Adelaide’s hopes of making the top four are hanging by a thread after a shock loss to GWS
ADELAIDE’S top four hopes are hanging by a thread after the Giants rewrote history by beating it at Adelaide Oval for the first time. Where did it all go wrong for the Crows?
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ADELAIDE’S top four hopes are hanging by a thread after the Giants rewrote history by beating it at Adelaide Oval for the first time.
The Crows lost a final quarter lead to slump to consecutive defeats for the first time this season and have now lost three of their past four matches to slump to a 6-5 record — two wins outside the top four.
And this time they cannot blame injuries for the below-par performance, with Greater Western Sydney, which won by 16 points, being equally hard hit on the injury scoreboard.
GAME RECAP: HOW THE GIANTS TOPPED THE CROWS
Adelaide struggled for any cohesion all night but managed to grab a three-point lead early in the final term before Giants key forward Jeremy Cameron took over.
He bagged two crucial goals in the final stanza as GWS finished the game full of running.
The shock victory snapped a four-game losing streak by the Giants (5-1-5) and kept them in touch with the top eight.
GWS midfielder Dylan Shiel described the hard-fought win as one of the best he has been involved with.
“Adelaide had the momentum in the first 10 minutes of the last quarter and in the past month we would have crumbled and been run over but this time we managed to grind our way back, so it was a great effort,’’ he said.
The Giants dominated the midfield through Shiel, Callan Ward, Stephen Coniglio and Josh Kelly while Ryan Griffen and Zac Langdon were outstanding as small forwards and Cameron shone when most needed.
The Crows had only a handful of strong four quarter contributors, with Bryce Gibbs, Rory Laird, Matt Crouch and Richard Douglas battling hard.
Adelaide, which was thumped by Melbourne by 91 points in Alice Springs, is now in big trouble with the toughest part of its fixture still to come.
It plays Fremantle in Perth next Sunday before meeting Hawthorn at the MCG prior to its round 14 bye.
The Crows then face tough tests against the top two teams, West Coast and Richmond.
The Giants began the game averaging only 55 points in their previous four matches and it was a familiar South Australian name that got them moving.
After the Crows surprised by starting Wayne Milera in attack after he had begun to make his mark as a playmaking defender, former Bulldog Griffen got off the leash.
Stationed in attack, the 31-year-old veteran kicked two goals in two minutes after Douglas had opened the goalkicking with some superb crumbing work.
Playing up forward, Croweater Griffen first took a strong pack mark and then snapped brilliantly with his left foot from 40m as GWS showed strong early intent.
GWS kicked three of the first four goals to lead by 14 points with its advantage built on inspired tackling.
But with Douglas creating havoc at the other end of the ground — he had three shots at goal in the opening term, kicking 2.1 — Adelaide withstood the Giants’ early onslaught to take a slender four-point lead at quarter-time.
GWS however refused to be denied and with Langdon joining Griffen in being a surprise forward packet it made the most of its midfielders’ dominance to break to an 18-point at the long break.
The Giants’ 61 points to the half was more than their average total for the previous month.
In contrast, the Crows were getting little from their forwards, with their tall targets Josh Jenkins, Tom Lynch and Darcy Fogarty having just 10 disposals between them and failing to kick a goal.
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GWS 3.5 9.7 11.10 14.13 (97)
ADELAIDE 4.3 6.7 9.10 11.15 (81)
BEST — GWS: Shiel, Ward, Langdon, Kelly, Coniglio, Griffen, Cameron, Patton. Adelaide: Gibbs, Laird, M. Crouch, Greenwood, Douglas, Seedsman.
GOALS — GWS: Cameron, Langdon, Griffen 3, Coniglio 2, Shiel, Himmelberg, Lobb. Adelaide: Douglas, Seedsman, Betts 2, Jenkins, Atkins, Milera, Fogarty, Murphy.
INJURIES — Adelaide: Lynch (ribs), Douglas (eye).
UMPIRES — L. Fisher, S. Meredith, D. Harris.
CROWD — 44,120 at Adelaide Oval.
HERALD SUN VOTES — 3: D. Shiel (GWS). 2: C. Ward (GWS). 1: Z. Langdon (GWS.).
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