Adelaide coach Don Pyke says the Crows weren’t brave enough against the Tigers
CROWS coach Don Pyke is baffled on WHY it happened, but knows exactly HOW Adelaide lost Saturday’s AFL grand final to Richmond by 48 points.
CROWS coach Don Pyke is baffled on WHY it happened, but knows exactly HOW Adelaide lost Saturday’s AFL grand final to Richmond by 48 points at the MCG.
And as Pyke looks at the statistics sheets to underline how losing contested football — critically by almost 30 in a 49-minute blackout of goal scoring in the second and third terms while Richmond put on seven goals — the second-year coach is wondering why his players failed to match the Tigers for effort.
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“It was a poor performance,” said Pyke while putting himself in the line for criticism of his work, particularly in not finding new themes in a game that played into Richmond’s hands.
“Players — and coaches — we would say we could have been better. Clearly we could have been better. We’re in it together. We win as one. We lose as one.
“There are a lot of things that are hard from a coaching viewpoint. It is hard to provide effort. The players are responsible for effort. We try to encourage that (effort to come forward); we demand it.
“But when the numbers in the contest are that far down, we (as coaches) try to do some structural things but you are trying to put a patch on what is a fair wound.
“We had a bad day … we really did. We played poorly. And let’s be fair to Richmond — they brought huge effort.
“Richmond outworked us at the contest — and won the contest,” added Pyke of the Tigers who ended their 37-year premiership drought.
“It is important we now reflect and ask, ‘What do we learn out of this week?’ It is a long way back (to the grand final).
“They are shattered the players. They put a lot of energy into the season and walk away with nothing.”
Adelaide’s performance in the club’s third AFL grand final contrasted so much of the Crows game that delivered the minor premiership with 17 wins and a draw in the 22-round home-and-away series and the two lead-up finals.
“We weren’t prepared to be brave with our ball movement,” said Pyke, after the Crows managed just eight goals and 60 points in total after averaging 110 this season. “That is a credit to Richmond for the pressure they put on.
“The (Crows forwards) would sit down, reflect and say it was not their best day.”
Adelaide’s key forwards — captain Taylor Walker and Josh Jenkins — scored two goals in total, both from Walker.
Adelaide lost the key contested ball count — the figure that was the focus of Pyke’s work this year after being exposed in this category in last year’s semi-final loss to Sydney — by 30, 170-140.
“Clearly, no doubt — it is quite clear that just towards the end of that second quarter and in the third quarter the (contested-ball differential) was -27 … and that is a phenomenal number,” Pyke said.
“You have to win your share and get field position. We won the ball in the back half of the field (more often) — and were on the back foot.”
Pyke had no update on the future of young defender Jake Lever who is expected to seek a trade to a Victorian-based club, most likely Melbourne.