, it’s just half an hour down the road.”

But Mickan insisted his side was capable of playing finals.

“If we keep winning it keeps us in the hunt.”

In the first quarter, Central often overused the ball, chipping it around to try to penetrate West’s defensive press.

But the Bulldogs showed some zip after quarter-time, moving the ball quicker and playing on more often.

Their runners became more adventurous and started breaking the lines, and AFL draft prospect Josh Glenn (29 disposals, nine inside 50s) used the ball with precision.

Central pushed out to a 30-point lead at the start of the last quarter before West fought back, winning some key clearances and clutching marks inside 50.

The Bloods cut the margin to 14 points but were left to rue four misses at goal earlier in the term.

In Central’s two next forays forward, Retzlaff and Goodrem booted majors to ice the game.

Had Central lost the match it would have been all but out of the finals race.

Instead coach Roy Laird said his side would go into game against the Eagles with confidence.

“We feel we’re growing, improving and these sort of challenges, you need to meet them head on,” Laird said.

“We’re looking forward to it.

“Our overall workrate was good (and) there were no real passengers today.

“I thought it was a pretty solid effort.”