Adelaide welcomed back Wayne Milera and he responded with three goals in a surprise shift forward
Adelaide’s Wayne Milera gave Crows fans a reason to be positive despite another heartbreaking close loss on Saturday. Plus: recap quarter-by-quarter reviews.
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- Match report: How Crows watched 33-point lead disappear
- Match centre: All the stats and SuperCoach scores
Adelaide’s hurt in a damaging, though honourable, loss to West Coast will be soothed by confirmation that Wayne Milera is its special one.
Don Pyke was once painted as the coach without a Plan B but landed a masterstroke move that saw Milera upstage West Coast’s gun defender Jeremy McGovern.
Milera, starting his first game since Round 5, sparked Adelaide when shifted onto McGovern for two second term goals.
It was the special night that AFL’s indigenous wonders pencil on the calendar and Milera shone, edging Adelaide ahead with a clutch set shot for his third in the final term. Eddie Betts (2) and Cam Ellis-Yolmen (30 disposals, 17 contested) flanked Milera in a crack triumvirate that deserved better than a 12-point defeat.
Milera represents the best of Adelaide’s young talent and showed why the hierarchy didn’t flinch in recalling its first pick in the 2015 national draft for unlucky Bryce Gibbs.
Adelaide was struggling to go with West Coast at quarter-time. West Coast’s tactic of turning it square and moving with lightning precision from half-back upset the Crows’ structure. Dom Sheed, Jack Petruccelle and Jack Darling escaped for goals out the back.
Pyke responded with “dirty-ball”, low range forward entry tactics and a mosquito forward line that negated West Coast aerial intercept superiority in wet conditions.
Betts, Lachy Murphy and Milera were stationed around Taylor Walker as Adelaide enjoyed a five-goal second term.
Milera was denied a 50 metre torpedo goal when Walker gave away a free against Brad Sheppard on the goal line in what was a disappointing, error-ridden night for the co-skipper who remains on 399 goals.
Mobile Milera wasn’t to be denied, out-marking McGovern and boot his first goal from an acute angle.
It was Betts’ magic when he beat Sheppard and Will Schofield in the left forward pocket before handballing over the top for Milera’s second.
Milera was giving McGovern the slip in way few can.
“Milera forward was an absolute masterstroke. He really dominated and provided a target. They didn’t have a target in the first quarter,” noted Adelaide legend and Fox Footy expert Mark Ricciuto
“Milera had gone forward for speed and defensive effort because all West Coast’s goals were coming from half back.”
Milera showed no rust despite five weeks sidelined by a dislocated shoulder and will be better for the run in a crunch game against Melbourne.
Adelaide will feel the pain at being overrun by West Coast despite holding a 33-point lead but can take heart from the individual brilliance and upside in Milera. The Eagles have eight wins fropm 10 starts at Adelaide Oval.
“He was the man that changed the game in the second quarter when he went on the McGovern,” said Ricciuto.
“He kicked three and could have been four.”
QUARTER-BY-QUARTER UPDATES
FIRST QUARTER
Crows 2.2 (14)
Eagles 3.3 (21)
Rory Sloane gets on the board early!#AFLCrowsEagles pic.twitter.com/TKpvamfsgh
— AFL (@AFL) May 25, 2019
Adelaide led clearances but consecutive goals Dom Sheed, Jack Petruccelle and Jack Darling finally cashed in on West Coast’s inside 50 dominance.
Mark Hutchings started on Rory Sloane who has struggled with hard tags before but the co-captain broke free for a first quarter goal, gathering and offloading with finesse despite the slippery conditions.
The AFL’s indigenous players mark Sir Doug Nicholls round in the calendar and Cam Ellis-Yolmen was ‘on’ with an opportunist snap for Adelaide’s opener.
SECOND QUARTER
Crows 7.8 (50)
Eagles 3.4 (22)
It's a goal....wait!
— AFL (@AFL) May 25, 2019
A Tex free kick against on the line denies Milera a goal â›”#AFLCrowsEagles pic.twitter.com/zHjEswgJcQ
Adelaide went with West Coast in a second term arm-wrestle before Wayne Milera broke free for the first goal of the term.
