Brand new ballgame: Crows wanting to finish disappointing AFL season with strong statement for what is to come
HAVING fallen well short of being an AFL pacesetter this season, the Crows want to finish the home-and-away series by rebuilding their reputation and playing to their ‘brand’ — starting with a Showdown win against the Power.
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ADELAIDE is not finished yet with Crows defender Daniel Talia wanting his also-ran team to spend the last month of the AFL home-and-away season rebuilding its reputation — or, as he put it, “our brand”.
This mission begins with a timely Showdown with finals aspirant Port Adelaide on Saturday evening.
“Obviously, it is going to be hard now (to qualify for a fourth consecutive AFL finals series),” Talia told The Advertiser after the Crows tumbled to their fourth home loss in 10 matches at the Oval this season.
“Our approach has to be to play to our brand.
“And that is — real pressure, appetite for the contest and dangerous ball movement. When we are at our best, we show that. We have to do that consistently and set an example for the younger guys — that is crucial.
“If finals are going to be out of our control — as we rely on other teams — the one thing we do control is how we play.
“It’s about building our brand of footy, the way we know we can play — and have shown at times this year and (repeatedly) last season (when the Crows were AFL minor premiers and grand finalists).”
Showdown 45 — with the reminder of how the Crows let the May 12 derby slip with Port Adelaide finding the winning goal in the last 21 seconds from recruit Steven Motlop — ensures the Crows will not wallow this week.
“You always love to win a Showdown, more so after losing one,” Talia said. “Port Adelaide is a quality side with good recruits and with some good footy this year.
“That makes the Showdown a huge test for us. But we also look forward to it and can’t wait to get out there.
“We’re realistic about where we are at. We know we are not playing our best footy. But our effort and our want is there. And there is no better feeling than winning a Showdown. We know what is at stake.”
Adelaide stayed 12th (9-9) with the 13-point loss to finals-bound Melbourne on Saturday night when so many of the Crows’ problems in a season unfolded across the four quarters. This included a soft-tissue injury to midfielder Paul Seedsman, the complete collapse of the Adelaide team game in the third term when the Demons made a seven-goal charge and the poor form of some big-name Crows.
Talia — and coach Don Pyke — note a 15-minute collapse in the third term as the key to a costly loss to Melbourne. But the post-game review at West Lakes on Monday should reveal far more — particularly in stoppage work — that needs to be addressed for Showdown 45.
“Our effort and our contest was pretty good all night,” Talia said “But for that 10-15 minutes at the start of the third quarter — something like 16-2 at clearances — was about being outworked and outhunted.
“That left the game played in our back-50 … and moving the ball from the full-back line is pretty tough to get through 18 Melbourne blokes.
“We dropped away for 15 minutes, they kicked five goals and that was the game … even though we were brave in the last quarter, it was going to be hard to make up that five-goal run.”
Talia did concede Adelaide “did not execute forward the way we would have liked” while having a strong command of possession (199-171) in the first half that finished with the Crows holding just a seven-point lead.
“It has been a bit of a theme in our losses this year — that 10 or 15 minutes of getting smashed around the contest,” Talia said. “That was the difference (against Melbourne).”
michelangelo.rucci@news.com.au
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