Carlton star Patrick Cripps has a day out at the MCG — at the Crows’ expense
Adelaide coach Don Pyke claimed he had a plan to limit the influence of Carlton midfield bull Patrick Cripps but whatever it was, it just didn’t work.
Don Pyke said Adelaide would have a plan for Carlton superstar Patrick Cripps, Crows fans are still wondering what it actually was.
After Zach Merrett torched the Crows midfield, and inspired Essendon to a second-half blitz at Adelaide Oval last week of course the question would be whether Cripps would be allowed to do the same.
To be fair even Superman would have struggled to deal with Cripps (195cm, 93kg) in the mood he was in on Saturday.
But if Pyke had a plan to restrict him, then it failed miserably.
Before his side jetted to Melbourne, Pyke was confident of being able to negate the influence of Carlton’s star co-captain cracking a smile when he said “we will wait and see” as to the Crows’ plan.
“We have had a look at Cripps and understand that he is an influential player from a contest and stoppage viewpoint so we have some things in place for that,” he said at West Lakes on Friday.
“But we are mindful that if there is a player who is having a serious influence on the game we need to do something about.”
Just over 24 hours, 39 disposals, an all-time-record equalling 19 clearances and a goal later, it is fair to Cripps did have a “serious influence” at the MCG.
The Crows backed their midfield to go head-to-head with Cripps, but they were simply pushed aside by one of the competition’s best.
The Crows’ first-choice midfield of Rory Sloane, Brad and Matt Crouch all had their moments on him, but it was to no avail.
And with no recognised, or part-time tagger in the team — Cripps has been silenced by the Giants Matt de Boer and Essendon’s Dylan Clarke this year — the Crows had no plan b.
After Cripps gathered 21 possessions and 10 clearances at halftime, it looked like Brad Crouch would be giving the Blues star some close attention when the teams emerged for the third quarter.
But like the first, Cripps was allowed to roam free at the MCG — and he made the Crows pay especially in the big moments.
After the Crows tackled their way potentially back into the match especially in their forward 50, Cripps had no-one near him at the very first bounce of the final quarter when he seized on a Reilly O’Brien tap and set up Michael Gibbons for a quick-fire goal.
And then after two Crows goals, he was at his rampaging best to set up Will Setterfield for the sealer.
Down at Glenelg the dropped Hugh Greenwood and forgotten man Bryce Gibbs both recorded double digit clearances, Gibbs recording 10 to go along with a 40 disposal, 10 tackle game while Greenwood had 23 touches and a game-high 11 clearances.
Neither would tag, but did show what the Crows missed as they were completely outgunned in clearances by Carlton, 29 to 52 across the ground, eight to 17 in the centre and 21 to 35 at stoppages.
After copping flack for a lack of forward 50 pressure, and tackles by the forwards, leading to the shock dropping of Eddie Betts — who finished with four goals in the SANFL — it looked to be a case of different week same result for the Crows after just the two forward half tackles in the first half.
But the Crows lifted, and piled on 19 tackles in the forward 50 in the third and fourth quarters and even out-tackled the Blues 85 to 69.
Small forward Lachlan Murphy had seven of them, while mainly quiet outside of his two goals Tyson Stengle — in for Betts — finished with four tackles.
QUARTER-BY-QUARTER UPDATES
FIRST QUARTER
Blues 4.4 (28)
Crows 4.0 (24)
Adelaide made a big call at the selection table, dropping fan favourite Eddie Betts, and the Crows couldn’t have hoped for a better start in the opening minutes with their forwards repaying the faith shown in them.
Tyson Stengle, the replacement for Betts, kicked the first goal of the game with a fine finish off the side of his foot after good movement to get away from Carlton’s Liam Jones just two minutes in and three minutes later Lachlan Murphy added to the Crows tally.
But Carlton lifted, smashing the Crows in the middle of the ground and again exploited Adelaide’s lack of forward pressure, to fire back through the damaging Patrick Cripps, Matthew Kennedy and Darcy Lang to level up the scores.
Taylor Walker’s second of the game, after a 100m penalty, regained the Crows the lead but a fine mark from Jack Silvagni helped the Blues to a well-earned four-point buffer at quarter time.
SECOND QUARTER
Blues 7.8 (50)
Crows 5.4 (34)
It has been Adelaide’s second halves that have been causing the Crows problems in recent weeks, at the MCG it was their efforts in the second quarter that allowed Carlton to take a firm grip on the game.
With the Crows’ defensive pressure again non-existent, with only two tackles in their forward half, Carlton were able to kick three straight — through Harry McKay and two to Levi Casboult — to go 22-points up.
Walker’s third, a fine effort from a tight angle, got the Crows to within 15 and after being let off by inaccurate kicking by Carlton Adelaide held on to go into the half-time break still within sight of the Blues.
THIRD QUARTER
Blues 10.9 (69)
Crows 7.5 (47)
The Crows started the quarter stronger, winning most of the contest around the ground, but they didn’t take advantage of this to impact the scoreboard in any way.
And Carlton made them pay for it, with Casboult kicking his third with a sensational effort off the run from 50m and at the 10 minute mark Andrew Phillips put the Blues a game-high 28 points ahead.
Paul Seedsman responded with a fine goal for the Crows, then after being anonymous since opening the scoring Stengle kicked his second of the game with nine to go to drag Adelaide back into the match but this was short lived as Kade Simpson’s goal helped the Blues to a 22-point lead.
FOURTH QUARTER
Blues 13.9 (87)
Crows 9.5 (59)
He dominated the Crows all game and from the first bounce Cripps continued to torch Adelaide midfielders, winning the ball and setting up Josh Deluca for his first goal as a Blue.
Brad Crouch kicked Adelaide’s first of the final term after six minutes and the Crows continued to chip away at the deficit, Josh Jenkins finally kicking his first to pull them to within three goals.
But the Blues withstood all that the Crows could throw at them and then after more good work by Cripps, who had a career best game equalling the all-time record for clearances, Will Settlefield kicked the goal to seal it and consign Adelaide to its fourth defeat in five matches.
CARLTON V ADELAIDE
MCG, Saturday, 1.40pm
Weather: Mostly cloudy, max 14C
TV: Fox Sports 503 (live), Channel 7 (delay — 4.25pm)
Radio: FIVEaa, TripleM, ABC891
Live stream: Kayosports.com.au
BLUES
B: Plowman, Jones, Newman
HB: Thomas, Weitering, Simpson
C: Setterfield, Cripps, O’Brien
HF: Gibbons, Casboult, Deluca
F: Fisher, McKay, Silvagni
FOLL: Phillips, E. Curnow, Walsh
I/C: Petrevski-Seton, Murphy, Lang, Kennedy
EMG: Lobbe, Macreadie, Fasolo, Dow
IN: Phillips
OUT: Kreuzer
CROWS
B: Brown, Talia, Hartigan
HB: Smith, Kelly, Laird
C: Knight, Sloane, Milera
HF: B. Crouch, Walker, Lynch
F: Murphy, Jenkins, Stengle
FOLL: O’Brien, M. Crouch, Wilson
I/C: Seedsman, Mackay, Atkins, Otten
EMG: Jacobs, Douglas, Fogarty, Keath
IN: Stengle, Wilson, Otten
OUT: Keath, Betts, Greenwood