Milera was denied a 50m torpedo goal when Taylor Walker gave away a free against Brad Sheppard on the goal line.
However he refused to be denied, marking and kicking straight from an acute angle, then adding a second minutes later.
It was Eddie Betts’ magic when he beat Brad Sheppard and Will Schofield in the left forward pocket before handballing over the top for Milera’s second.
Adelaide’s clearance dominance was rewarded with another goal to Paul Seedsman.
THIRD QUARTER
Crows 9.10 (64)
Eagles 8.6 (54)
All too easy for Eddie Betts! #AFLCrowsEagles pic.twitter.com/prviwK3bt2
— AFL (@AFL) May 25, 2019
An Eddie Betts soccered goal and set shot fitted the narrative of his indigenous round goals of the year in the third term.
Adelaide was dominating contested ball but West Coast hit back against the run of play. Jamie Cripps (2) and spearhead Josh Kennedy made the most of slim pickings with crucial goals.
Jack Darling won a dubious goal square free against Daniel Talia as West Coast booted three goals in five minutes then Willie Rioli struck with an opportunist snap for a 10-point lead. West Coast scored goals from six successive inside 50 entries.
FOURTH QUARTER
Crows 10.13 (73)
Eagles 13.7 (85)
Is it just us or is it getting a bit hot in here? 🔥
— AFL (@AFL) May 25, 2019
Eagles claw back to within four points!#AFLCrowsEagles pic.twitter.com/9Q2vxtDyrq
Superstars make the difference and Josh Kennedy stood up with a clinch goal to start the fourth term and set up a 12 point win. Jamie Cripps also struck but it was Wayne Milera who restored Adelaide’s lead with his third goal.
However West Coast regained control with kick and mark prowess as Kennedy struck with another long bomb, his third. Two telling clearances from Luke Shuey shelled match-winning goals for Oscar Allen and Darling in a thriller. West Coast have won eight of 10 games at Adelaide Oval.
Some of the amazing Indigenous guernseys @rorysloane9 has collected over the years 😠#weflyasone pic.twitter.com/mcsu5rxXfZ
— Adelaide Crows (@Adelaide_FC) May 24, 2019
ADELAIDE V WEST COAST
Adelaide Oval, Saturday 4.05pm
TV: Fox Footy, Channel 7 (live)
RADIO: FIVEaa, TripleM, ABC891
LIVE STREAM: Kayosports.com.au
CROWS
B Alex Keath, Daniel Talia, Luke Brown
HB Jake Kelly, Kyle Hartigan, Rory Laird
C Brodie Smith, Brad Crouch, Wayne Milera
HF Lachlan Murphy, Taylor Walker, Tom Lynch
F Hugh Greenwood, Elliott Himmelberg, Eddie Betts
FOL Reilly O’Brien, Rory Sloane, Chayce Jones
I/C Jordan Gallucci, Reily Knight, Rory Atkins, Cameron Ellis-Yolmen
EMG Josh Jenkins, Bryce Gibbs, Paul Seedsman
IN
Wayne Milera
OUT
Bryce Gibbs (Omitted), Mackay
EAGLES
B Shannon Hurn, Will Schofield, Brad Sheppard
HB Liam Duggan, Jeremy McGovern, Tom Cole
C Dom Sheed, Elliot Yeo, Mark Hutchings
HF Jack Redden, Jack Darling, Willie Rioli
F Liam Ryan, Josh J. Kennedy, Jamie Cripps
FOL Nathan Vardy, Luke Shuey, Andrew Gaff
I/C Jake Waterman, Oscar Allen, Jack Petruccelle, Jackson Nelson
EMG Jarrod Cameron, Brendon Ah Chee, Matthew Allen, Josh Smith
IN
Will Schofield, Jake Waterman, Jackson Nelson
OUT
Lewis Jetta (Suspension), Daniel Venables (Injured), Tom Hickey (Injured)
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