Adelaide has plenty of work to do after flaws exposed by Hawthorn

For a side that looked so impressive during the pre-season, Adelaide was anything but against Hawthorn and has a bit of work to do to recapture its 2017 form.

Isaac Smith goes to great lengths to stop Adelaide’s Richard Douglas. Picture: Getty Images

For a side that looked so impressive during the pre-season and was supposedly ready to recapture its 2017 form, Adelaide has a bit of work to do.

Hawthorn, cleverly coached by Alastair Clarkson on Saturday at Adelaide Oval, provided the competition with a blueprint in how to beat the Crows: stifle them, keep their forward in check, don’t give them any time to create any of the outside run and all of the sudden it won’t get much use from its highly potent forward line.

When Adelaide’s plan A is taken away from them, that free-flowing playing on type of football, and it is forced to kick long and to contest it all just stops.

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The Crows had a couple of passages when they looked like the high-scoring and damaging side of the 2017 Grand Final side but they were effectively shut down and looked stilted and stop-start against Hawthorn.

Several of the players you expect to set up passages of gold — among them Brodie Smith, Wayne Milera and Brad Crouch — put teammates under the pump with rushed handballs when a kick would have been the better option or a short kick game their teammate no time.

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The three-quarter time margin of 32 points was flattering for the Crows because at that stage the Hawks had 23 scoring shots to 11.

They starved the Crows of time and space but created their own and players such as James Worpel caught the eye with his disposals, clearances and goals.

Brad Crouch is tackled by James Worpel. Picture: Sarah Reed

There was still a bit to like about the Crows but it was spasmodic.

This was a match that never really got flowing and to make matters worse it seems defender Tom Doedee will have a long spell on the sidelines with knee injury.

MILERA DANCING

It took only until the eighth minute for defender Wayne Milera to excite the crowd as he danced around three Hawthorn players in the back pocket and completed the play with a handball out of congestion.

Milera had a breakout season last year after moving into defence and has given every indication he will continue along the same lines in 2019.

PRESSURE TEST

The Hawks brought Adelaide’s kicking efficiency down to the 50 per cent mark late in the first quarter with the pressure that Don Pyke had predicted would be its greatest challenge in the lead-up to the match.

But the Hawks also managed to free up some players — chief among them James Sicily — who intercepted and made the Crows look hurried when they were going into attack.

Hawthorn’s Jaeger O'Meara pushes aside Rory Sloane. Picture: Sarah Reed

CHAYCE THE SHOE

There’s been a lot to like about the Crows’ first-round draft pick Chayce Jones during the practice matches and he continued to show glimpses of why they were so excited to snap him up in his debut against Hawthorn.

Jones kicked the first goal of his career late in the second quarter when there were only a few points separating the sides and it was a treat to watch. He took a steady chest mark in the run and then finished his work with a simple and clean kicking technique.

WINGING IT

Hawthorn gave an indication of how teams will be able to get numbers behind the ball despite the new set formations that dictate after each goal there has to be six players in defence, six in the midfield and six in attack.

Jarryd Roughead, who had played his customary role in attack, took the most defensive position allowed on the wing when the Hawks decided to cool down the game late in the first half so that he could make a quick dash into defence.

THE REAL THING

There is an enormous difference between the practice matches and Round 1 and it was on display at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night.

All of a sudden, having more of the ball doesn’t guarantee taking charge of the ball, turnovers are up and marks are down.

ADELAIDE 1.2 5.4 5.6 7.13 (55)

HAWTHORN 2.4 6.7 9.14 12. 15 (87)

BEST

Crows: Sloane, Matt Crouch, Laird, Keath, Kelly, Milera

Hawks: Worpel, Sicily, O’Meara, Impey, Shiels

GOALS

Crows: Betts, Brad Crouch 2, Sloane, Matt Crouch, Chayce Jones

Hawks: Worpel, O’Meara, McEvoy, Cousins 2, Gunston, Smith, Shiels, Breust

Umpires: Foot, Chamberlain, Gianfagna

Injuries: Tom Doedee (Adelaide) knee

Crowd: 50,180 at Adelaide Oval